and spent considerable time journeying through Khurasan, Syria, Iraq, the Hijaz, and Egypt.

Those who narrated from him include al-Hakim, al-Sulami, Abu Hazim al-ʿAbdawi, Abu al-ʿAlaʾ Muhammad ibn ʿAli al-Wasiti, Abu ʿAli al-Daqqaq, and many others.

Abu ʿAbd al-Rahman al-Sulami said: “He was the leading shaykh of the Sufis in Nishapur. His language of allusion was always joined to the Book and the Sunnah. He drew upon various sciences: memorising and understanding hadith, knowledge of history, and the sciences of dealings and spiritual indications. He met al-Shibli and Abu ʿAli al-Rudhbarī. In spite of his high standing, how often was he beaten, humiliated, and imprisoned! People challenged him, saying, ‘You claim that the soul is uncreated.’ He replied, ‘I do not say that—nor do I say it is created. I only say: the soul is of my Lord’s command.’ They pressed him, and he insisted, ‘I say nothing but what Allah has said.’

I (the author) remark: This was a slip. There is no doubt that the soul is created; the Jews did not ask our Prophet ﷺ whether it was created or eternal, but about its nature and how it is. Allah, Exalted is He, says: “Allah is the Creator of all things” (Q 39:62). He originated all existents and brought into being every articulate and inarticulate being—its essence, life, spirit, and body. He is the One who created death, life, and souls—glorified be He.

Al-Sulami also said: He was asked, ‘People say you went to a nāwūs (a Magian shrine), circumambulated it, and declared, “This is my circumambulation,” thereby belittling the Kaaba!’ He answered, ‘No. Both places are created, though the Kaaba has a merit not found there. It is like someone honouring a dog simply because it is a creature of Allah.’ He was reproached for that statement for years.

I say: This is yet another blunder. Can the qiblah of Islam be treated like a grave, with people performing ṭawāf around it?