Sebelum kemunculan golongan Secessionist, terdapat persetujuan umum mengenai prinsip turun-temurun bahawa al-Qur'an ialah kalam Tuhan dan bukan makhluk.332 Walaupun apabila golongan Secessionist menerima kepercayaan bahawa al-Qur'an itu makhluk, mereka merahsiakannya. Dengan demikian prinsip itu kekal tidak dicabuli sehingga zaman pemerintahan al-Rashīd.333 66.1

Before the rise of the Secessionists, there was general agreement on the ancestral principle that the Qurʾan is the speech of God and not created.332 Even when the Secessionists adopted the belief that the Qurʾan is created, they kept it a secret. Thus the principle remained inviolate down through the reign of al-Rashīd.333 66.1

[Muḥammad ibn Nūḥ:]334 Saya mendengar Hārūn al-Rashīd, Amirul Mukminin, berkata, "Saya dengar Bishr al-Marīsī mendakwa al-Qur'an itu makhluk. Jika God menyerahkannya ke tanganku, demi sumpahku, akan kubunuh dia dengan cara yang lebih menyakitkan daripada cara aku pernah membunuh sesiapa pun." 66.2

[Muḥammad ibn Nūḥ:]334 I heard Hārūn al-Rashīd, the Commander of the Faithful, say, “I hear that Bishr al-Marīsī claims the Qurʾan is created. If God puts him in my hands, I swear I’ll kill him more painfully than I’ve ever killed anyone.” 66.2

[Al-Dawraqī:] Saya mendengar Muḥammad bin Nūḥ meriwayatkan, dengan sanad daripada al-Masʿūdī, hakim di Baghdad: "Saya mendengar bahawa Bishr al-Marīsī mendakwa al-Qur'an itu makhluk. Jika Tuhan menyerahkannya ke dalam tanganku, aku bersumpah akan membunuhnya dengan cara yang lebih menyakitkan daripada mana-mana orang yang pernah aku bunuh." 66.3

[Al-Dawraqī:] I heard Muḥammad ibn Nūḥ report, citing al-Masʿūdī, judge in Baghdad: “I hear that Bishr al-Marīsī claims the Qurʾan is created. If God puts him in my hands, I swear I’ll kill him more painfully than I’ve ever killed anyone.” 66.3

Bishr dengan itu kekal bersembunyi selama dua puluh tahun. Apabila Hārūn meninggal dunia, dia muncul semula dan mula menyeru kepada kepercayaannya yang sesat. Begitulah bermulanya Inkuisisi.

Bishr thus remained in hiding for twenty years. When Hārūn died, he reappeared and began advocating his misguided belief. That’s how the Inquisition started.

[Pengarang:] Walaupun selepas al-Rashīd meninggal dunia dan al-Amīn menjadi khalifah, kedudukan rasmi tetap sama. Tetapi apabila al-Ma'mūn berkuasa, sejumlah golongan Pemisah menyelinap masuk ke dalam kalangannya dan memujuknya untuk menerima pandangan bahawa al-Qur'an itu makhluk. Kerana takut kepada para tokoh tua yang masih hidup, al-Ma'mūn teragak-agak untuk menyeru persetujuan terhadap akidah baharu itu. Namun akhirnya dia memutuskan untuk mengenakannya ke atas umat.335 66.4

[The author:] Even after al-Rashīd died and al-Amīn became caliph, the official position remained the same. But when al-Maʾmūn came to power, a number of Secessionists insinuated themselves into his company and persuaded him to adopt the view that the Qurʾan is created. Fearful of those elders who were still alive, al-Maʾmūn hesitated to call for assent to the new creed. Eventually, though, he resolved to impose it on the community.335 66.4

[Ibn Aktham:]336 Al-Ma'mun pernah berkata bahawa jika tidak kerana Yazid bin Harun, dia pasti akan mengisytiharkan bahawa al-Qur'an itu makhluk. Salah seorang yang hadir bertanya sama ada Yazid benar-benar seseorang yang patut dibimbangkan. 66.5

[Ibn Aktham:]336 Al-Maʾmūn once remarked that if not for Yazīd ibn Hārūn, he would proclaim that the Qurʾan is created. One of those present asked whether Yazīd was really someone to worry about. 66.5

“Bodoh!” kata khalifah itu. “Bagaimana jika aku membuat satu kenyataan dan dia mengecamnya? Orang ramai akan terpaksa memilih pihak. Dan jika ada satu perkara yang paling aku benci, ialah perbalahan.” “Biarkan aku pergi dan melihat sendiri,” kata lelaki itu.

“Fool!” said the caliph. “What if I make a statement and he condemns it? People will have to choose sides. And if there’s one thing I hate, it’s conflict.” “Let me go and see for myself,” said the man.

"Silakan teruskan," kata al-Ma'mun.

“You go ahead,” said al-Maʾmūn.

Maka lelaki itu pergi ke Wāsiṭ, dan di sana dia mendapati Yazīd di masjidnya, lalu dia duduk bersamanya.

So the man traveled to Wāsiṭ, where he found Yazīd in his mosque and sat down with him.

“Yazīd,” kata lelaki itu, “khalifah mengirimkan salamnya dan ingin engkau tahu bahawa dia berhasrat mengisytiharkan bahawa al-Qur'an itu makhluk.” “Engkau pembohong,” kata Yazīd. “Khalifah tidak akan sekali-kali memaksa orang untuk mengambil pendirian yang mereka tidak fahami atau tidak terima. Jika engkau mahu melihat sendiri, datanglah semula apabila halaqah pengajian berkumpul. Apabila semua orang sudah hadir, engkau boleh menceritakan kepada mereka apa yang engkau katakan kepadaku.” Keesokan harinya lelaki itu menunggu orang-orang berkumpul, kemudian berkata, “Semoga God meredhaimu, wahai Yazīd! Khalifah mengirimkan salamnya dan ingin engkau tahu bahawa dia berhasrat mengisytiharkan bahawa al-Qur'an itu makhluk. Apakah pendapatmu tentang hal itu?” “Engkau pembohong,” kata Yazīd. “Khalifah tidak akan sekali-kali memaksa orang untuk mengambil pendirian yang mereka tidak fahami atau tidak terima, dan yang tidak pernah diyakini oleh sesiapa pun sebelum ini.” Maka lelaki itu kembali kepada khalifah dan berkata, “Tuanku benar! Inilah yang berlaku,” lalu dia menceritakan kisah itu.

“Yazīd,” said the man, “the caliph sends his regards and wants you to know that he intends to declare that the Qurʾan is created.” “You’re lying,” said Yazīd. “The caliph would never force people to take a position they don’t understand or accept. If you want to see for yourself, come back when the study circle gathers. When everyone’s here, you can tell them what you told me.” The next day the man waited for the people to gather and then said, “God be pleased with you, Yazīd! The caliph sends his regards and wants you to know that he intends to declare that the Qurʾan is created. What do you have to say about that?” “You’re lying,” said Yazīd. “The caliph would never force people to take a position they don’t understand or accept, and that no one has ever believed in before.” So the man came back and said to the caliph, “You were right! Here’s what happened,” and told the story.

"Sekarang awak nampak?" kata al-Ma'mun. "Dia mempermainkan awak dengan sempurna."

“Now do you see?” said al-Maʾmūn. “He played you perfectly.”