For in many or most of these matters, every community among the People of the Scriptures follows nothing but conjecture and what their souls desire. Thus Allah, exalted and holy is He, says:

“Mankind was one community; then Allah sent the prophets as bearers of good tidings and warnings, and sent down with them the Scripture in truth to judge between people concerning that in which they differed.” [al-Baqarah 213]

Only a Scripture sent down from heaven can settle disputes among human beings. Hence Allah Most High commanded the believers, when they disagree, to refer their disputes back to Him. As He, exalted and holy is He, says:

“O you who believe, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. If you disagree over anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger, if you believe in Allah and the Last Day. That is better and best in outcome.” {59} [al-Nisā’ 59]

This and similar matters are discussed at length elsewhere. The point here is simply that those who report doctrines and those who engage in dialectic came to use the Arabized term, altered from sūfisqiyā to sūfistā, to express this meaning, which involves denying the truth and obscuring it with falsehood. Some supposed that this was a general doctrine and position held by a group concerning every truth. That is not the case; rather, it is something that befalls human beings in many of their affairs.