this, given the confusion, dispute, and disagreement it has occasioned. Since nothing in the Sunnah establishes this claim, it cannot be established through what is assumed to be the meaning of the hadith in its context. They merely heard that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said:

“Allah existed, and there was nothing with Him.”

They assumed this wording was established, taking it in isolation from the rest of what the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, said. They also assumed that it meant to state that He, exalted is He, preceded everything. On the strength of these two assumptions, they attributed that meaning to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him. Yet they have no knowledge of either premise, nor even a supposition grounded in any indication.

Even supposing that they did not assert with certainty that he intended the other meaning, they have nothing that warrants certainty about this meaning. Doubt has arisen among them, yet they attribute to the Messenger something they do not know that he said. Allah, exalted is He, has said:

“Do not pursue that of which you have no knowledge.”

And He, exalted is He, has said:

“Say, ‘My Lord has only forbidden shameful deeds, whether open or concealed, sin, unjust aggression, associating with Allah that for which He has sent down no authority, and saying about Allah what you do not know.’”

All of this is impermissible.

(Tenth point: Some people have added to it:

“And He is now as He has always been.”

This addition was merely introduced by someone on his own authority; it does not appear in any of the narrations. Some of them then interpret it to mean that nothing exists with Him even now; rather, His existence is the very existence of created things, as maintained by the proponents of