and Ibn Sabʿīn and those like them. In the collection entitled The Books Withheld from the Unworthy and other writings attributed to Abū Ḥāmid, one also finds passages of this kind. These people appeal to the reported ḥadīth:

“The first thing Allah created was the intellect. He said to it, ‘Advance,’ so it advanced; then He said, ‘Recede,’ and it receded. Then He proclaimed, ‘By My might, I have not created any creature more honored in My sight than you. Through you I take and through you I give; by you comes reward, and upon you rests punishment.’”