And I say: Those who commit major sins are subject to Allah’s will when they die: if He wills, He punishes them and then forgives them; and if He wills, He forgives them without punishment. Solitary reports are accepted when transmitted by upright narrators and must be acted upon, while concordant reports establish knowledge and must be acted upon.

The text in Imam Ibn Khuzaymah’s handwriting reads:

“Muhammad ibn Ishāq says: Abū Bakr Ahmad ibn Ishāq and Abū Muhammad Yahyā ibn Mansūr affirmed before me the contents of this document. I approve of all of it and consider it correct.”

Al-Hākim said:

I heard the ascetic Abū al-Hasan ʿAlī ibn Ahmad al-Būshanjī say, in the course of a longer account:

“When news reached us of the disagreement that had arisen among the scholars of Nishapur, I left my homeland and travelled to Nishapur. A group gathered around me, asking about those questions, but I said nothing whatsoever about them.

“Then I wrote: ‘The position is that stated by Abū ʿAlī.’ I went to Rayy and visited ʿAbd al-Rahmān ibn Abī Hātim. I told him what had happened in Nishapur between Abū Bakr and his companions. He said: ‘What business does Abū Bakr have with speculative theology? It is more fitting for us and for him not to speak about what we do not know.’

“I left him and went to see Abū al-ʿAbbās al-Fulānī, who explained those questions to me clearly and said: ‘One of the speculative theologians belonging to the Qadariyyah had come to Muhammad ibn Ishāq, and his words had found acceptance with him.’