it contains. Thus, when people look at something because they need it and their hearts are attached to it, they look toward the earth more often than toward the sky.

Second, it may be said to him: The argument concerns their raising their hands and eyes when supplicating Allah alone, [without] any partner. When they invoke someone other than Allah, they raise their hands—if they raise them at all—toward the one invoked. When they are not turning to Allah, supplicating Him, or remembering Him, they [do not] consistently point toward the sky. Rather, if someone points, he points to something specific, such as the sun, the moon, or something else. That being so, his claim that they point toward that direction because of its nobility is utterly false. It would have some relevance only if the argument concerned their pointing upward in general. Yet this is contrary to what actually happens: they make the gesture in question specifically when supplicating Allah, devoting their worship sincerely to Him. How different the two are!

Third, it may be said to him: It has already been explained that they know and state that they are pointing only to Allah, [not] merely toward a direction.

The ninth point concerns his statement that the gesture may be directed toward the angels who administer the affairs of Allah’s servants.

The first response is this: For someone to point to something, he must be aware of it and intend to point to it. If he is neither aware of it nor intending to point to it, he cannot possibly be pointing to it. Those who supplicate Allah, devoting their worship sincerely to Him, do not have in mind