falsehood and polytheism who resemble Christians and their like, even though they do not realize that their statements entail this, owing to their limited knowledge, poor understanding, and lack of the qualifications needed for independent scholarly judgment, reasoning from scriptural evidence, and knowledge of what the leading religious scholars have said. Indeed, on a momentous issue such as this, they make statements whose speaker is in greater need of being called to repent, disciplined, taught, and helped to understand than of being refuted or engaged in debate. Similarly, among the ignorant adherents of religious innovations—the Rāfidah, the Kharijites, and others—are those who hasten to declare unbelievers those among the early generations who followed the Messenger, owing to their limited knowledge and poor understanding of what the Messenger brought. Thus, they adopt religious innovations out of ignorance and declare those who disagree with them unbelievers.

Those who adhere to the Sunnah and possess knowledge and faith, however, recognize the truth, follow the Messenger’s Sunnah, show mercy to people, treat them justly, and excuse those who strive to discover the truth but are unable to ascertain it. They condemn only those whom Allah and His Messenger condemn: those who neglect to seek the truth, thereby abandoning a duty, and those who transgress by following their desires without knowledge, thereby committing what is forbidden. Thus, they condemn anyone who neglects a duty or commits what is forbidden, but they do not punish him until the proof has been established against him, as the Most High says:

“We never punish until We have sent a messenger.”

This is especially so in matters over which scholars have differed and concerning which knowledge is obscure to most people. And anyone who does not speak in the manner of the people of