1. A compliant follower who, on hearing a group make a claim, merely repeats what they say. He never stops to reconsider or retract, because he did not adopt the view through reflection and therefore will not abandon it through reflection.

2. A man driven by the pride of leadership, the deference of his companions, and a craving for fame. Nothing will quell his pride or rein in his reins except the One who created him—if He wills—for to retract would be to confess error and admit ignorance, something his haughtiness cannot abide. Moreover, such a retreat would scatter the group, unravel its order, and divide the brethren whom the doctrine has bound together. Souls seldom find that palatable, save those whom Allah protects and delivers.

3. A seeker of guidance who intends Allah with his deeds: no blame from a critic deters him, no estrangement from companions unsettles him, and no pride diverts him from the truth. It is to this man that our words are addressed; he is the one we have in view.

I did not deem it proper that the treatise be restricted to this single issue alone. I have therefore prefaced it with a brief mention of certain Qur’anic verses and Prophetic reports that the Jahmiyyah have misinterpreted, so that we may praise Allah for His favor and recognize that the truth has no need of contrivance. In most of my refutation I have taken the route of the Arabic language.

Refutation of Those Who Deny Predestination

As for speculative theology (kalām), it is not our concern, and scarcely has anyone perished except through it and by burdening the religion