(The second stage of the Mu'tazilah, which is that verbal evidence does not yield certainty in terms of establishment and indication, and the refutation of them) If it prevails over metaphor
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The Shaykh :"If it prevails over metaphor" means that the context indicating the metaphor is impossible to find. "Say to them: Certainty is not derived from it" means that this word does not convey absolute certainty. Why? He said:
"How? And those are verbal proofs *** Excluded from certainty since a long time ago"
We ask Allah for well-being. They say that verbal evidence does not yield certainty, either in terms of establishment or in terms of indication. Pay attention to this defective, invalid rule. Verbal evidence does not yield certainty, either in terms of establishment or in terms of indication.
Either in terms of establishment, meaning that those who transmitted it were individuals. And for this reason, they do not accept reports from a single narrator (ahad) in establishing beliefs, because certainty is required for beliefs, and a report from a single narrator does not yield certainty. So, is a report from a single narrator speculative or certain? Speculative, according to their claim. So they do not accept it.
Say: By Allah, this is a report from a single narrator that we do not accept. When is that? When you are unable to establish the metaphor. If the report is established with certainty, like the Noble Qur'an and the mass-transmitted (mutawatir) reports from the Sunnah, then say to them: It is speculative in its indication. Speculative in its indication means that its indication of the meaning is not certain. For there is no word that does not carry a possible meaning, either distant or close, a meaning that is not apparent. For there is no word that does not carry a possible meaning that is not apparent, either close or distant.
Do you see? I am stating their established rule. Otherwise, we do not concede all of this to them. We say: As for your claim that verbal evidence does not yield certainty, either in establishment or in indication, this is a lie. Rather, it yields certainty in establishment and yields certainty in indication. For the indication of words to their meaning is definitive in some cases, where they do not carry another meaning. For this reason, the scholars of principles of jurisprudence said: An explicit text (nass) can be clear (sarih) and can be apparent (zahir). Meaning it is clear and does not carry except one meaning. Is its indication certain or speculative? It is certain; it does not yield except one meaning. And an apparent indication carries the possibility of interpretation. So your claim that verbal evidence does not yield certainty because it is either speculative in its establishment or speculative in its indication is a lie. And O, glory to Allah the Great! If one of your imams came and spoke, and spoke a thousand books' worth of speech, and spoke. Do you not say that the indication of the word to the meaning intended by this writer or this author is certain? They will say: Yes, it is certain, and they will argue. And if someone distorts the speech, they say: This is contrary to the apparent speech of our Master; it is not possible. So how about the speech of Allah, Lord of the Worlds, and the speech of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), the trustworthy one? And for this reason they say: "And those are verbal proofs" Verbal in what? In terms of establishment and in terms of indication.
"Excluded from certainty since a long time ago" And, if Allah wills, the next lesson, if Allah wills, will be on the Nuniyyah that follows. Yes, we did not finish it. Yes?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : I say the book, if Allah wills, is the Nuniyyah. Listen, O Sulayman, if Allah wills.
"How? And those are verbal proofs *** Excluded from certainty since a long time ago"
We ask Allah for well-being. They say that verbal evidence does not yield certainty, either in terms of establishment or in terms of indication. Pay attention to this defective, invalid rule. Verbal evidence does not yield certainty, either in terms of establishment or in terms of indication.
Either in terms of establishment, meaning that those who transmitted it were individuals. And for this reason, they do not accept reports from a single narrator (ahad) in establishing beliefs, because certainty is required for beliefs, and a report from a single narrator does not yield certainty. So, is a report from a single narrator speculative or certain? Speculative, according to their claim. So they do not accept it.
Say: By Allah, this is a report from a single narrator that we do not accept. When is that? When you are unable to establish the metaphor. If the report is established with certainty, like the Noble Qur'an and the mass-transmitted (mutawatir) reports from the Sunnah, then say to them: It is speculative in its indication. Speculative in its indication means that its indication of the meaning is not certain. For there is no word that does not carry a possible meaning, either distant or close, a meaning that is not apparent. For there is no word that does not carry a possible meaning that is not apparent, either close or distant.
Do you see? I am stating their established rule. Otherwise, we do not concede all of this to them. We say: As for your claim that verbal evidence does not yield certainty, either in establishment or in indication, this is a lie. Rather, it yields certainty in establishment and yields certainty in indication. For the indication of words to their meaning is definitive in some cases, where they do not carry another meaning. For this reason, the scholars of principles of jurisprudence said: An explicit text (nass) can be clear (sarih) and can be apparent (zahir). Meaning it is clear and does not carry except one meaning. Is its indication certain or speculative? It is certain; it does not yield except one meaning. And an apparent indication carries the possibility of interpretation. So your claim that verbal evidence does not yield certainty because it is either speculative in its establishment or speculative in its indication is a lie. And O, glory to Allah the Great! If one of your imams came and spoke, and spoke a thousand books' worth of speech, and spoke. Do you not say that the indication of the word to the meaning intended by this writer or this author is certain? They will say: Yes, it is certain, and they will argue. And if someone distorts the speech, they say: This is contrary to the apparent speech of our Master; it is not possible. So how about the speech of Allah, Lord of the Worlds, and the speech of His Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), the trustworthy one? And for this reason they say: "And those are verbal proofs" Verbal in what? In terms of establishment and in terms of indication.
"Excluded from certainty since a long time ago" And, if Allah wills, the next lesson, if Allah wills, will be on the Nuniyyah that follows. Yes, we did not finish it. Yes?
The student: ... .
The Shaykh : I say the book, if Allah wills, is the Nuniyyah. Listen, O Sulayman, if Allah wills.