1197 — Al-Hasan ibn ʿUthman informed us. He said: Ahmad ibn Hamdan informed us. He said: Bishr ibn Musa narrated to us. He said: Muʿawiyah ibn ʿAmr narrated to us. He said: Abu Ishaq narrated to us, from Khalid al-Hadhdha, from ʿAbd al-Aʿla, ⦗730⦘ from ʿAbd Allah ibn al-Harith ibn Nawfal, who said:

ʿUmar ibn al-Khattab delivered a sermon at al-Jabiyah. After reciting the testimony of faith, he said, “Whomever Allah leads astray, none can guide.” The Catholicos was seated before him and said, “No! Allah does not lead anyone astray.”

ʿUmar asked, “What is he saying?” They were reluctant to tell him. Then the Catholicos repeated, “Whomever Allah leads astray, none can guide.” Shaking his garment in objection to what ʿUmar was saying, the Catholicos declared two or three times, “Allah does not lead anyone astray.”

ʿUmar asked, “What is he saying?” They replied, “Commander of the Believers, he claims that Allah does not lead anyone astray.”

ʿUmar said, “You lie, enemy of Allah! Rather, Allah created you, and Allah will lead you astray; then He will cause you to die and admit you to the Fire, if Allah wills. By Allah, were it not for the binding covenant that protects you, I would have struck off your head.

“Allah created all beings, and when He created Adam, He scattered Adam’s descendants in His Hand and wrote down the people of Paradise and what they would do; and He wrote down the people of the Fire and what they would do. Then He said, ‘These are for this, and these are for this.’”

The people then dispersed, and not two of them differed concerning the divine decree. Indeed, before that, there had been people who were deeply absorbed in debating it.