Thus, those who hold that bodies are composed of substances say that Allah does not bring into being anything that subsists in itself, but only accidents: aggregation, separation, motion, rest and other accidents.

Those among them who hold that substances were brought into existence say that Allah created them initially, and that everything He brings into being thereafter consists only of accidents within them; Allah does not create any further substances. This is the position of most of the Muʿtazilah, Jahmiyyah, Ashʿariyyah and others like them. Some of their leading figures suppose that this is the position of the Muslims and claim a Muslim consensus on it. Yet none of the early generations of the Muslim community held this view, nor did the majority of the community. Rather, the majority of the community—even groups among the speculative theologians—reject the indivisible substance and the composition of bodies from substances. Ibn Kullāb, the leading authority for his followers, was among those who rejected the indivisible substance. Abū Bakr ibn Fūrak mentioned this in his work on Ibn Kullāb’s doctrines and his disagreements with al-Ashʿarī. Likewise, rejection of the indivisible substance is the position of the Hishāmiyyah, the Dirāriyyah, and many of the Karrāmiyyah and Najjāriyyah as well.

Those who hold that bodies are composed of individual substances are generally known to maintain that substances are of the same nature. Indeed, they—or most of them—also say that bodies are of the same nature, because they are composed of substances of the same nature and differ only because their accidents differ. These are accidental attributes, not inseparable ones, and therefore do not negate sameness of nature. For two things are defined as being of the same nature when whatever is possible for one is possible for the other, whatever is necessary for one is necessary for the other, and whatever is impossible for one is impossible for the other.

They say that substances are of the same nature, so it is possible