by the Messenger and of what has come from Allah Most High. This is because, in his view, the first kind of knowledge arises of necessity; he therefore did not count it as part of faith.

Muhammad ibn Shabīb reported that the Ghaylāniyyah agree with the Shimriyyah concerning an individual quality of faith: it is not called faith when it occurs alone, nor is it called a part of faith when it occurs alone. They also agree that faith admits of neither increase nor decrease. They differed from them, however, concerning knowledge. They claimed that knowledge that things have been brought into existence and are governed arises of necessity, whereas knowledge that they do not have two or more originators and governors is acquired. They likewise regarded knowledge of the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—and of what came from him as acquired. They maintained that this is part of faith if what has come from Allah is explicitly stated, according to the unanimous agreement of the Muslims. They did not regard any religious matter derived by inference as faith.

He said: All these groups whose views we have related—the Shimriyyah, Jahmiyyah, Ghaylāniyyah, and Najjāriyyah—deny that unbelievers have any faith or that they may be said to possess some faith, since they hold faith to be indivisible.

Zurqān reported from Ghaylān that faith consists of verbal acknowledgment