(ب)
can be known only through reason. For revelation consists merely in the report of a truthful speaker, and the report of that truthful speaker—the Prophet—cannot be known to be true until these principles have been established through reason. They may then disagree over the principles upon which establishing prophethood depends.

“One group” claims that reason’s determination of moral good and evil is among these principles, and that prophethood cannot be established without it. They regard denial of divine decree as something that reason rules out.

“Another group” claims that the world’s coming into existence is among these principles, and that knowledge of the Creator is impossible without establishing that the world came into existence. Establishing this, in turn, is impossible without establishing that bodies came into existence. Their coming into existence is known either through the coming into existence of their attributes or through that of the acts inhering in them. They therefore make the denial of the Lord’s acts and attributes principles without which prophethood cannot be established.

These people then refuse to accept arguments from the Quran and Sunnah against their position, supposing that reason conflicts with revelation—while being its foundation—and must therefore take precedence over it. Revelation must consequently either be reinterpreted or left to Allah. On closer examination, they also refuse to accept arguments from the Quran and Sunnah supporting their position, for the reasons already mentioned. These people go astray in several respects: