They acknowledge that Allah is the Turner of hearts.
They affirm the intercession of the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—and that it is for the major sinners of his community (1). They also affirm the punishment of the grave, that the hawd (Prophetic Basin) (2) is real, that the ṣirāṭ (Bridge) is real, that resurrection after death is real, that the reckoning carried out by Allah for His servants is real, and that standing before Allah is real.
They hold that faith is both statement and deed; it increases and decreases.
They neither say “created” nor “uncreated.”
They do not say, “The Names of Allah are Allah,” nor “they are other than Allah.”
They do not bear witness (3) that anyone from among the people of major sins is destined for the Fire, nor do they declare Paradise for anyone among the monotheists until Allah places them where He wills. Rather, they say: “Their affair is with Allah; if He wills, He will punish them, and if He wills, He will forgive them.” And they believe (4) that Allah, exalted is He, will bring out of the Fire a group of those who affirmed His oneness, on—
i.e., the predecessors, in which the texts come together and harmonize.
(1) Intercession (shafaʿa) is of eight types, one of which is the Prophet’s – may Allah bless him and grant him peace – intercession for those among his ummah who commit major sins. Ibn Kathir details them with their evidences in al-Nihāya, vol. 2, p. 139 ff.; see also Sharḥ al-Ṭaḥāwiyya, p. 252 ff. Further elaboration will follow, and the objections of those who deny it will be addressed on p. 697.
(2) In the printed edition: al-Ḥashr.
(3) In manuscripts s, ṭ, and al-Maqālāt the text reads: “And they say: the names of Allah are Allah, and they do not bear witness.” A correction appears in the margin of the original, as confirmed. On p. 480, the Shaykh – may Allah have mercy on him – quotes al-Ashʿarī, while explaining the agreement of Ibn al-Kalāb’s followers with the Ahl al-Sunnah on many foundational issues, stating:
“They say: The names and attributes of Allah, exalted be He, are not said to be other than Him, nor is His knowledge said to be other than Him, as the Jahmiyyah asserted, nor is His knowledge described as ‘it is itself,’ as some of the Muʿtazila said.”
(4) In ms. s it reads: “they say.” In all copies, between “He forgave them” and “and they believe” the following phrase is inserted: “and they believe that Allah, exalted be He, if He wills punishes them, and if He wills forgives them.” The passage is coherent with the reading in al-Maqālāt.