Furthermore, it is well known that if someone whom Allah has appointed as a guide and a conveyor of His message in clear Arabic never says anything except what contradicts the actual inward truth, then he is closer to misguidance and deception than to guidance and clear explanation. A detailed refutation of them belongs elsewhere.
The point is that everything conveyed by the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, on this subject and others is true, each part confirming the rest. It accords with the innate disposition of created beings and the clear reason and sound intentions with which they have been endowed. It contradicts neither clear reason, sound intent, upright innate disposition, nor authentic reports firmly established from the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace.
Only someone who accepts false reports, understands them to mean what they do not indicate, or holds something to be rational knowledge when it is actually ignorance, or spiritual unveiling when it is actually obscuration, supposes these to conflict—if what he holds contradicts an authentic report. Otherwise, he is using clear reason or genuine spiritual unveiling to challenge something he supposes to have been transmitted from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, when it is actually falsely attributed to him, or wording he supposes to signify something when it does not.
An example is their discussion of the saying attributed to him, may Allah bless him and grant him peace:
“The Black Stone is Allah’s right hand on earth. Whoever clasps it and kisses it, it is as though he has shaken hands with Allah and kissed His right hand.”
They supposed that this and similar statements require figurative interpretation. This is a mistake on their part—even supposing that this wording were established from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. For this wording explicitly indicates that the Stone is not one of Allah’s attributes, since he said:
“It is Allah’s right hand on earth.”
Thus, the qualification “on earth” indicates that it is not His hand in