One extreme went to excess in affirming them, affirming them in a manner that likens Allah to His creation.

Another extreme went to excess in declaring Allah transcendent, and thus denied them. These are the two extremes.

The middle position affirmed them while denying any likeness.

With regard to divine decree, people have likewise divided into two extremes and a middle position:

One extreme went to excess in affirming divine decree and said: “A person is compelled in his actions and has no choice.”

The other extreme went to excess in denying it and said: “The servant is independent in his actions, and Allah’s decree has no connection to them.”

A third group took the middle position, saying: “A person has will and choice in his actions, but they are recorded with Allah and occur by Allah’s decree.” Thus, they took the middle course and were correct.

In the matter of warnings of punishment, people have also divided into two extremes and a middle position:

One group adhered to the texts containing warnings of punishment and neglected the texts of hope.

Another group adhered to the texts of hope and neglected the texts containing warnings of punishment.

And one group took the middle position.

The first group—those who adhered to the texts containing warnings of punishment and disregarded the texts of hope—said: “Whoever commits a major sin will abide eternally in the Fire, and intercession will not benefit him.”

The second group, who went to the other extreme, adhered to the texts of hope and neglected the texts containing warnings of punishment. They said: “The perpetrator of a major sin will not enter the Fire, and the texts that contain warnings of punishment apply only to the disbelievers, not to the believers.”