Ma‘qil said:
I then met al-Zuhrī and told him what they were saying. He replied, “Glory be to Allah! People have already begun engaging in these disputes. The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:
‘The one who commits unlawful sexual intercourse is not a believer while doing so, nor is the one who drinks wine a believer while drinking it.’”
Ma‘qil said:
I then met al-Hakam ibn ‘Utbah and said to him, “‘Abd al-Karīm and Maymūn heard that some Murji’ah visited you, presented their views to you, and that you accepted what they said.”
He replied, “So Maymūn and ‘Abd al-Karīm believed that about me! Twelve men visited me while I was ill and said, ‘Abū Muhammad, have you heard that a man came to the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, with a black—or Abyssinian—slave woman and said, “O Messenger of Allah, I am obliged to free a believing slave. Do you consider this woman a believer?” The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, asked her, “Do you testify that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah?” She replied, “Yes.” He asked, “And do you testify that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah?” She replied, “Yes.” He asked, “And do you testify that Paradise is real and Hell is real?” She replied, “Yes.” He asked, “And do you testify that Allah will resurrect you after death?” She replied, “Yes.” He said, “Then free her, for she is a believer.”’ They then left, professing that view.”
Ma‘qil said:
Then I sat with Maymūn ibn Mihrān and said, “Abū Ayyūb, would you recite a surah for us and explain it?” He began reciting:
“When the sun is folded up…”
When he reached:
“Obeyed there and trustworthy,”
he said, “That is Gabriel. Woe to anyone who says that his faith is like Gabriel’s faith!”
Hanbal narrated this from Ahmad. It was also narrated from Ibn Abī Mulaykah, who said:
“There was a time when I never imagined I would live to encounter people among whom someone would say, ‘I am a believer whose faith is complete.’ Yet even this did not satisfy him, until he said, ‘My faith is equal to that of Gabriel and Michael.’ And Satan continued to lead them on