hell, but would be changed into the nature o f fire, and that the fire
would of itfelf attradt them, without any neceffity of their going into
it He alfo taught that if a man believed G o a t o be his Lordy
and Mohammed the apojlle of G o d , he became one of the faithful,
and was obliged to nothing further 2. His peculiar opinion as to the
Koran has been taken notice of before 3.
7. The Mozdarians, who embraced the opinions of IJ'a Ebn Sobeih
al Mozdar, and thofe very abfurd ones;- for, befides his notions relating
to the Koran4, he went fo diredtly counter to the opinion of
thofe who abridged G o d of the power to do evil, that he affirmed
it poffible for G o d to be a lyar, and anjujl5. He alfo pronounced
him to be an infidel who thruft himfelf into the fupream government
61 nay he went fo far as to aflert men to be infidels while they faid'
There is no God hut G od, and even condemned all the reft o f mankind
as guilty of infidelity; upon which Ibrahim Ehn al Sends afked Tiim:
whether paradife, whofe breadth equals that of heaven and earth,
was created only for him and two or three more who thought as
he did ? to which it is faid he could return no anfwer ?.
8. The Bajharians, who maintained the tenets of Bajhar Ebn Mo-
tamer,. the mafter of al Mozdar 8, and a principal man among the
Motazalites. He differed in fome things from the general opinion of
that fedt, carrying man’s free agency to a great excefs, making it even;
independents and yet he thought G o d might doom an infant
to eternal punifhment, but granted he would be unjuft in fo doing,
He taught that G o d is not always obliged to do that which is belt,
for, if he pleafed, he could make all men true believers. Thefe fec-
taries alfo held that if a man repent of a mortal fin, and afterwards
return to it, he will be liable to fuffer the punifhment due to
the former tranfgreffion 9.
9. The Thamamians, who follow Thamdma Ebn Bajhar, a chief Mo-
tazalite. Their peculiar opinions were, 1, That finners fhould remain
in hell forever. 2. That free adtions have no producing author. 3. That
at the refurredtion all infidels, idolaters, atheifts, Jews, Chrijl'tans,.
Magians, and heretics ffiall be reduced to dull io.
iq . The Kadarians-, which is really a more ancient name than
that of Motazalites; Mabad al Johni and his adherents being fo
called, who difputed the dodtrine of predeftination before Wafd 1
1 Al Shahreft. ubi fup. p. 260. 2 Marracc. ubi tup. 3 Se£l. III. p. 68. 4 V. ib. &
p, 67. ’ Al Shahreft. apnd Poc. p. 24.1. 6 Marracc. ubi fup. p. 75. 7: Al Shahieftani,
ubi fup. p. 220. 8 Poc. Spec. p. 221. 9 Marracc. ubi fup. 10 Idem, ib.
quitted
quitted his mafter ’ : for which reafon fome ufe the denomination of
Kadarians as more extenfive than the other, and comprehend all the
Motazalites under it 2. This fedt deny abfolute predeftination, faying
that evil and injuftice ought not to be attributed to G od, but
to man, who is a free agent, and may therefore be rewarded or
puniffied for his adtions, which G od has granted him power either
to do or to let alone 3. And hence it is faid they are called Kadarians,
becaufe they deny al Kadr, or G od’s abfolute decree-, though
others, thinking it not fo proper to affix a name to a fedt from a doctrine
which they combat, will have it come from Kadr, or Kodraf,
i. e. power, becaule they aJJ'ert man’s power to adt freely 4. Thofe,
however, who give the name of Kadarians to the Motazalites are
their enemies, for they difclaim it, and give it to their antagonifts
the Jabarians, who like wife refufe it as an infamous appellation 5,
becaufe Mohammed is faid to have declared the Kadarians to be the
Magians of his followers 6. But what the opinion of thefe Kadarians
in Mohammed’s time was, is very uncertain: the Motazalites lay the
name belongs to thofe who ajfert predejlination, and make G od
the author of good and evil ?, viz. the Jabarians; but all the other
Mohammedan fedts agree to fix it on the Motazalites, who they fay
are like the Magians in eftabliflhing two principles, light, or G od,
the author of good, and darknefs, or the Devil, the author of evil :
but this cannot abfolutely be faid of the Motazalites, for they (at
leaft the generality of them) afcribe men’s good deeds to G od, but
their evil deeds to themfelves; meaning thereby that man has a
free liberty and power to do either good or evil, and is mafter of
his adtions ; and for this reafon it is that the other Mohammedans call
them Magians, becaufe they affert another author of adtions befides
G o d 8. And, indeed, it is a difficult matter to fay what Mohammed’s
own opinion was in this matter; for on the one fide the Koran
itfelf is pretty plain for abfolute predeftination, and many fay-
ings of Mohammed are recorded to that purpofe«, and one in particular,
wherein he introduces Adam and Mofes difputing before G od
in this manner: Thou, fays Mofes, art Adam; whom G od created,
and animated with the breath o f life, and caufed to be worfhipped by.
the angels, and placed in paradife, from whence mankind have been expelled
for thy fa u lt: whereto Adam anfwered, Thou art Mofes;
1 Al Shahreft. 2 Al Firauzab. V. Poc. Spec. p. 231, 232, & 214. . 3 Al Shahreft. V.
Pdc. Spec. p. 235, & 240, &c. * V. Poc. ib. p. 238. 5 Al Motarrezi, al Shahreft. V. ib.
p.232, 6 Iidem, &c. ibid. 7 Iidem, ib. 8 V. Poc. ib. p. 233, &c. 9 V. ib. p. 237.
y 2 whom