Then, among these thinkers, some held that division ultimately terminates in a part that cannot be further divided, as maintained by al-Shahrastānī and others. Others held instead that a body remains divisible until it becomes so small that, at that size (1), it is impossible to distinguish one part of it from another. This was maintained by some of the Karrāmiyya and other Muslim speculative thinkers, and also by some of the foremost philosophers, although some of them held that a body is composed of matter and form.

Some authors on speculative theology present affirmation of the indivisible atom as the Muslim position and its denial as the position of the atheists.

This is because they knew no views attributed to Muslims except what they found in the books of their own teachers—the practitioners of the speculative theology introduced into the religion as an innovation, which the early generations and the imams condemned. Thus Abū Yūsuf said, “Whoever seeks knowledge through speculative theology falls into heresy” (2); and al-Shāfi'ī said, “My ruling concerning speculative theologians is that they are to be beaten with palm branches and sandals—