narrations an error, he would cite the reliably preserved narrations that exposed the narrator’s mistake. He was more knowledgeable about hadith and their hidden defects, and understood their meanings more deeply, than Muslim and others like him.

Elsewhere, Ibn al-Jawzī mentioned that this was the view of Ibn Ishāq. He said: “Ibn al-Anbārī said: ‘This is the consensus of the scholars.’”

He also mentioned a third view concerning the beginning of creation: that it began on Monday, attributing this too to Ibn Ishāq. This is contradictory. He mentioned that this was the view of the People of the Gospel, whereas beginning on Sunday was the view of the People of the Torah. This attribution to the People of the Gospel is mistaken, just as it was mistaken to claim that the first view represented the consensus of Muslim scholars. It seems that these people supposed that every community holds its gathering on the seventh of the seven days in which Allah created the world. This is mistaken: the Muslims gather on the last day on which Allah created the world, namely Friday, as established in authentic hadiths.

The point here is that the term ahad (One) has not been used to describe any individual being except Allah alone. When used of anyone other than Allah, it occurs only in negation. Linguists say that one may use it in “There is no one in the house,” but not in “There is someone in it.”

Thus, it occurs in the Quran only in non-affirmative contexts, as in the words of the Most High:

“And none of you could have shielded him from Us.”

And His words:

“You are not like any other woman.”

And His words: “And if anyone from among the