with their very opposites—defects and shortcomings. Neither Allah, nor His Messenger, nor any intelligent servant has ever regarded as equal the one who, out of fear of anthropomorphism, denies the Sanctified One’s perfection and the one who affirms His supreme perfection and His exalted attributes together with whatever may follow from that affirmation.

Suppose, within the ummah, there were someone who said: “He possesses hearing like a creature’s hearing and sight like its sight.” Such a person would still be nearer to the truth than one who says: “He has neither hearing nor sight.”

And suppose there were someone who said: “He is situated upon His Throne, bounded by limits and directions.” That would yet be closer to correctness than the statement of one who says: “Above the Throne there is no God to be worshipped, no Lord to whom prayer and prostration are made; hands are not raised to Him, nothing descends from Him and nothing ascends to Him; He is neither above His creation, nor with them, nor separate from them.”

Again, if anyone were to say: “He speaks just as a human being speaks, and His speech is produced by organs and instruments resembling those of men,” that would be better than saying: “He has never spoken and never speaks, He has never said and never says, and no speech whatsoever subsists in Him.” For the latter likens Him to stones and lifeless objects that possess no reason, whereas the former likens Him—erroneously—to living, rational beings.

Likewise, were someone to say: “He has two hands like our hands,” he would still be better than one who says: “He has no hands at all.” The latter is a denier who belies Allah and rejects Allah and His Messenger, while the former likener has merely erred in his understanding. Thus the so-called anthropomorphist, according to your false claim, has not likened Him