“That” refers to the many blessings which Allah, mighty and majestic is He, bestowed upon His servant—blessings he did not deserve, granted purely as a favor from Him, exalted is He. So when he spoke as he did, regarding that as an immense favor bestowed upon him, Allah, exalted is He, said: “But I am able to do that.” Thus, if the first wording is likewise understood in this sense, and one does not confine oneself to its argument a contrario—which suggests that He, exalted is He, is not able to do what He does not will—just as in His saying, “Do not consume ribā, doubled and multiplied,” and similar implications for which decisive proofs establish that they are not intended—if this first wording is understood in the sense indicated by the second wording, the meaning is sound and no difficulty remains, Allah willing.

This is the extent of my knowledge. If I am correct, it is from Allah; and if I am mistaken, it is from myself. I ask Him, exalted is He, to forgive me every sin. Whoever possesses additional knowledge, let him kindly offer it, and we shall be grateful to him.

Then, some time after completing this documentation, I came across someone who denies the authenticity of the hadith on account of its affirming the attribute of laughter for the Lord of the Worlds, in the Prophet’s words, peace and blessings be upon him:

“...at the laughter of the Lord of the Worlds.”

I mean that Jahmite, that denying negator of the divine attributes. In his comments on Repelling the Doubts (p. 178), alluding to his denial of this attribute, he said—may his mouth be crushed:

“In our view (!) it is not established, because its narrator, Hammad ibn Salamah, is famously deemed weak, even though Muslim included him among his narrators...!”

I say: There is a very broad scope for refuting him, which cannot be undertaken now. What follows will suffice, as it confirms his Jahmism, his hostility toward the imams of the Sunnah, and his lies about them.

First: His statement concerning Hammad—by Allah!—that “his weakness is well-known” is a lie and a fabrication; no one preceded him