After them, the Jahmiyyah emerged.

As for the doctrine concerning divine decree, its adherents had appeared earlier, during the caliphate of ‘Abd Allāh ibn al-Zubayr, after Mu‘āwiyah’s death. This is why Ibn ‘Umar, Ibn ‘Abbās—may Allah be pleased with them—and others spoke against them. Ibn ‘Abbās died before Ibn al-Zubayr, while Ibn ‘Umar died shortly after him. Soon afterward, al-Hajjāj assumed authority over Iraq, sometime in the seventies AH.

People continued debating divine decree in the Hijaz, Syria, and Iraq. Most of this took place in Syria and in Basra, in Iraq, while the least occurred in the Hijaz. Then the Mu‘tazilah emerged after al-Hasan’s death, and the position between the two positions came to be discussed. They maintained that the threatened punishment would be carried out, that monotheists would remain eternally in the Fire, and that no one who entered it would leave. This was a harsh stance toward sinners. To this they added their doctrine concerning divine decree, for it completed their harsh stance toward sinners.

At that time, people had not yet introduced any denial of the divine attributes. This remained the case until al-Ja‘d ibn Dirham appeared; he was the first of them. Khālid ibn ‘Abd Allāh al-Qasrī sacrificed him, saying:

“O people, offer your sacrifices. May Allah accept your sacrifices, for I am offering al-Ja‘d ibn Dirham as a sacrifice. He claimed that Allah did not take Abraham as a close friend