among the Kullābīs and Ash'arīs, as well as groups of jurists, hadith scholars, and Sufis, include those who say: “I say that it is He; I do not say that it is other than Him, nor do I say that it is neither He nor other than Him.”

The reasoning behind this statement is as follows: by “two distinct things,” one may mean two things either of which can exist without the other, or which can be separated from one another in place, time, or existence. Alternatively, one may mean two things either of which can be known without the other. If “two distinct things” is intended in the first sense, it is not conceded that this side is identical to