This is because al-Āmidī did not establish in his books either divine oneness, the world’s having a beginning, or the existence of the Necessary Being. Rather, he presented methods of proving divine oneness that he then rejected as unsound, and mentioned a method he claimed to have devised himself, although it was weaker than the others.

Ibn ʿArabī, the author of al-Fusūs, al-Futūhāt, and other works, held his method in high regard, saying: “The method he devised for proving divine oneness is a great method,” or words to that effect. Matters eventually reached the point where one of the prominent judges who had studied his writings said: “There is no rational proof of divine oneness; it is known only through revelation.” The people of his town rose against him and sought to have him punished, and an episode ensued.

Likewise, al-Asbahānī once met Shaykh Ibrāhīm al-Jaʿbarī and said to him: “Last night I thought until morning about a proof of divine oneness that would be free of counterarguments, but I found none.”

Likewise, someone who had studied under Ibn Wāsil al-Hamawī told me that he said: “At night I lie on my back, place a covering over my face, and spend the night