saying: Sufyān narrated to us, from Habīb ibn Abī Thābit, from ‘Atā’, who said: The Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said, “Do not revile the face, for the son of Adam was created in the image of the Most Merciful.”

Abū Bakr said: This wording in ‘Atā’s report has misled many people who lack deep grounding in knowledge. They imagined that attributing the image to the Most Merciful in this report meant attributing to Him one of the attributes of His Essence. In this they were plainly mistaken, and they made an abhorrent statement resembling the assertion of those who liken Allah to His creation. May Allah protect us and all Muslims from their assertion.

He said: As for my interpretation of this report, if it is sound in terms of