the Jahmīs, who denied Allah’s attributes, became prevalent. They put people to the test: those who complied received stipends, while those who refused were denied stipends, dismissed from public office, and had their testimony rejected. When ransoming captives, they would test each captive: if he complied, they ransomed him; otherwise, they did not. Their judge, Ahmad ibn Abī Du’ād, inscribed on the covering of the Kaaba:

“There is nothing like Him, and He is the Almighty, the All-Wise.”

He did not write, “and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.”

Then al-Wāthiq assumed power, and matters grew worse until al-Mutawakkil became caliph and ended the inquisition. The Sunnah then prevailed. A detailed account of this belongs elsewhere.

The point is that when the leading Muslim scholars recognized the true nature of the Jahmīs’ doctrine, they explained it clearly. Indeed, ‘Abd Allāh ibn al-Mubārak said: “We can recount the statements of the Jews and Christians, but we cannot bring ourselves to recount the statements of the Jahmīs.” He would recite:

I marvel at a devil who openly called people to the Fire,
And whose name was derived from Jahannam (Hell).

He was asked, “How do we know our Lord?”

He replied, “By knowing that He is above His heavens, upon His Throne, separate from His creation.”

He was asked, “With a limit?”

He replied, “With a limit.”

Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Ishāq ibn Ibrāhīm ibn Rāhawayh, ‘Uthmān ibn Sa‘īd al-Dārimī, and other leading scholars of the Sunnah likewise affirmed this.