(The second position)
This is the position of those among the Jahmiyya who deny and negate the divine attributes. They say that He is neither inside the world nor outside it, neither separate from it nor occupying the same place as it. Thus, they deny both opposing descriptions, one of which must apply to anything that exists. This is the view of most of the Muʿtazila and others who agree with them.
(The third position)
This is the position of those Jahmiyya who affirm divine indwelling, saying that He is present in His very Essence everywhere. This is the view of the Najjāriyya—the followers of Husayn al-Najjār—and other Jahmiyya. Those who advocate divine indwelling and union belong to this category. Belief in divine indwelling predominates among the Jahmiyya’s devotees, Sufis and ordinary followers, while negation and denial of the divine attributes predominate among their speculative thinkers and theologians. As has been said: “The theologians of the Jahmiyya worship nothing, while their Sufis worship everything.”
This is because worship involves seeking, directing oneself toward something, willing and loving; these cannot be directed toward something nonexistent. The heart seeks something that exists, so if it does not seek what is above the world, it seeks what is within it.
Theological discourse, knowledge and speculative inquiry, however, can concern both what exists and what does not. Thus, when theologians and speculative thinkers describe the Lord through negative attributes and denials—which describe only something nonexistent—mere knowledge and theological discourse do not rule out the nonexistence of the object of worship being described. Seeking, willing and worship, by contrast, are incompatible with the nonexistence of the object of worship.
This is why you find an individual among them inclined toward negation when engaged in speculation and investigation, but toward divine indwelling when engaged in worship and Sufi practice. When told, “This contradicts that,” he replies: “This is dictated by