“Our Lord, do not take us to task if we forget or make a mistake.”

Ahl al-Sunnah affirm with certainty that everyone who fears Allah Most High will attain salvation, as the Quran explicitly declares. They withhold judgment only concerning a particular individual, because they do not know whether he is among the God-fearing.

Such is also the case of the other proponents of weak views who, when the matter is unclear to them, invoke the apparent wording of the Quran to support positions contrary to the Sunnah—even though nothing in the Quran’s apparent wording contradicts the Sunnah. Examples include those among the Khawārij who say, “One must pray only four units of prayer while travelling”; those who say that praying four is preferable; and those who say, “We do not issue judgments on the basis of one witness and an oath.”

What the apparent wording of the Quran indicates is true. It is not a general expression whose scope has been restricted, for the wording conveys no generality here; rather, it is unrestricted, as in His words:

“Kill the polytheists.”

This is general with respect to individuals and unrestricted with respect to circumstances. Likewise, His words:

“Allah instructs you concerning your children”

are general with respect to children and unrestricted with respect to circumstances.

The term “apparent” may mean what appears to a person, or it may mean what the wording itself indicates. The former depends on people’s understanding, and much in the Quran contradicts faulty understanding.