light on the tongue and heavy on the scales: ‘Glory be to Allah and praise be to Him’ and ‘Glory be to Allah, the Magnificent.’” And his saying:

“The truest utterance spoken by a poet is the saying of Labīd: ‘Indeed, everything other than Allah is vain.’”

Another example is the saying of Allah Most High:

“Grave is the word that comes out of their mouths; they speak nothing but a lie.”

And His saying:

“Say, ‘O People of the Scripture, come to a common word between us and you,’”

and the remainder of the verse. And His saying:

“He made the word of those who disbelieved the lowest, while the word of Allah is the highest.”

There are other similar examples. In Arabic usage, the term kalām (speech) occurs only in this sense.

Grammarians, however, have adopted the convention of calling a noun on its own, a verb, or a particle a “word.” Some of them then say, “A ‘word’ may also mean complete speech.” Someone accustomed to this supposes that this is how the Arabs use the term.

Likewise, the expression “blood relatives” in the Quran and Sunnah means relatives on both parents’ sides. It therefore includes residuary heirs and heirs entitled to prescribed shares, although it also encompasses those who inherit neither a prescribed share nor as residuary heirs. In the terminology of jurists, however, it came to designate this last group alone. Someone familiar only with this usage therefore supposes that this is what the expression means in the speech of Allah and His Messenger and in the speech of the Companions. There are many similar examples.

The meanings of the expressions tawassul (seeking a means of approach), istishfā‘ (seeking intercession), and others like them have undergone changes from the usage of the Messenger and his Companions. These changes have caused people to misunderstand their religion and their language.

Knowledge requires reliable transmission and sound reasoning. Reports transmitted from the early generations and the scholars require us to establish the authenticity of their wording and understand what it signifies, just as reports transmitted from Allah and His Messenger require this. This concludes what pertains to this account.