outright. They spoke ill of their transmitters, cast suspicion upon them, accused them of fabrication, and charged them with a poor command of the Sunnah, a poor understanding of the meanings of the hadiths they narrated, and ignorance of their interpretation. Had they followed the path of moderation and stopped at the limits set by revelation, they would have found the soothing comfort of certainty and peace of heart. Blessings would have abounded, growth would have multiplied, hearts would have opened, and lamps of light would have shone within them.

“And Allah guides whom He wills to a straight path.”
{213}
[al-Baqarah 213]

Know that the past imams and the early predecessors did not refrain from this mode of discourse and this kind of inquiry because they were incapable of it or at a loss before it. They possessed ample intelligence and penetrating understanding