and that Allah may turn in mercy to the believing men and believing women. And Allah is ever Forgiving and Merciful.”

Thus, every person’s ultimate aim is to be among the believing men and women to whom Allah has turned in mercy. The Quran, the authentic Sunnah, and the scriptures revealed before the Quran contain more support for this position than can be enumerated.

Those who reject this have interpreted these texts much as the Jahmiyyah, Qadariyyah, and Dahriyyah interpret the texts concerning “the divine names and attributes,” “divine decree,” and “the Hereafter.” Such interpretations are akin to those of the esotericist Qarmatians: they are self-evidently false and constitute a distortion of words from their proper meanings. One of these people intends to honor the prophets, yet ends up denying their truthfulness; he wishes to believe in them, yet falls into disbelief in them.

Moreover, they have derived no benefit from the infallibility established by revelation, reason, and scholarly consensus—namely, “infallibility in conveying the revelation”—since they do not acknowledge the implications of what the prophets conveyed. They acknowledge only wording whose meaning they have distorted, or approach it like the unlettered who know nothing of the Scripture beyond mere recitation.

As for the infallibility they have claimed, even if it were established, they would derive no benefit from it, nor, on their own terms, would they have any need of it. It concerns others, rather than what they themselves have been commanded to believe. Thus, one of them makes pronouncements about the prophets in this matter without any authority from Allah, while neglecting his own duty to believe the prophets and obey them. It is through this that happiness is attained, while its opposite brings misery. Allah Most High says:

“He is responsible only for what he has been charged with, and you are responsible for what you have been charged with”—to the end of the verse.