Shaykh al-Islām said:

In the midst of the verses concerning the resurrection, Allah says:

“Among people are those who dispute about Allah without knowledge and follow every rebellious devil.”

“It has been decreed concerning him that whoever takes him as an ally”

He follows this with a verse concerning the resurrection, then with His words:

“Among people are those who dispute about Allah without knowledge, guidance, or an illuminating Scripture.”

“Turning away in arrogance to lead others astray from Allah’s path”

And so on, down to His words:

“Among people are those who worship Allah on the edge.”

These passages explain the condition of speculative theologians and devotees: those who dispute without knowledge and those who worship without knowledge—indeed, with doubt. For this surah concerns the religion of Abraham, who argued with knowledge and worshipped Allah with knowledge. Hence it includes mention of Hajj and the six religious communities.

His words about disputing concerning Allah without knowledge condemn everyone who does so without knowledge. They also indicate that disputing with knowledge is permissible, as Abraham did with his people. In the first passage, He condemns disputing without knowledge; in the second, disputing without knowledge, guidance, or an illuminating Scripture.

This—and Allah knows best—is an instance either of following the general with the specific or of ascending from the lower to the higher, to show that the one who argues on the basis of Scripture ranks highest, followed by the one who argues on the basis of guidance. Knowledge is thus an all-encompassing term. Some of it is acquired through inferential reasoning; this is its lowest category and is therefore singled out