And when it was from the greatest misguidance to attribute a person to lying without evidence in something he did not originate, but rather preceded by similar things from people whose truthfulness has been established in such matters, and time has passed upon it, and it has been firmly established in hearts and minds, Allah, the Exalted, said: "Say". This means to those who attributed you to fabrication: "I was not". This means: in any way "an innovator". This means: a creator, an initiator, a new thing, such that I would be foreign and disconnected "from the messengers". There has not come to me from them an example in the foundation of what I have brought, which is the word over which there has been prolonged dispute between me and you, and the matter is serious, which is the oneness of Allah and the virtues of good character. Indeed, many messengers preceded me who brought what I have brought and called to it as I have called, and Allah confirmed them with what He confirmed me with. Thus, their messages were established, and those who believed in them from their people were made happy, while those who denied them were made miserable. So look at their traces and ask about their biographies from their followers and supporters. Imam Abu Abdullah al-Qazzaz said in his diwan: The innovation is the name for what has been innovated, and the opposite of innovation is the Sunnah, because the Sunnah is what has been preceded by an imam, and innovation is what has been created without an example. In the hadith: "Every innovation is misguidance, and every misguidance is in the Fire." Its meaning - and Allah knows best - is that one innovates what contradicts the Sunnah, as innovation is the opposite of the Sunnah. So if one introduces what contradicts it, he is misguided and associating partners with Allah, and whoever innovates in the Fire, and this does not include what a person invents from acts of righteousness, which is called innovation due to the absence of its practice before that, if it has a counterpart in the foundations. This is the encouragement for all acts of righteousness, whether known or unknown. If an innovator introduces something from that, it is as if it is an addition to what has preceded of righteousness and is not contrary to what has preceded of the Sunnah, but rather it is a door among its doors. They say: So-and-so is not an innovator in this matter; that is, he is not the first to have encountered that, but others preceded him as well. The poet said:

And I am not an innovator among the calamities and the breaking of events and their continuation.

And it is said: He was innovated with the man - if his mount became weary - and the mounts innovated when they became weary and broke down. It is said: Whoever's mounts have broken down, then he has been innovated with it. And it is mentioned in the dictionary: Innovation is the occurrence in religion after its completion or what has been newly introduced after him, blessings and peace be upon him, from whims and actions. And he was innovated with the man: his mounts broke down. And he remained disconnected with it. And so-and-so innovated with so-and-so: he cut him off and abandoned him. (p-135) And he did not fulfill his need. And his argument: it has become invalid. And Al-Saghani said in Majma' al-Bahrain: And something is an innovation - with a kasra, meaning it is newly invented. And so-and-so is an innovation in this matter, meaning he is remarkable. And a people are innovators. According to Al-Akhfash: The innovator is the one who innovates, and the innovator is also the one who initiates. And the argument of so-and-so has become invalidated. And it has been innovated: it has been nullified, it can be transitive or intransitive.

And when he ﷺ established, by his agreement with the messengers, the essence of the speech, it remained to be said: that the denial of the fact that Allah sent him [with it], the evidence for his truthfulness in his claim arose. This is because he is similar to them in the essence of creation. He has no knowledge from himself except what they have. And there is no one among them who has the authority to judge the unseen. If it were not that Allah sent him, nothing he judged regarding the future would be valid, and nothing would be excluded from that. So he said: ﴿And I do not know﴾ meaning: in this situation, by way of stratagem, action, and effort, ﴿what﴾ [meaning: that which] ﴿will be done﴾ meaning: by any doer [whether] it is Allah, the Exalted, without an intermediary or through the intermediary of [others]. ﴿To me﴾ and he emphasized the negation to be clear in both the gathering and also in the individual case. So he said: ﴿And I do not know﴾ [meaning: nor do I know that which will be done] ﴿with you﴾. This is in the essence of creation, and you see me judging for myself with things that nothing among them is inconsistent, like when I say: indeed, I come to you from the Qur'an with that which incapacitates you. So you all cannot oppose anything from it, and this is valid in terms of repetition; nothing is excluded from it at all. If it were not that Allah sent me with it, I would not be able alone to do what you all cannot do. And if I were able to do something, you would be more capable than me of it. And in the verse, in its generality, there is evidence that Allah has the right to do as He wills. So He has the right to punish the obedient and to grant comfort to the disobedient. And if He did that, it would be just and true, even if we believe that He does not do it.

And when he equated his noble self with them in the essence of creation, and Allah had distinguished him from them by what He has granted him of prophethood and messengership, [He made that clear to him] glorified and exalted is He, in the form of the result. So he said: ﴿Indeed﴾ meaning: what ﴿I follow﴾ [meaning] with all my effort and diligence ﴿except what﴾ meaning: that which ﴿is revealed﴾ meaning: is renewed in its delivery from the one who does not reveal the truth except Him ﴿to me﴾ in a gradual manner, secretly, no one else has the right to know it as I do. And among it is what I inform about the unseen, so it will be as I said. So there is no doubt that I cannot do that by myself, thus it is known that it is from Allah.

And when they attributed him to fabrication at one time and to madness at another, and the greatest reason for their attribution to him of that was their exposing him to what displeased them contrary to their previous custom and the custom of his like, he said in a manner of heart-felt limitation: ﴿And I am not﴾ meaning: (p-137) by informing you of what is revealed to me ﴿except a warner﴾ meaning: to you and to all who the Qur'an reaches ﴿clear﴾ meaning: it is evident that I am likewise in myself manifesting it - meaning being a warner - and for all the particulars from which I have warned with definitive evidence.