means “He took possession,” and similar figurative readings—was al-Jaʿd ibn Dirham. Al-Jahm ibn Ṣafwān adopted the idea from him, broadcast it, and so the doctrine came to be labeled “Jahmiyyah” after him.

It is also reported that al-Jaʿd received the notion from Abān ibn Samʿān, who in turn took it from Ṭālūt, the nephew of Labīd ibn al-Aʿṣam. Ṭālūt had learned it from Labīd ibn al-Aʿṣam, the Jewish sorcerer who once cast a spell on the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him.¹

He—may Allah have mercy on him—further said:

“The well-known view of Imam Ahmad and the overwhelming majority of the Sunnite scholars is to declare the Jahmites unbelievers. They are the ones who strip the All-Merciful of His attributes, and their statement openly contradicts what the messengers brought in Scripture. In truth, their doctrine is a denial of the Maker; it amounts to denying the Lord Himself and everything He has conveyed about Himself through His messengers.

“For this reason ʿAbd Allāh ibn al-Mubārak said, ‘We can recount the words of the Jews and the Christians, yet we cannot bring ourselves to recount the words of the Jahmites.’ More than one imam has likewise stated, ‘They are more unbelieving than the Jews and the Christians’—meaning the Jahmites.

“Accordingly, they declared unbelievers anyone who says, ‘The Quran is created; Allah will not be seen in the Hereafter; Allah is not upon the Throne; Allah has no knowledge, no power, no mercy, no anger,’ and the like with respect to His attributes.²”

Someone may ask, “Why publish this very book, with all the difficulties it presents?” I reply, “To publish it, verify it, and unlock its complexities is itself a form of jihad…"