Thus he forbade them to affirm it, lest it turn out to be false, and he forbade them to reject it, lest it prove to be true. Instead, he ordered them to act justly by declaring a statement that entails believing in the truth alone—and the same principle applies here.

Moreover, these hadiths are not required for any practical act of worship, nor is there a legal ruling that hinges upon them such that one must know them in detail. It is enough for a person to believe in whatever of them he has verified.

Let it also be known that whoever ascribes an attribute to Allah Most High on the basis of any one of these fabricated narrations is in a far worse condition than the one who interprets the authentic reports figuratively. The religion of Allah Most High lies between excess and deficiency. The path of the early generations—may Allah have mercy on them—gathers every good. May Allah guide us and you to follow it and to tread its road. All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds.