and they will remain forever motionless.

Most Muslims said that neither the things known to Allah nor the things within His power constitute a totality or have a limit.

They also differed over whether the acts of Allah, Glorified is He, have an end or are endless, holding two positions. Jahm ibn Safwān said that the things known to Allah and the things within His power have a limit and an endpoint, that His acts have an end, and that Paradise and Hell will cease to exist, as will their inhabitants, so that Allah is the Last; and that both will continue to exist forever. Likewise, the inhabitants of Paradise will continue enjoying its bliss, and the inhabitants of Hell will continue suffering its torment. This has no end, nor do the things known to Allah and the things within His power have any limit or endpoint.”

Some have drawn a distinction between the past and the future through an example, as did the author of al-Irshād and others. The future is comparable to someone saying, “I will not give you a dirham unless I give you another dirham afterward.” This is a coherent statement. The past, however, is comparable to saying, “I will not give you a dirham unless I have given you another dirham beforehand.” This is a contradictory statement.