had to endure, but so also ended the attempt to break through the barriers of traditionalism.[114] The next Khalif, Al Mutawakhil, a ferocious and cruel man, restored the orthodox party to place and power. He issued a fatva (decree) declaring that the dogma that the Quran was created was an utter falsehood. He instituted severe measures against Christians, Jews, Shia'hs and Mutazilites. Ahmad Ibn Abu Da,ud was one of the first to be disgraced. Heresy and latitudinarianism were banished. The final blow to the Mutazilites, however, came not from the Khalif but a little later on from Abu Hasan-al-Ash'ari (270-340 A.H.) The Mutazilites expelled from power in Baghdad, still flourished at Basra where one day the following incident occurred. Abu 'Ali Al-Jubbai, a Mutazilite doctor, was lecturing to his students when Al-Ash'ari propounded the following case to his master: "There were three brothers, one of whom was a true believer, virtuous and pious; the second an infidel, a debauchee and a reprobate; and the third an infant; they all died. What became of them?" Al-Jubbai answered: "The virtuous brother holds a high station in Paradise, the infidel is in the depths of hell, and the child is among those who have obtained salvation." {129} "Suppose now," said Al-Ash'ari, "that the child should wish to ascend to the place occupied by his virtuous brother, would he be allowed to do so?" "No," replied Al-Jubbai, "it would be said to him: 'thy brother arrived at this place through His numerous works of obedience to God, and thou hast no such works to set forward.'" "Suppose then," said Al-Ash'ari, "that the child should say: 'this is not my fault, you did not let me live long enough, neither did you give me the means of proving my obedience.'" "In that case," said Al-Jubbai, "the Almighty would say: 'I knew that if I allowed thee to live, thou wouldest have been disobedient and have incurred the punishment of hell: I acted, therefore, for thy advantage.'" "Well," said Al-Ash'ari, "and suppose the infidel brother were here to say: 'O God of the Universe! since Thou knowest what awaited him, Thou must have known what awaited me; why then didst Thou act for his advantage and not for mine?'"[115] Al-Jubbai was silent, though very angry with his pupil, who was now convinced that the Mutazilite dogma of man's free-will was false, and that God elects some for mercy and some for punishment without any motive whatever. Disagreeing with his teacher on this point, he soon began to find other points of difference, and soon announced his belief that the Quran was not created. This occurred on a Friday in the Great Mosque at Basra. Seated in his chair he cried out in a loud voice: "They who know me know who I am; as for those who do not know me I shall tell them; I am 'Ali Ibn Isma'il Al-Ash'ari, and I used to hold that the Quran was created, that the eyes (of men) shall not see God, and that we ourselves are the authors of our evil deeds; now, I