his denunciation. Your doctrine is simply that Allah enables whomever He wills to understand His speech through a subtle act of His, until that person knows with certainty that what he has understood is Allah’s speech. The objection I wish to press upon you applies to understanding just as it does to hearing. So abandon obfuscation and dissembling. What do you say about Moses, peace be upon him, when Allah spoke to him? Did he understand Allah’s speech without restriction, or within limits?’

He hesitated briefly, then said: ‘What do you mean by this?’

I replied: ‘Leave aside what I mean, and give me your answer.’

He refused and said: ‘What do you mean by this?’

I replied: ‘My point is that if you say that he, peace be upon him, understood Allah’s speech without restriction, this would entail that there is no speech of Allah, from eternity past to eternity future, that Moses did not understand. This leads to unbelief, for Allah Most High says:

“They encompass nothing of His knowledge except what He wills.” (al-Baqara: 255)

If that were possible, whoever understood Allah’s speech would thereby know the unseen and what is within Allah Himself. Yet Allah Most High has denied this in His account of Jesus, peace be upon him, who says:

“You know what is within myself, and I do not know what is within Yourself. Indeed, it is You who are the Knower of the unseen.” (al-Māʾida: 116)

If, then, you cannot make this unrestricted claim and are compelled to say, “Allah enabled him to understand whatever He willed of His speech,” you have admitted the very division into parts that you sought to avoid, and for which you declared those who affirmed it unbelievers. Your opponent would be better off than you, because he affirmed what is entailed by the texts received from Allah, Mighty and Majestic, and from His Messenger, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, whereas you refused to accept