—a disbeliever who professes the Trinity. His name is al-Akhtal, and khatal means faulty speech. He is a Christian, and Christians have erred concerning what “speech” denotes: they have made the Messiah, who subsists in his own right, the very Word of Allah.

It thus becomes clear that if “faith” linguistically means assent, and the Quran intends by it merely assent—which is speech—and does not call deeds assent, then the only correct position would be that of the Murji'a, that it consists of both utterance and meaning, or that of the Karrāmiyya, that it consists solely of speech with the tongue. For calling an utterance of the tongue “speech” is more common in the language than calling a meaning within the heart “speech.” Thus, Allah Most High says:

“They say with their tongues what is not in their hearts.”

And He says:

“And among the people are those who say, ‘We believe in Allah and the Last Day,’ but they are not believers.”

There are other similar passages. By contrast, what is within oneself is called only “discourse.”

The Karrāmiyya say: “The hypocrite is a believer, yet he will remain in the Fire forever, because he has believed outwardly but not inwardly. Only someone who believes both outwardly and inwardly will enter Paradise.”

They argue: “The evidence that faith includes him is that he falls under the religious rulings associated with the designation of faith, such as the saying of Allah Most High, ‘Then the freeing of a believing slave.’ Outwardly, he is also addressed by the commands concerning Friday prayer, purification, and the other matters commanded of those who believe. As for someone who assents in his heart but does not speak with his tongue, none of the rulings of faith apply to him, either in this world or in the Hereafter, nor is he included when Allah addresses His servants by saying, ‘O you who believe.’”

It is thus clear that although the Karrāmiyya’s position on faith is false and an innovation that no one before them had advocated, the Jahmiyya’s position is even more false. The former come closer than the Jahmiyya to arguing on the basis of language, the Quran, and reason.