Mushabbiha—indeed, (1) even the Mu'tazila and the philosophers would be Mushabbiha, for they say, “He is Living, Knowing, and Powerful.” They also say, “He is existent, a reality, an essence, and a self.” The philosophers say, “He is the intellective subject, the intelligible object, and intellect itself; the object of pleasure, the one who experiences pleasure, (2) and pleasure itself; the lover, the beloved, and love,” as well as other names also found among created beings.

[Refuting, in Several Ways, the Claim: “They Were Called Mushabbiha Because They Say That He Is a Body”]

If he says, “They were called Mushabbiha because they say that He is a body and that all bodies are alike, in contrast to those who affirm the attributes but do not say that He is a body,”

he is told, first: This is false (3), because you listed the Karrāmiyya as a separate category from them, although the Karrāmiyya say that He is a body.

Second, he is told: None apply the term “body” (4) except your Imāmī authorities and those who agree with them.

Third, he is told: This rests upon the premise that all bodies are alike, whereas most rational thinkers maintain (5) that they are not alike. Those who hold that they are alike—namely, the Mu'tazila, those Ash'arīs who agree with them, and a group of Hanafī, Mālikī, Shāfi'ī, and Hanbalī jurists—have no proof whatsoever that they are alike, as [indeed] has been discussed at length in its proper place (6).