In many books written on the “foundations of religious knowledge” and other subjects, you find the author presenting several positions on a “major question,” such as the Quran, seeing Allah, His attributes, the resurrection, the world’s coming into existence, and other matters. Yet the position conveyed by the Messenger and upheld by the early generations of the Muslim community is absent from those books. Indeed, their authors neither knew it nor were even aware of it. This is among the causes that deepen division and disagreement within the Muslim community—something the community has been forbidden to engage in, as Allah Most High says:

“Do not be like those who became divided and disagreed after clear proofs had come to them. Those will suffer a tremendous punishment, on the Day when some faces will turn white and others will turn black.”

Ibn ‘Abbās said: “The faces of the followers of the Sunnah and the united community will turn white, while the faces of the people of innovation and division will turn black.”

Allah Most High also says:

“Indeed, those who divided their religion and became sects—you have nothing to do with them. Their affair rests only with Allah.”

And He says:

“Indeed, those who disagree over the Scripture are in profound discord.”

“The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) came out to his Companions while they were disputing about divine decree. One was saying, ‘Has Allah not said such-and-such?’ and another was saying, ‘Has Allah not said such-and-such?’ He said: ‘Is this what you were commanded to do? Is this what you were called to? Those before you perished only because of this: they set parts of Allah’s Book against one another. Look to what you have been commanded to do and do it, and avoid what you have been forbidden.’”

Among the things people have been commanded to do is to act upon the clear passages of the Quran and believe in its ambiguous passages.