by saying: they are not known to have relied on any revealed proof in matters of fundamental doctrine. Yet it may be replied that they argue for the resurrection on the basis of the Quran and hadith. It was al-Rāzī, however, who approached it through the necessary knowledge that the Messenger had taught it.

In fact, all conclusive proofs yield necessary knowledge, and revealed evidence consisting of transmitted reports yields necessary knowledge of what the Messenger reported. Some matters, however, have numerous supporting proofs—as with information conveyed by mass-transmitted reports—and yield necessary knowledge without any particular proof being identified. One may also identify the proofs and reason from them. A fuller discussion of this belongs elsewhere.

The point here is that knowledge concerning Allah and religion, whether transmitted or rational, should be taken from the Messenger, and that what he brought should be made the foundation. This is because conclusive, demonstrative proofs establish that everything he said is true, both in general and in detail. The proofs of prophethood generally establish this in broad terms, while the particular rational proofs found in the Quran and hadith establish it in detail.

Furthermore, the prophets and messengers were sent precisely to make this known. They therefore know it better than anyone else, are best qualified to uphold it, and have the strongest claim to being correct concerning it. Moreover, anyone who has put their statements and those of others to the test has found the truth to be on their side