and that He is pointed to, as the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, pointed his finger towards Him on the afternoon of ‘Arafah, repeatedly saying:

“O Allah, bear witness! O Allah, bear witness!”

He also said:

“Allah is modest and generous; when His servant raises his hands to Him, He is too modest to turn them away empty.”

And he said:

“A man’s pointing with his finger during prayer is a scourge against Satan.”

This gesture signifies Allah’s oneness.

That person may be told: You say, “A body is something composite,” while the other says, “It is something self-subsisting.” Yet you both agree that Allah Most High does not become divided, that He is not composed by anyone, and that He is self-subsisting. If you disagree over whether He is above the Throne, whether the Quran came down from Him, and whether the angels ascend to Him, then the one who affirms these things is correct. If, however, you disagree over whether His rising over the Throne resembles that of a created being, whether He needs the Throne, or similar matters that entail ascribing deficiency to Him or likening Him to His creation, then the one who denies these things is correct.

Likewise, if you disagree over affirming His knowledge, mercy, and strength, then the one who affirms them is correct. But if you disagree over whether His attributes are self-subsisting entities, as is sometimes reported of the Christians, then the one who denies this is correct.

If someone says, “Bodies are alike, so if we say, ‘He is a body,’ it follows that