He was also asked—may Allah have mercy on him:

“Is someone correct in saying, ‘The scriptural texts do not cover a hundredth of the Sharia’? Does he mean an unambiguous text that admits no alternative interpretation, or transmitted wording that admits different interpretations?

“Are those Zāhirīs who reject analogical reasoning and declare it invalid correct? What evidence do they have for that?

“What do they mean by the term ‘text’?”

He replied:

All praise is due to Allah, Lord of all worlds. This statement was made by a group of proponents of speculative theology and juristic opinion, such as Abū al-Maʿālī and others, and it is mistaken. Rather, the correct position, held by the majority of Muslim imams, is that the scriptural texts cover most of the rulings governing people’s actions.

Some maintain that they cover all such rulings. Those who deny this do so only because they have not understood the meanings of the texts of general scope—the words of Allah and His Messenger—or how comprehensively they encompass the rulings governing people’s actions. For Allah sent Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, with concise yet comprehensive speech. He would utter a comprehensive statement of general scope constituting a universal proposition and a general principle encompassing numerous categories, which in turn encompass countless individual instances. It is in this way that the scriptural texts encompass the rulings governing people’s actions.