akhbārīs claim to follow hadith directly, without the need for generalisation, or of finding the reason for the decision. this, according to usulis, is a logical impossibility. hadith takes the form of case law, that is to say the narration of decisions taken in a concrete situation. to "follow" such a decision one must know which features of the situation are or are not relevant to the decision, as exactly the same set of facts will never occur twice. therefore, some degree of generalisation is unavoidable, even on the most literal view: the choice is simply between mechanical generalisation and intelligent generalisation.