As for the reports that miracles appeared at al-Hallāj’s execution—such as his blood writing “Allah, Allah” on the ground, his showing joy at being executed, or similar things—they are all false. Muslims have compiled accounts of al-Hallāj in many works: Thābit ibn Sinān recorded them in Akhbār al-Khulafā’ (Accounts of the Caliphs), having witnessed his execution; Ismā‘īl ibn ‘Alī al-Hatfī recorded them in Tārīkh Baghdād (History of Baghdad), likewise having witnessed his execution; and the hadith scholar Abū Bakr al-Khatīb recorded them in his history. They were also recorded by Judge Abū Ya‘lā in al-Mu‘tamad, by Judge Abū Bakr ibn al-Tayyib, Abū Muhammad ibn Hazm, and others, and by Abū Yūsuf al-Qazwīnī and Abū al-Faraj ibn al-Jawzī in their compilations of accounts concerning him.

Shaykh Abū ‘Abd al-Rahmān al-Sulamī stated in Tabaqāt al-Sūfiyya (Biographies of the Sufis) that most of the shaykhs excluded him from the spiritual path. Nor did Abū al-Qāsim al-Qushayrī include him in his epistle among the shaykhs whom he counted as masters of that path. We know of no leading Muslim authority, whether among the scholars or the spiritual shaykhs, who spoke well of al-Hallāj. Some people, however, withhold judgment about him because they do not know his circumstances. Even those most favorably disposed toward him say:

“On the basis of his outward conduct, his execution was obligatory; thus, his executioner was striving in Allah’s cause, while the man executed was a martyr.”

This, too, is mistaken.

The claim that he was executed unjustly is false. Muslims agree that his execution was obligatory on account of the heresy he openly manifested. However, because he outwardly professed Islam while secretly revealing his heresy to his followers, he became a covert unbeliever. When he was arrested and imprisoned, he professed repentance. The jurists disagree over whether the repentance of a covert unbeliever is to be accepted. Most do not accept it; this is the position of Mālik and the people of