Their opponents—such as Abū Ishāq al-Isfarāyīnī, other Asharis, and others besides them—say:

“The beginning of this position is sophistry, and its end is heresy.”

This is the position of those who maintain:

“Every qualified jurist addressing practical legal questions subject to independent reasoning (1) is correct, both inwardly and outwardly. In their view, it is inconceivable (2) that a qualified jurist should be mistaken, except in the sense that certain matters escaped his notice. Yet what escaped his notice is not Allah’s ruling, either with respect to him or to others in circumstances like his. As for one who is mistaken—that is, one who errs in decisive questions—he is sinful in their view.”

The second position on the fundamental issue is as follows:

“A qualified jurist who reasons from evidence may be able to recognize the truth, or he may be unable (3) to do so. If he is unable, however, Allah Most High may punish him or may refrain from punishing him, for He may punish whomever He wills and forgive whomever He wills, without any cause whatsoever, but solely by His will.”

This is the position of the Jahmis and the Asharis, as well as many jurists who follow the four imams and others.

They then said:

“It is known through revelation that every disbeliever is in the Fire. We therefore know that Allah will punish every disbeliever, whether he exercised independent reasoning but was unable to recognize the validity of Islam, or did not exercise independent reasoning. As for Muslims who differ among themselves, if their disagreement concerns subsidiary questions, most of them say that there is no punishment in such matters. Some of them say that this is because (4) the Lawgiver has pardoned errors in them, and this is known from the consensus of the early generations that no sin rests upon