Chapter: Rudd ‘ala al-Jahmiyyah: Their Usool and Their Origins

Follow @AhleDhikr

A Summary of their Beliefs and Background

-They wavered in their ‘Aqeedah and debated in theories and thus deviated and followed the Mutashaabih (that which was unclear to them in the Quraan).

From them are the following:

-The first argument they engaged in was in relation to the five senses of the body. They argued we have five senses and feelings, thus everything that exists must be confirmed by our senses and feelings. This was the belief of the pagans of India called the Sumaaniyyah.

Therefore, if we can’t feel Allaah then He can’t really exist. Because of this, Jahm bin Safwaan actually left al-Islaam for forty days, not praying or believing.

Response:

The Christians had the same problem; they believed that ‘Esaa was from the very essence of Allaah and if we cant see or feel Allaah then we cant affirm his existence. Furthermore, just because we cant see or physically feel something, it doesn’t mean it doesn’t exit, such as the soul, we have been told in the Quraan that we cannot perceive the soul in its entirety, but we know it exists (cf: 17:85).

Although he repented, he still held on to the philosophy that Allaah needs to be affirmed in order to exist, which led to many deviant ideas in his ‘Aqeedah.

From them are the following:

-Allaah, the Most High, has no Sifaat and he doesn’t act as He Pleased (Sifaat al-Ikhtiyaariyyah). If he did, it would mean he is Muhdath – meaning he was not able to do the action before, thus has done something new. They also argued that everything has a cause and effect and Allah cant have a cause.

-The Usl of the Jahmiyyah are based on three Ayaat and the false understandings applied to them:

“There is nothing like unto Him” (42:11)

“No vision can grasp Him, but His Grasp is over all vision” (6:103)

“It is He (Allah) Who is the only Ilah (God to be worshipped) in the heaven and the only Ilah (God to be worshipped) on the earth” (43:84)

All of these Ayaat have been used to prove with them that Allah is everywhere but He can’t be seen or felt in our senses.

Response:

We say this is a mistake, as there is difference in trying to sense the creation and trying to sense the creator. Allaah cannot be sensed physically and trying to do so would mean we compare him to the creation. 

To be continued...