And what Satan’s party sought was not merely to oppose the law of Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, but to oppose the religion of all the messengers: Abraham, Moses, the Messiah, and Muhammad, the Seal of the Prophets—may Allah bless them all.

They had sought to prevent any address or writing from emerging from the party of Allah and His Messenger, and they were alarmed by the appearance of al-Ikhnā’iyyah. Yet Allah Most High used them to bring to light many times as much, and something far greater. He compelled them to scrutinize and study it. Their purpose was to expose its faults and find arguments they could use against it, but they found nothing in it except evidence against themselves. Their ignorance, falsehood and inability became apparent to them, and this became widely known throughout the land. This is something that only Allah could bring about.

They could not expose any fault in our position concerning religious law or faith. The most they could claim was that a decree issued by a created being had been contravened. Yet any created being, whoever he may be, who opposes the command of Allah Most High and His Messenger must not be obeyed in that opposition. Such obedience is not merely unnecessary; it is impermissible, by the agreement of the Muslims.

As for someone’s claim that “he propagates religious innovations,” its falsity is apparent to anyone with discernment, who knows that the opposite is true. Someone who propagates an innovation does so either because he does not know the Messenger’s Sunnah or because he has an ulterior motive or desire that conflicts with it. Yet he is more deserving of being charged with ignorance of the Messenger’s Sunnah and following desires without guidance from Allah—

“And who is more astray than one who follows his own desires without guidance from Allah?”

—than those who know the Messenger’s Sunnah better than they do and are further removed from desires and ulterior motives that lead to opposing it.

“Then We set you upon