Three Theological Treatises

"And do not follow that of which you have no knowledge" Quran 17:36. If it is argued that three points indicate the permissibility [of using speculative reasoning], the first is the evidence indicating the validity of truthfulness: a person is truthful if they report what they believe, even if they are only acting on a "suspicion" original: "zann," referring to probabilistic or speculative knowledge rather than certainty. The second point is the sayings of the Quranic commentators who interpret through intuition and speculation, as everything they have said was not directly heard from the Messenger but was rather derived through independent reasoning ijtihad: the process of making a legal decision by personal interpretation of the legal sources. For this reason, opinions have multiplied and conflicted. The third point is the consensus of the Successors Tabi'un: the generation of Muslims who followed the Companions of the Prophet on transmitting the attributed reports that were passed down by individual Companions—which did not reach the level of "consecutive transmission" tawatur: a report transmitted by so many people that it is impossible for them to have agreed upon a lie—and their inclusion of "sound" reports transmitted by upright individuals. They permitted their narration, even though the word of an upright person yields only "suspicion" zann rather than absolute certainty.

The answer to the first point is that what is permitted is truthfulness in which no harm is feared. However, such "suspicions" regarding God are not free from harm. Someone might hear a speculative interpretation, find comfort in it, and adopt it as a firm conviction. Thus, they would be passing judgment on the Attributes of God Almighty without certain knowledge, which is a great danger. Human souls naturally recoil from ambiguous literal meanings; so, when a person finds a supportive basis for a meaning—even if it is only speculative—they cling to it and believe it with certainty. This may be an error, resulting in a false belief regarding God's attributes or a judgment on His Word that He did not intend.

As for the second point regarding the speculative sayings of the commentators, this is not conceded in matters concerning the Attributes of God Almighty, such as His "Settling" al-istiwa': often referring to God 'rising over' or 'settling' upon the Throne or His "Aboveness" al-fawq. Rather, such speculation is perhaps permitted in legal rulings, stories of the prophets and unbelievers, or in sermons and parables—matters where the danger of error is not so grave.

As for the third point, some have said that it is not permissible to rely on anything in this chapter [theology] except what is mentioned in the Quran or what has been transmitted from the Messenger through "consecutive transmission" tawatur that yields certain knowledge. As for reports from single narrators original: "al-ahad," reports that do not meet the criteria of tawatur, they are not accepted here. One should not occupy themselves with their interpretation original: "al-ta'wil," referring to allegorical or non-literal interpretation according to those who find fault with interpretation, nor with their narration according to those who rely

upon narration, because that would be a judgment based on something they are not certain of.

What they have mentioned is not far-fetched, but it contradicts the apparent practice of the Ancestors al-Salaf: the first three generations of Muslims, for they accepted reports from upright narrators original: "al-udul," individuals deemed morally and intellectually reliable, narrated them, and authenticated them. The response to this is two-fold:

First, the Successors knew from the evidence of the Law that it is not permissible to accuse an upright person of lying, especially regarding the Attributes of God. If a "Truthful One" al-Siddiq, likely referring to Abu Bakr or the general concept of a highly truthful person narrated a report saying, "I heard the Messenger of God say such-and-such," then rejecting his report would be to label him a liar and attribute to him wickedness or forgetfulness. So they accepted it and said: "Abu Bakr said this," or "Anas said this," and likewise for the Successors of the Successors. Their trust stemmed from the legal evidence that there is no way to accuse the upright, God-fearing Companions. However, how does it follow that the speculative opinions of individuals must not be changed, or that speculation should be elevated to the level of an upright person's transmission? If the Legislator [God] says, "Whatever the upright person tells you, believe it, transmit it, and manifest it," and you then narrate from your own "suspicions," your conscience, and your own self, then this does not carry the same meaning as something heard [from the Prophet]. For this reason, we say: whatever is narrated by someone who is not "upright" in this category should be turned away from. It should not be narrated, and one should be more cautious with it than one is with sermons and parables.

The second answer is that the Companions narrated those reports because they heard them with certainty; they only transmitted what they were sure of. The Successors accepted and narrated them, but they did not say "The Messenger of God said such-and-such" [directly]; rather, they said "So-and-so said that the Messenger of God said such-and-such." Thus, they were truthful. They were eager to narrate them because every hadith a recorded saying or tradition of the Prophet Muhammad contains benefits beyond the potentially confusing literal wording. To a "Knower" al-arif: one with spiritual or deep intellectual insight, the confusing wording yields a true meaning, so his understanding of it is not "speculative" in his regard.

An example of this is the Companions' narration from the Messenger of God (peace be upon him): "Our Lord descends every night to the lowest heaven and says: 'Is there anyone calling upon Me, that I may answer him? Is there anyone seeking forgiveness, that I may forgive him?'" This hadith was delivered for the purpose of the utmost encouragement to perform the "night prayer" qiyam al-layl, and it has a profound effect in stirring the motives [for worship].