and distorted his words, spread outrageous lies, and alleged that he espoused tajsīm (anthropomorphism)—far be he from such a claim—and that he had instilled (1) this doctrine in his followers, corrupting the beliefs of the common folk thereby, even though nothing of the sort had ever happened—Allah protect us! They pursued the matter vigorously, at a time of relentless rain, mud, and biting cold (2).
Jalal al-Din the Hanafi—the Hanafi chief judge of the day—sided with them. He accompanied them to the Ashrafiyya Hadith College, demanded the Shaykh’s presence, and sent word summoning him, but the Shaykh did not attend.
In reply (3) the Shaykh sent back: “Creedal matters do not fall under your jurisdiction. The Sultan appointed you only to judge between people, and the task of forbidding wrong is not something (4) exclusive to the judge.”
When this letter reached him, they further inflamed (5) his temper, confused his heart, and said, “He refused to appear and has answered you back.” He therefore ordered a proclamation throughout the city declaring the Shaykh’s creed invalid. The order was obeyed (6) and the announcement was made in certain quarters of the town (7).
Sayf al-Din Jaghan then hastened to intervene; he dispatched a contingent, and the town crier was beaten along with several others