revealed and rational proofs. One group has devised principles that contradict what he brought in both respects. Another group recognized this as innovation and turned away from it, identifying themselves with the Sunnah because they were free of the former group’s innovation. Yet they have neither followed the Sunnah properly nor upheld the revealed and rational proofs he brought.

Indeed, regarding the matters he conveys through revelation concerning his Lord and the Last Day, the most they do is believe his words without understanding what he has conveyed. They may even say that he himself did not know the meaning of what he conveyed, because they consider this to be the interpretation of the ambiguous passages, which Allah alone knows.

As for rational proofs, they may not even conceive that he brought rational foundations establishing what he conveys, such as the proofs establishing Allah’s oneness and attributes. Some acknowledge that he brought this in general terms, but do not know his proofs. They may even suppose that an argument they themselves use—such as inferring from the creation of the human being that his constituent substances had a beginning—is the Messenger’s own argument.

Many of these people believe that some of these matters cannot be known through reason, such as the Resurrection, the goodness of monotheism, justice and truthfulness, and the evil of polytheism and injustice