the atom, they counted its affirmation among the doctrines of Muslims and its denial among the doctrines of heretics.

Likewise, they may say that the similarity of substances and bodies is among the doctrines of Muslims, while its denial is among the doctrines of heretics. They may also say that the finitude of events that come into being is among the doctrines of Muslims, while affirming their infinitude is among the doctrines of heretical eternalists. There are other examples of this.

Yet what they attribute to Muslims may merely have been invented by a group of practitioners of the speculative theology condemned by the Salaf and the imams, while the opposing view is that held by the early generations of the Muslim community, its imams, and most people.

Likewise, they may attribute to the Sunnah something found neither in the Quran nor in the Sunnah nor in the statements of any of the Salaf. Indeed, what has been transmitted may establish the opposite, to the point that one of them contradicts himself in his reporting: he reports a consensus of Muslims, or of the adherents of religious communities, on a matter, then elsewhere reports their disagreement over it.

[The Statements of Abū al-Hasan al-Tabarī, Ilkiyā]

I have seen an example of this mentioned by one of the accomplished speculative theologians among the followers of Abū al-Maʿālī—I believe it was Abū al-Hasan al-Tabarī, known as Ilkiyā, or someone of similar standing—who stated in