the spiritually discerning Sufis in his region toward the end of the fourth century AH—as follows:

“I wished to offer my companions counsel drawn from the Sunnah and an exhortation drawn from wisdom, and to bring together what was upheld by the people of hadith and transmitted reports, and by those of spiritual knowledge and Sufism, among both the earlier and later generations.”

He said in it:

“And that Allah is above, established upon His Throne, without specifying how, likening Him to creation, or reinterpreting this. His establishment is understood, but its manner is unknown. Allah, Mighty and Majestic, is established upon His Throne, distinct from His creation, and His creation is distinct from Him, without indwelling, intermingling, mixing, or contact. For He alone is distinct from creation, the One who has no need of creation. Allah, Mighty and Majestic, is All-Hearing, All-Seeing, All-Knowing, All-Aware. He speaks, is pleased and displeased, laughs and marvels. He will reveal Himself to His servants on the Day of Resurrection, laughing. Every night He descends to the lowest heaven however He wills, saying: ‘Is there anyone calling upon Me, that I may answer him? Is there anyone seeking forgiveness, that I may forgive him? Is there anyone repenting, that I may accept his repentance?’—until dawn breaks.”

He said:

“His descent to heaven is without specifying how, likening Him to creation, or reinterpreting it. Whoever denies the descent or reinterprets it is an innovator who has gone astray.”