he does not commend himself or assert with certainty that he acts as commanded and that Allah has accepted his deeds—even if he does not claim that his faith is like the faith of Gabriel, Abū Bakr, and ‘Umar, or make similar statements of the Murji’ah. Thus Mis‘ar ibn Kidām used to say, “I do not doubt my faith.” Ahmad said:

“He was not one of the Murji’ah, for the Murji’ah are those who say that deeds are not part of faith, whereas he used to say, ‘They are part of faith, but I do not doubt my faith.’”

Al-Thawrī used to say to Sufyān ibn ‘Uyaynah, “Will you not tell him to stop saying this?” They belonged to the same tribe. This matter has been discussed at length elsewhere. The point here is that this disagreement among people of knowledge and religious devotion was like their disagreements over many rulings. All of them were people of faith and the Quran.

As for Jahm, he maintained that faith consists solely in the heart’s assent, even if one does not profess it verbally. This view is not known to have been held by any of the scholars or leading authorities of the Muslim community. Indeed, Ahmad, Wakī‘, and others declared those who held this view to be unbelievers. Yet it was the view defended by al-Ash‘arī and most of his followers. Nevertheless, they also said, “Anyone whom the revealed law judges to be an unbeliever, we likewise judge to be an unbeliever; and we take the Lawgiver’s declaration of his unbelief as evidence that his heart is devoid of knowledge.” Their views and those of others concerning faith have been discussed at length.