of what the Khawārij themselves said. The Mu‘tazilah seek strength in numbers through the Khawārij because the latter agree with them on the fulfillment of divine threats of punishment, denying the status of believer, and rebelling against the rulers and the community. However, al-Ash‘arī knew the doctrines of the Mu‘tazilah better than those of other groups, having initially studied under them and become familiar with their writings. He frequently reports al-Jubbā’ī’s views as heard directly from him. He mentioned Jahm’s doctrine in his book, saying:

“An account of the doctrine of the Jahmiyyah peculiar to Jahm: the belief that Paradise and Hell will perish and cease to exist; that faith consists solely in knowing Allah, and disbelief solely in being ignorant of Him; that, in reality, no one acts except Allah Most High alone, and that He is the doer; and that people’s actions are attributed to them only figuratively, just as one says, ‘The tree moved,’ ‘The celestial sphere revolved,’ and ‘The sun passed its zenith,’ whereas it is Allah Most High who brings this about in the tree, the celestial sphere, and the sun. However, He created in man a power by which the act occurred, and created in him a will to act and a choice—He alone doing so—just as He created in him height by which he was tall, and a colour by which he was