Editing Mu'tazilism (section)

====4. The Intermediate Position [''Al-Manzilah bayn al-manzilatayn'']====
That is, Muslims who commit grave sins and die without repentance are not considered as mu’minīn (believers), nor are they considered kafirs (non-believers), but in an intermediate position between the two, (''fasiq''). The reason behind this is that a mu’min is, by definition, a person who has faith and conviction in and about God, and who has their faith reflected in their deeds and moral choices. Any shortcoming on any of these two fronts makes one, by definition, not a mu’min. On the other hand, one does not become a ''kafir'' (i.e. rejecter; non-believer), for this entails, inter alia, denying the Creator—something not necessarily done by a committer of a grave sin. The fate of those who commit grave sins and die without repentance is Hell. Hell is not considered a monolithic state of affairs but as encompassing many degrees to accommodate the wide spectrum of human deeds and choices, and the lack of comprehension associated to The Ultimate Judge (one of the other names in Islam of God.) Consequently, those in the intermediate position, though in Hell, would have a lesser punishment because of their belief and other good deeds. Mu'tazilites adopted this position as a middle ground between [[Kharijites]] and [[Murjites]]. In the words of ʿAbd al-Jabbar, the doctrine of the intermediate position is{{sfn|Martin|1997|page=82, 106}} the knowledge that whoever murders, or commits [[zina]], or commits serious sins is a grave sinner (''fasiq'') and not a believer, nor is his case the same that of believers with respect to praise and attributing greatness, since he is to be cursed and disregarded. Nonetheless, he is not an unbeliever who cannot be buried in our Muslim cemetery, or be prayed for, or marry a Muslim. Rather, he has an intermediate position, in contrast to the Seceders ([[Kharijites]]) who say that he is an unbeliever, or the [[Murjites]] who say that he is a believer.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Mutahhari |first=Murtadha |date=2013-03-12 |title=Mu'tazilah {{!}} An Introduction to Ilm al-Kalam |url=https://www.al-islam.org/al-tawhid/vol3-no2/introduction-ilm-al-kalam-murtadha-mutahhari/mutazilah |access-date=2024-12-15 |website=al-Islam.org |language=en}}</ref>