“Allah created Adam in His image,” separately. But when the hadith is transmitted in its proper form, the pronoun cannot refer to Adam. Whether creating Adam in Adam’s image is understood as honoring Adam or merely stating a fact, it has no bearing on this ruling.

Second, Allah created all of Adam’s other bodily members in Adam’s image, however that may be interpreted. There is therefore no distinction between the face and the other bodily members in this respect. If creating Adam in Adam’s image were a reason to prohibit striking or reviling the face, it would necessarily prohibit striking all other bodily members and reviling all other forms. The unsoundness of this is evident from both reason and religion. Explaining a ruling specific to one case by a reason common to other cases is among the grossest faults in speech. Attributing this to the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, can only stem from profound ignorance or extreme hypocrisy, for there is no dispute concerning his knowledge, wisdom, eloquence, and clarity of expression.

Thus, it is related that one of the heretics heard a reciter reciting:

“So Allah made it taste the garment of hunger and fear.” [al-Nahl 112]

He said, “Can one taste