than they reject the former, and that those who disagree with you on the latter are far more numerous than those who disagree with you on the former. For the Lord’s being above the world is more evident to the innate dispositions of earlier and later generations than His being visible. Indeed, according to many critical scholars, knowledge of the vision is attained through effort alone. Knowledge that He is above the world, however, is innate, self-evident, and established by rational proofs. As for the scriptural texts indicating this, none but Allah can count them.

The error that has arisen concerning this is exposed by the fourteenth argument: That their Lord is above the world is more firmly known and acknowledged by hearts through the innate disposition upon which Allah created them, more clearly indicated by the Quran and Sunnah, more evident among both the learned and ordinary members of the Muslim community, and more extensively affirmed in the statements of the early generations than His being seen with the eyes on the Day of Resurrection, or even the possibility of seeing Him with the eyes.

This is borne out by the fact that the Jahmiyyah first appeared in Islam at the beginning of the second century AH. The underlying reality of their doctrine was the denial of all these attributes, as the imams have mentioned. They described Him only through pure negations, which apply only to what does not exist. Furthermore, it has been stated by this