and treats as permissible whatever Allah and His Messenger have permitted, overlooks whatever Allah and His Messenger have overlooked, gives preference to whatever Allah and His Messenger have preferred, gives precedence to whatever Allah and His Messenger have given precedence, gives lower priority to whatever Allah and His Messenger have given lower priority, and refers disputes concerning these matters to Allah and His Messenger. Whatever is clear is followed, and whatever is unclear is clarified.

Among these are disputed matters of independent reasoning that Allah and His Messenger have sanctioned. An example is the Companions’ differing judgments about delaying the afternoon prayer beyond its prescribed time on the day of the expedition against Banū Qurayzah or performing it within its time: the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, rebuked neither group. Likewise, some of them cut down the date palms of Banū al-Nadīr, while others had not done so, and Allah approved both courses of action.

Similarly, Allah mentioned that David and Solomon passed judgment concerning the cultivated field: one of them understood the judgment, yet He praised both for their knowledge and for judging by it. Likewise, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“When a judge exercises independent reasoning and reaches the correct judgment, he receives two rewards; when he exercises independent reasoning and errs, he receives one reward.”

Thus, latitude must be allowed wherever Allah and His Messenger have allowed it, and whatever Allah and His Messenger have overlooked must likewise be overlooked. Whatever the Muslims have agreed upon—whether declaring something obligatory, prohibited, recommended, or permissible, or forgiving one another for their errors and accepting one another’s exercise of independent reasoning—is among the things Allah and His Messenger have commanded. For Allah and His Messenger have commanded unity and forbidden division, and have shown that the Muslim community does not agree upon misguidance, as set out in the relevant discussions.