—peace be upon them—yet this took place without His essence ever indwelling any one of them. The conceptual image that resides in people’s hearts—together with their knowledge of Him, their love for Him, and their remembrance of Him—is referred to with the same word that is used for the One who is known in Himself, for everyone understands that what is meant is the mental image.

Likewise, the awareness and love of a known person that settle in the heart are not the person himself. Thus, when someone says, “By Allah, you are in my heart,” or “in the very core of my heart,” or says, “By Allah, you have never left my heart or my sight,” and the like, everybody knows he is not speaking of the person’s actual being.

In the same way, if they see someone recounting the virtues of a celebrated scholar or shaykh—reminding people of his knowledge and practice and reviving them among the community—they will say, “So-and-so is now among us, living in our midst,” meaning that renowned figure, because all the listeners grasp what is intended.

One may say to a man whose father has died, “I am your father,” meaning, “I stand in his place,” and they will say to the son who assumes his father’s role, “Whoever leaves behind someone like you has not truly died.” When they used to meet ʿIkrimah, the freedman of Ibn ʿAbbās, who possessed his master’s knowledge, they would say, “Ibn ʿAbbās has come—he is among the people,” because his protege acted on his behalf and occupied his station. If a king dispatches a deputy to represent him, people say, “King so-and-so has arrived,” for that deputy stands in his stead, manifesting his commands, prohibitions, and affairs.

In the sound hadith the Prophet (Allah bless him and grant him peace) relates that Allah says: “My servant, I fell ill and you did not visit Me.” The servant will reply, “My Lord, how could I visit You when You are the Lord of the worlds?” He will say, “Did you not know that My servant so-and-so fell ill…”