to intercede, by His abundant mercy, as is established in numerous reports of the Sunnah from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, knows best. O Allah, bless Muhammad and all his family and Companions.

He also said—may Allah have mercy on him:

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In the questions recorded by Ishāq ibn Mansūr—which al-Khallāl also cited in his Book of the Sunnah, in the chapter on avoiding those who say that the Quran is created—Ishāq reports that he said to Abū Abd Allāh:

“What of someone who says, ‘The Quran is created’?”

He replied: “Attribute every evil to him.”

I said: “Should one openly show enmity towards them, or deal tactfully with them?”

He replied: “The people of Khurāsān are no match for them.”

This reply of his, together with his statement concerning the Qadariyyah—“If we were to abandon transmitting reports from the Qadariyyah, we would have to abandon transmitting from most of the people of Basra”—and his treatment of them during the inquisition, responding in the best manner and addressing them with proofs, explains his statements and actions concerning shunning them and forbidding others to sit or converse with them. Indeed, at another time he even shunned certain eminent figures and ordered that they be shunned because of some form of Jahmī belief.