Semniyyah is a Dahri group. Jahm bin Safwan once debated a group of Semniyyah. It is reported that after that debate, he was affected by their speech and stopped praying for forty days. His debate with Semniyyah is famous and has been mentioned in many books. It is stated in the book Sharh al-Aqeedah al-Tahawiyyah: “Jahm bin Safwan stopped praying for forty days because of his doubts about his Lord.” This incident occurred when he had a debate with a group of polytheists named Samaniyyah, who were Indian philosophers. Semniyyah denied all sciences except those based on the senses. They asked Jahm bin Safwan: “Is this Lord whom you worship visible, or can He be smelled, tasted, or touched?” He replied, “No.” They responded, “So this Lord does not exist.” For this reason, he left his prayers for forty days, and when his heart was void of the deity to worship, Satan decorated belief for him, leading him to invent his own belief. He claimed that he was the absolute existence, denied all the attributes of Allah Almighty, and joined [the beliefs of] Jahd. [Consider clarifying who “Jahd” refers to for readers unfamiliar with the context.]
Similarity Between Jahmiyyah and Jews, Christians, and Polytheists
The sect of Jahmiyyah is similar to the Jews in their denial of the attributes of Allah Almighty. The Mu’atalah group, led by the Jahmiyyah, has inherited the denial of the attributes of Allah from the Jews. For this reason, Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, linked the beliefs of the Jahmiyyah and the Jews regarding the attributes of Allah Almighty. He states:
“Noon of the Jews and Lam of the Jahmiyyah are superfluous in the revelation of the Lord of the Throne.”
“Likewise, Jahmiyyah failed to describe Allah, while the Jews described Him as incomplete.”
The “Noon” of the Jews and the “Lam” of the Jahmiyyah are superfluous in revealing the Lord of the Throne. This means that the Jahmiyyah group is similar to the Jews; both groups deny the attributes of Allah Almighty. The Jews describe Allah Almighty as lacking, and in both cases, this leads to a denial of the perfection of Allah’s attributes. From this perspective, both groups align in denying Allah’s supreme attributes, which are pure perfections, making their similarity evident.
Allamah Ibn Al-Qayyim writes in the book Al-Sawa’iq al-Mursla Ali Al-Jahmiyyah wal-Mu’talah, after discussing the interpretations of the Jews and Christians: “If you reflect on their interpretations [the interpretations of the Jews and Christians and the reasons for their errors], you will clearly understand that their interpretations are the same as those of the Jahmiyyah, Rafizah, and Mu’tazila, and that they all originate from the same source.”
The author of the book Essays of Jahm bin Safwan and Its Effects in Islamic Differences, after stating the similarities between the Jahmiyyah and Jews, Christians, polytheists, and philosophers, concluded: “Jahm bin Safwan and his sheikh Jahd bin Durham belong to the polytheists, which include Hindus, Samniyyah, Sabeyyah from Brahma, philosophers, and heretics of the People of the Book.”
Another sign of this group is that many of their beliefs are derived from the Jews. Ibn Asaker states: “Jahd bin Durham [the master and sheikh of Jahm bin Safwan, whose beliefs Jahm later spread] acquired these beliefs from Ibn Sama’an. Ibn Sama’an learned from Aban, who learned from Talut, and Talut also learned from Labid bin Asim, a Jew who bewitched the Prophet, peace be upon him.”
They are also similar to Christians in denying the attributes of Allah Almighty and attributing certain things to Him. These issues will be discussed in the future, Allah willing.
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