and others the same account. He said: “As for the Muʿtazilah, those before Abū al-Husayn acted foolishly and declared our school’s adherents unbelievers for affirming the divine attributes and the creation of human acts.”

He said: “As for those who liken Allah to His creation, their opponents from our school and from the Muʿtazilah declared them unbelievers. The master Abū Ishāq used to say: ‘I declare whoever declares me an unbeliever to be an unbeliever.’ Thus, any opponent who declares us unbelievers, we declare an unbeliever; otherwise, we do not.”

He said: “Our chosen position is that we do not declare anyone among the people of the qiblah to be an unbeliever.” This position, which he ultimately adopted, contradicts what he stated in his Ta’sīs and Muhassal concerning