The true substance of the doctrine of the Jahmīs who deny Allah’s attributes is Pharaoh’s doctrine: denying the Creator and nullifying His speech and His religion. This is what Pharaoh did: he denied the Creator—majestic is His glory—and said:

“I know of no god for you other than myself.”

He said to Moses:

“If you take a god other than me, I will surely have you imprisoned.”

And he said:

“I am your lord most high.”

He denied that Allah had spoken to Moses or that Moses had a God above the heavens. He wanted to abolish worship of Allah and obedience to Him, and to be the one worshipped and obeyed himself.

Since the doctrine of the Jahmīs who negate and deny Allah’s attributes leads to Pharaoh’s doctrine, its ultimate outcome was denial of the Lord of all worlds, denial of worshipping Him, and denial of His speech. Eventually, they came forward claiming spiritual realization, monotheism, and gnosis, and began to say:

“The world is Allah, and existence is one. The beginningless, eternal Creator is the very being that came into existence and was created. The Lord is the servant; there is no distinction between Lord and servant, or Creator and creation.”

Rather, they regard such distinctions as separation. Thus they began finding fault with the prophets and disparaging them. They found fault with Noah, Abraham—the close friend of Allah—and others, while praising Pharaoh and permitting the worship of all created beings and all idols. Nor were they content merely with idols being worshipped; they went so far as to say:

“Idolaters have worshipped none but Allah. Allah Himself is both the worshipper and the worshipped, and He is the entirety of existence.”

Thus they denied the Lord and nullified His religion, His commands, and His prohibitions