As for your request concerning the four grounds that necessitate interpreting speech figuratively rather than literally, I shall summarize the discussion I had with someone on this subject—the discussion I recounted to you and whose account you requested. Allah willing, it benefited him and others, notwithstanding the additions, omissions, and alterations in this account.

Someone said to me:

“If we wish to follow the path of safety and silence—the way by which we remain safe—we say what al-Shāfiʿī, may Allah be pleased with him, said: ‘I believe in Allah and in what has come from Allah, according to Allah’s intent; and I believe in Allah’s Messenger and in what has come from Allah’s Messenger, according to the intent of Allah’s Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.’ But if we follow the path of inquiry and careful investigation, then the truth lies with those speculative theologians who interpret the verses and hadiths concerning the divine attributes nonliterally.”

I replied:

“What al-Shāfiʿī said is true, and every Muslim must believe it. Whoever believes it and makes no statement contradicting it follows the path of safety in this world and the Hereafter. But when a person investigates and examines the matter closely, he finds that all the nonliteral interpretations through which the speculative theologians oppose the people of hadith are false, and becomes certain that the truth lies with the people of hadith, both outwardly and inwardly.”

He was taken aback by this and said:

“Would you like the people of hadith to debate this?”

We therefore arranged a day to meet. Among the matters we discussed was that the principal issues on which the later speculative theologians who profess to follow al-Ashʿarī differed with the people of hadith were three: