on the basis of the opinions they had introduced. The Rāfidah and others did likewise.

These Jahmiyyah took expressions from the Quran and the Messenger, such as Allah’s words:

“The Most Merciful rose over the Throne” (5) [Tā Hā 5];

“Do you feel secure from Him who is in heaven?” [al-Mulk 16];

“And Allah spoke directly to Moses” (164) [al-Nisā’ 164];

“And He is the Most High, the Most Great” (255) [al-Baqarah 255];

“The Great, the Most Exalted” (9) [al-Raʿd 9].

They treated these and similar expressions as indeterminate and ambiguous, while making the terminology they had innovated—“body,” “occupation of space,” “composition,” and “combination”—the definitive foundation of their religion and the basis of their allegiance and enmity. This is plainly an alteration of the religion and a distortion of the Book. It resembles what those among the People of the Book who altered and distorted Scripture did when they cast the Book of Allah behind their backs and followed what the devils recited.

The seventh point: Either these people conceal their beliefs and fear declaring them openly, or they do not. If they do not, his claim fails. If they do conceal their beliefs and fear declaring them openly, this does not establish that those beliefs are false. A person may conceal the truth at one time and falsehood at another, so this provides no evidence for refuting their position. At most, it would establish that these people really are corporealists in substance, though not in their terminology. This has already been discussed.