“It is not for us to return to it unless Allah, our Lord, wills. Our Lord encompasses all things in knowledge.” [al-A‘rāf: 89]

For this reason, the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—called them the Magians of this community: they adopted the religion of the Magians, echoed their assertions, and claimed that there are two creators, one for good and one for evil, just as the Magians claimed. They also asserted that evils occur which Allah does not will, as the Magians said, and [they claimed] that they themselves, independently of Allah, control what harms or benefits them, rejecting Allah’s words—Mighty and Majestic is He—to His Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace:

“Say: I have no power to benefit or harm myself, except as Allah wills.” [al-A‘rāf: 188]

They thereby turned away from the Quran and from the consensus of the [people of] Islam. They claimed that they alone, to the exclusion of their Lord, have power over their deeds. Thus, they asserted their independence from Allah and ascribed to themselves power over things over which they did not ascribe power to Allah, just as the Magians ascribed to Satan power over evil which they did not ascribe to Allah Most High.

They were therefore the Magians of this community, having adopted the Magians’ religion, clung to their assertions, and inclined towards their falsehoods. They caused people to despair of Allah Most High’s mercy and lose hope of His relief. They condemned sinners to the Fire and to remaining therein forever, contrary to His words, Exalted is He:

“But He forgives what is less than that for whom He wills.” [al-Nisā’: 116]

They claimed that whoever enters the Fire