is the position of some later scholars; and the fourth is the position of the philosophers. We thus conclude that our disagreement with the philosophers on this question concerns two points. One is whether a body, despite being divisible, can conceivably be one; can it conceivably admit of infinitely many divisions?

More astonishing still is that they make affirmation of the indivisible atom part of the Muslims’ religion, to the point of considering anyone who denies it to be outside the religion. As Abū al-Ma‘ālī and his associates have said:

“The Muslims agree that the subdivision and division of bodies reach a limit, at which they become indivisible units. Each part can neither be subdivided nor divided; it has no extremity, boundary, or undivided part, and admits of no differentiation.”