Most of Ahmad’s followers, however, did not affirm that differing positions on figurative interpretation had been transmitted from him, whether concerning these attributes or any others.

As for Abū Hāmid al-Ghazālī’s report from an unnamed Hanbalī that Ahmad interpreted figuratively only “three things”:

“The Black Stone is Allah’s right hand on earth”; “The hearts of His servants are between two fingers of the Most Merciful”; and “Indeed, I sense the breath of the Most Merciful coming from the direction of Yemen”—

this report is falsely attributed to Ahmad. No one has transmitted it from him with a chain of transmission, nor does any of his followers know of such a report from him. Moreover, this Hanbalī whom Abū Hāmid quoted is unidentified: neither his knowledge of what he said nor his truthfulness in saying it is known.

There was also disagreement among Ahmad’s followers: did his considered judgment vary regarding the figurative interpretation of coming, arriving, descending, and the like? For Hanbal related from him that, during the “Inquisition,” they argued against him using the Prophet’s words (may Allah bless him and grant him peace):

“Al-Baqarah and Āl ‘Imrān will come as though they were two clouds, or two canopies, or two flocks of birds with wings outspread,”

and similar hadiths mentioning the Quran’s arriving and coming. They said to him, “Only something created can be described as arriving and coming.” Ahmad countered their argument with his response—Ahmad and other imams of the Sunnah explained this hadith as referring to the coming of the reward for al-Baqarah and Āl ‘Imrān, just as similar reports mention deeds coming in the grave and on the Day of Resurrection, meaning the reward for those deeds.

The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said:

“Recite al-Baqarah and Āl ‘Imrān, for they will come on the Day of Resurrection as though they were two canopies, or two clouds, or two flocks of birds with wings outspread, pleading