The consensus mentioned by Abū al-Maʿālī has no foundation. Indeed, none of the imams of the Muslims—whether jurists, hadith scholars, or scholars of the early generations—ever held the position on which he claimed consensus. Rather, it originated with certain Muʿtazilīs, who were followed in this by a group of Ashʿarīs and others who adopted their approach to speculative theology.

This is because one of their fundamental principles is their claim that they know Allah fully and know the reality of His essence, and therefore know which attributes are to be denied or affirmed of Him. Were they to allow that He might have an attribute whose absence or presence they do not know, this principle would collapse. Abū al-Maʿālī disagreed with them on this principle, as did his own leading authorities and Dirār ibn ʿUmar. Their position on this matter conflicts with that of the early generations of the Muslim community and its imams, and all the other leading authorities in knowledge and religion. We have already related this elsewhere, including Abū al-Maʿālī’s statement:

“There is no doubt that He—glory be to Him—exists. But an [unqualified] existent, possessing no attribute that distinguishes it from anything else, is impossible.”

He said: “But reason has no access to it, and it is known neither spontaneously nor through inquiry. Nevertheless, we do not say that the reality of the Divine Being cannot be known, for He—glory be to Him—knows the reality of His own essence. Nor does what is attainable