the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, concerning belief in Allah’s prior knowledge are too numerous to recount. What we have cited refutes Jahm’s claim in his fallacious speculation about Allah Most High’s inward being.

I say: These words of ‘Uthmān ibn Sa‘īd show that, among the early generations, “self” referred to the Essence itself. As he said: “Allah’s Self is Allah Himself, and the Self encompasses all the attributes. Thus, if you deny the Self, you deny the attributes.” The same applies to his statement: “Abū al-Bakhtarī thus stated that Allah’s mercy is in His Self,” for an attribute subsists in the one who possesses it.

This and similar statements clarify their meaning: they intended to rebut the Jahmiyyah’s rejection of affirming a Self for Allah and of knowledge subsisting in that Self. Thus, it is related that Thumāmah ibn Ashras said: “Three of