and the Most Merciful—that is, the referent is one and the same, not that one attribute is identical to another. Clearly, this is not a disagreement involving contradiction, as some people suppose. An example is their interpretation of the straight path.
Some said it is “the Quran,” meaning following it, because of the Prophet’s words (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) in the hadith of ‘Alī recorded by al-Tirmidhī and transmitted by Abū Nu‘aym through several chains:
“It is Allah’s firm rope, the reminder full of wisdom, and the straight path.”
Others said it is “Islam,” because of his words (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) in the hadith of al-Nawwās ibn Sam‘ān recorded by al-Tirmidhī and others:
“Allah sets forth a parable: a straight path, with two walls on either side. In the walls are open doors, with curtains hanging over them. A caller calls from above the path, and another caller calls at its beginning.” He said: “The straight path is Islam; the two walls are Allah’s limits; the open doors are the things Allah has forbidden; the caller at the beginning of the path is Allah’s Book; and the caller above the path is Allah’s admonisher in the heart of every believer.”
These two interpretations agree, for the religion of Islam consists in following the Quran. Each, however, draws attention to a different characteristic, just as the word “path” conveys a third characteristic. The same applies to those who said it is “the Sunnah and the community,” those who said it is “the way of servitude to Allah,” those who said it is “obedience to Allah and His Messenger” (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), and similar interpretations. All of these, then, were referring