This was sufficient for them to know of the mystery of the Godhead. God is far beyond the reach of the human {120} understanding. He alone embraces all in His comprehension. Men should therefore mistrust their own perceptive faculties and notions and should obey the inspired legislator Muhammad, who loving them better than they love themselves, and knowing better than they do what is truly useful, has revealed both what they ought to believe and what they ought to do. It is true that men must exercise their reason, but they must not do so with regard to the divine attributes.[105] Dogma is divided into two portions, usul and faru'--(_i.e._, roots and branches.) The former include the doctrine about God; the latter, as the name implies, consist of truths which result from the acceptance of the former. The orthodox belief is that reason has only to do with the "faru'," for the usul being founded on the Quran and Sunnat have an objective basis. Differences of opinion about various branches of the "faru'," led to discussions which did not stop there but went on to the "usul," and so paved the way for the rise of scholastic theology ('Ilm-i-kalam.) I have already in the chapter on the exegesis of the Quran explained the difference in meaning between muhkam (obvious) verses and mutashabih (intricate) ones. This difference lies at the very foundation of the present subject. It is, therefore, necessary to enter a little into detail. The question turns very much on the interpretation of the 5th verse of the 3rd Sura: "He it is who hath sent down to thee 'the Book.' Some of its signs are of themselves perspicuous (muhkam): these are the basis of the {121} Book--and others are figurative (mutashabih.) But they whose hearts are given to err, follow its figures, craving discord, craving an interpretation; yet none knoweth its interpretation but God. And the stable in knowledge say, 'We believe in it: it is all from our Lord.' But none will bear this in mind, save men endued with understanding." Here it is clearly stated (1) that no one except God can know the interpretation of mutashabih verses, and (2) that wise men though they know not their interpretation, yet believe them all. Many learned men, however, say that the full stop should not be placed after the word "God" but after "knowledge," and so this portion of the verse would read thus: "None knoweth its interpretation but God and the stable in knowledge. They say: 'we believe, &c.'" On this slight change in punctuation, which shows that the 'stable in knowledge' can interpret the mutashabih verses, opposite schools of theology have arisen in Islam.