217- Mūsā ibn Hārūn al-Hamdānī narrated to me, saying: ʿAmr ibn Ḥammād narrated to us, saying: Asbāṭ ibn Naṣr narrated to us, from Ismāʿīl al-Suddī in a report he mentioned from Abū Mālik, and from Abū Ṣāliḥ, from Ibn ʿAbbās — and from Murra al-Hamdānī, from Ibn Masʿūd — and from some of the Companions of the Prophet, peace and blessings of God be upon him: {"nor of those who are astray"}, they are the Christians.

218- Aḥmad ibn Ḥāzim al-Ghifārī narrated to me, saying: ʿUbayd Allāh ibn Mūsā informed us, from Abū Jaʿfar, from Rabīʿ: {"nor of those who are astray"}, the Christians.

219- Yūnus ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā narrated to me, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Zayd said: {"nor of those who are astray"}, the Christians.

220- Yūnus narrated to us, saying: Ibn Wahb informed us, saying: ʿAbd al-Raḥmān ibn Zayd narrated to us, from his father, who said: "Those who are astray" are the Christians.

Abū Jaʿfar said: Every person who strays from the right path and treads other than the straight way is considered astray among the Arabs, because he has lost the direction of the path. For that reason, Allah, majestic be His remembrance, named the Christians "those who are astray", due to their missing the true course of the path in truth, and their taking a way in religion other than the straight path.

If someone should ask: Is that not also an attribute of the Jews?

It is said: Yes!

If he asks: How did He specify the Christians with this attribute, and specify the Jews with how He described them as those who earned His anger?

It is said: Both groups are astray and have earned His anger; however, Allah, majestic be His praise, characterized each group of them with an attribute by which His servants would recognize them when He mentions them to them or informs them about them. And He did not name either of the two groups except with a description that is truly theirs, even if they have additional blameworthy attributes.

Thus, some foolish people among the Qadarites imagine that in Allah's description, majestic be His praise, of the Christians

This translation was produced with AI assistance and is part of an ongoing human-review process. Found a mistake? Use the feedback option in the reader menu. How we translate