to attain certainty?”

The answer is: the correct approach is to distinguish between cases.

Some groups of speculative theologians claim that certainty is required in all matters of belief—which they may call fundamental questions—and that no evidence may be used in them unless it yields certainty. They may even require everyone to attain certainty in every such matter. Taken without qualification and applied universally, this claim is erroneous and contrary to the Book, the Sunnah, and the consensus of the early generations of the Muslim community and its leading scholars.

Moreover, they themselves are among the furthest from fulfilling what they require. They frequently advance arguments in these matters which they claim are conclusive, but which are actually fallacies, not even amounting to probable evidence. Indeed, the same person often asserts with certainty that an argument is valid in one place and invalid in another. For some, even the ultimate conclusions of their reasoning follow this pattern. Each of two disputants may even claim immediate certainty about the opposite of what the other claims.

The distinction is this: wherever Allah has required knowledge and certainty, the knowledge and certainty He has required are obligatory, as in His saying:

“Know that Allah is severe in punishment and that Allah is All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.”

And His saying:

“So know that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah, and ask forgiveness for your sin.”

Likewise, one must believe in whatever Allah has required belief in. It is established in Islamic law that obligation depends upon a person’s ability, as in His saying:

“So fear Allah as much as you are able.”

And the saying of the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him:

“When I command you to do something, do as much of it as you can.”

Both al-Bukhārī and Muslim narrated it in their Sahīh collections.