1. The Hodeilians, or followers of Hamdan Abu Hodeil, a
Motazalite dodtor,; who differed fomething from the common
form of expreffion ufed by this fedt, faying that G o i
knew by his knowledge, but that his knowledge was his eJJ'ence-,
and fo of the other attributes: which opinion he took, from the ph|.
lofophers, who affirm the effence of G o d to be Ample, and without
multiplicity, and that his attributes are not pofterior or acceffory
to his effence, or fubfifting therein, but are his effence itfe lf: and
this the more orthodox take to be next kfn to making diftindtions in
the deity, which is the thing they fo much abhor in the Chrifiians1,
As to the Koran’s, being created, he made fome diftindtion; bolding
the word of G o d to be partly not in fubjeSlo, (and therefore uncre-
ated,) as when he fpake the word Kun, i. e. Fiat, at the creation,
and partly in fubjeSlo, as the precepts, prohibitions, &c 2. Marraca i
mentions an opinion of Abu Hodeil’s concerning predeftination, from
an Arab writer ♦ , which being by him expreffed in a manner not
very intelligible, I chufe to omit.
2. The Jobbaians, or followers of Abu A li Mohammed Ebn AM
al Wahhab, furnamed al Jobbai, whofe meaning when he made ufe
o f the common expreffion of the Motazalites, that G o d knows h
his effence, &c. was, that G o d’s being knowing is not an attribute,
the fame with knowledge, nor fuch a ftate as rendred his being know,
ing neceffary 4.' He held G o d’s word to be created in fubjeSlo, as
in the preferved table, for example, the memory of Gabriel, Mohammed,
& c 6. This fedt, if Marracci has given the true fenfe of his
author, denied that G o d could be feen in paradife without the af-
fiftance of corporeal eyes; and held that man produced his adtsby
a power fuperadded to health of body, and foundnefs of limbs;
that he who was guilty of a mortal fin, was neither a believer npt
an infidel, but a tranfgreffor, (which was the original opinion of Wa-
fel,) and if he died in his fins, would be doomed to hell for eternity;
and that G o d conceals nothing of whatever he knows from his
■ fervants7, - _ • .. ’ ’’
3. The Hafhemians; who were fo named from their mafter Ah
Hajhem Abd al Salam, the fon of Abu A li al Jobbai, and whofe tenets
nearly agreed with thofe of the preceding fedt 8. Abu Hajhem
•took the Motazalite form of expreffion, that G o d knows by his ef
1 Al Shahreftani, apud Poc. p. 2 1 ;, 216, 217. 2 Idem, apud eund. p. 217, &c. 1 Is
Prodr. part. 3. p. 74. 4 Al Shahreft. 5 Idem, apud Poc. Spec. p. 215. 6 Idem, & Aac*
lor alMawakef, ib. p. 218. 7 Marracci,1 ubi Tup. p. 75. exal Shahreft. 8 V. Eund. ibid.
Jenct,
fence, in a different fenfe from others, fuppofing it to mean, that
G od hath or is endued with a. difpofition, which is a known property,
or quality, pofterior or acceffory to his exiftence ' His followers
were fo much afraid of making G od the author of evil,
that they would not allow him to be faid to create an infidel; becaufe,
according to their way of arguing, an infidel is a compound o f infidelity
and man, and G o d is not the creator of infidelity 2. Abu Hd-
Jhem, and his father Abu A li al Jobbai, were both celebrated for their
fkill in fcholaftic divinity 3.
4. The Nodhdmians, or followers of Ibrahim al Nodham ; who having
read books of philofophy, fet up anew fedt, and imagining he
could not fufficiently remove G od from being the author of evil,
without diverting him of his power in refpedt thereto, taught that
no power ought to be afcribed to G o d concerning evil and rebellious
adtions: but this he affirmed againft the opinion of his own difci-
.pies, who allowed that G od could do evil, but did not, becaufe of
its turpitude 4. Of his opinion as to the Koran’s being created we
have fpoken elfewhere 5.
5. The Hayetians, fo named from Adorned Ebn Hayet, who had
been of the fedt of the Nodhdmians, but broached fome new notions
on reading the philofophers. His peculiar opinions were, i. That
Chrifi was the eternal word incarnate, and took a true and real body,
and will judge all creatures in the life to come 6: he alfo farther af-
ferted, that there are two G o d s , or Creators; the one eternal, v iz.
the moft high G od , and the other not eternal, viz, Chrift 7; which
I opinion, though Dr. Pocock urges the fame as an argument that he
did not rightly underftand the Chrifiian myfteries 8, is not much different
from that o f the Arians and Socinians. 2. That there is a
fucceffive tranfmigration of the foul from one body into another;
and that the la-ft body will enjoy the reward or fuffer the puniffiment
due to each foul9; and 3 . That G o d will be feen at the refurrec-
tion, not with the bodily eyes, but thofe of the underftanding io.
6. The Jahedhians, or followers of Amru Ebn Bahr furnamed al
Jdhedh, a great dodtor of the Motazalites, and very much admired for
the elegance of his compofures 11; who differed from his brethren in
that he imagined the damned would not be eternally tormented in
1 Al Shahreft. apud Poc. p. 215. 2 Idem, ib. p. 242. 3 Ebiv Khalecan, in.vitis eorum.
4 Al Shahreft. ubi fup. p. 241, 242. V. Marracc. Prpd. part. 3. p. 74. 1 See before, feft. III.-
P-68. 6 Al Shahreft. ubi fup. p. 218. Abu’lfarag. p. 167. 7 Al Shahreft. al Mawakef, &
Ebn Kofia, apud Poc. ubi fup. p. 219. 8 V. Poc. ib. 9 Marracc. & al Shahreft. ubi fup.
10 Marracc. ib. p. 75. 11 , V. D’Herbel. Bibl. Orient, art. Giahedh.
y i hell,