that He has no power to perform an act inherent in Himself, it follows that He has no power over anything separate from Him. Thus, your position entails that He has no power over anything and cannot do anything, which in turn entails that He is not the Creator of anything. This is an inescapable consequence for those who deny His attributes.

For this reason, it has been said: The method they followed to establish that the world had a beginning and that a Maker exists contradicts both the world’s having a beginning and the existence of a Maker. These can only be soundly affirmed by refuting that method, not by upholding it. Thus, what they relied upon and made into foundations of religion and evidence for it is itself invalid according to both revelation and reason, and contradicts and opposes religion.

This is why “the early generations and the imams” criticized and condemned this discourse of theirs, saying: “Whoever seeks knowledge through speculative theology falls into heresy,” as Abū Yūsuf said—a saying also related from Mālik.

Al-Shāfiʿī said: “My judgment concerning the practitioners of speculative theology is that they should be beaten with palm branches and sandals and paraded among the tribes, while it is proclaimed: ‘This is the recompense of whoever abandons the Book and the Sunnah and turns to speculative theology.’”

Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal said: “The scholars of speculative theology are heretics. No one who has donned the cloak of speculative theology has prospered.”

The imams spoke truly concerning this, for these people base their approach on “vague statements” that pass as sound among those who do not understand their true nature. Once someone believes such discourse to be true, and it becomes clear that it contradicts the Book and the Sunnah, disease, hypocrisy, misgiving, and doubt remain in his heart. Indeed, he may go so far as to disparage what the Messenger brought, and this is heresy. Moreover, it is “discourse that is invalid on rational grounds,” as one of the early generations said: “Knowledge of speculative theology is