528 — Al-Firyābī informed us, saying: Hishām ibn Ammār narrated to us, saying: Al-Haytham ibn Imrān narrated to us, saying: I heard Amr ibn Muhājir say:

Ghaylān, who was a client of the family of Uthmān, and Sālih ibn Suwayd came to Umar ibn Abd al-Azīz. Umar was informed that the two men ⦗929⦘ were speaking about divine decree, so he summoned them and asked, “Is Allah Most High’s knowledge concerning His servants unfailingly fulfilled, or can it be overturned?”

They replied, “Rather, it is unfailingly fulfilled, Commander of the Faithful.”

He said, “Then why discuss the matter?” So they departed.

Later, during his illness, Umar was informed that they had gone to excess. He sent for them in anger and asked, “When Allah commanded Iblīs to prostrate, was it not already in His foreknowledge that he would not prostrate?”

Amr said: I gestured to them with my head, indicating, “Say yes.” They said, “Yes.” Umar then ordered that they be expelled and that letters setting forth the opposite of what they had said be sent to the military districts. However, Umar—may Allah be pleased with him—died before he could dispatch those letters.

Muhammad ibn al-Husayn—may Allah have mercy on him—said: Ghaylān persisted in unbelief through his doctrine concerning divine decree. Whenever he appeared before Umar—may Allah have mercy on him—he behaved hypocritically and denied espousing that doctrine. Umar therefore prayed against him, asking Allah Most High to make him a sign for the believers if he was lying. Allah—Mighty and Majestic—answered Umar’s prayer concerning him.

During the reign of Hishām, Ghaylān again spoke about divine decree, as did Sālih, the client of Thaqīf. Hishām had them both killed and crucified. Before that, he had cut off Ghaylān’s hand ⦗930⦘ and tongue, and then killed and crucified him. The scholars of his time approved of what he had done to them.

This is how the imams and rulers of the Muslims should act: once it has been reliably established that someone speaks about divine decree in a manner contrary to the position of those who came before, they should punish him with a punishment of this kind and not fear the reproach of any critic in Allah’s cause.