[The necessity of abandoning preconceptions]

In addition, the human being’s satisfactions and dissatisfactions create some expectations of the truth in his mind that make it difficult for him to know it; because these mental expectations, which are called “preconceptions,” make the human being, before he knows the truth, imagine it in a form that he is satisfied with and consider it as falsehood if he finds it in a different form. An example of these preconceptions was that of polytheists, who expected that the Prophet would neither eat nor walk in the markets, and that an Angel would accompany him, and when the Prophet appeared contrary to their expectations, they denied him; as God Almighty has said: ﴿وَقَالُوا مَالِ هَذَا الرَّسُولِ يَأْكُلُ الطَّعَامَ وَيَمْشِي فِي الْأَسْوَاقِ ۙ لَوْلَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مَلَكٌ فَيَكُونَ مَعَهُ نَذِيرًا﴾[1]; “And they said: ‘What is the matter with this Prophet who eats and walks in the markets?! Why an Angel was not sent down to him to be a warner alongside him?!’” or they expected that God Himself would speak to them or a sign would come to them in agreement with their desires, and when their expectations were not fulfilled, they became disbelievers; as God Almighty has said: ﴿وَقَالَ الَّذِينَ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ لَوْلَا يُكَلِّمُنَا اللَّهُ أَوْ تَأْتِينَا آيَةٌ ۗ كَذَلِكَ قَالَ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ مِثْلَ قَوْلِهِمْ ۘ تَشَابَهَتْ قُلُوبُهُمْ ۗ قَدْ بَيَّنَّا الْآيَاتِ لِقَوْمٍ يُوقِنُونَ﴾[2]; “And those who do not know say: ‘Why God Himself does not speak to us or a sign come to us?!’ Those who were before them said similar words! Their hearts are alike! We have made the signs clear for people who have certainty,” or they expected that each of them would be given what was given to the Prophet, and when it was not given to them, they disbelieved in the Prophet; as God Almighty has said: ﴿بَلْ يُرِيدُ كُلُّ امْرِئٍ مِنْهُمْ أَنْ يُؤْتَى صُحُفًا مُنَشَّرَةً﴾[3]; “Rather, each of them wants to be given letters addressed to him personally,” and said: ﴿قَالُوا لَنْ نُؤْمِنَ حَتَّى نُؤْتَى مِثْلَ مَا أُوتِيَ رُسُلُ اللَّهِ﴾[4]; “They said: ‘We will not believe until what was given to the Prophets of God is also given to us’”; while their expectations were not based on the intellect, but originated from their likes. Another example of these preconceptions was the preconception of Jews, who expected that the last Prophet would be from the descendants of Ishaq, and when they found him from the descendants of Isma‘il, they denied him;