[Methods That May Be Followed by Those without Knowledge of Transmitted Reports]

Section

Here are methods(1) that may be followed by members of the learned elite who lack knowledge of transmitted reports. Indeed, many of the learned elite—to say nothing of the general public—find it impossible to distinguish truth from falsehood on the basis of the chain of transmission in most of the reports narrated on this subject and others. Only hadith scholars(2) possess such knowledge. This is why many scholars of speculative theology and rational inquiry, being incapable of it, turned away from assessing reports by their chains of transmission and the standing of their narrators, and instead followed another method.

That method, however, is the method of those versed in hadith, who know the message with which Allah sent His Messenger. Nevertheless, we shall mention another method.

We say: Let us suppose that the disputed reports did not exist, or that it was not known which of them were authentic. We shall set aside their use as evidence by either side and return instead to what is otherwise known through mass transmission, what is known through reason(3) and customary experience, and what is established by the agreed-upon texts.

We say: It is established by mass transmission among the learned elite and the general public alike—and is not disputed by those versed in transmitted reports and historical accounts—that Abū Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, did not seek the caliphate through inducement or intimidation. He neither offered anything in pursuit of it with which to entice(4) people, nor did he brandish