and thus anyone who ascribes a body to Allah is an unbeliever.”

He then said in reply—for he defended the position that the people of the qiblah should not be declared unbelievers:

“As for your statement, ‘Anyone who ascribes a body to Allah likens Him to His creation, and anyone who likens Him to His creation is an unbeliever,’ we say: If by someone who likens Allah to His creation you mean someone who holds that Allah resembles His creation in every respect, then there is no doubt that such a person is an unbeliever. But those who ascribe a body to Allah do not hold this view, nor does their ascribing a body to Him entail it. Do you not see that the sun, the moon, ants, and bugs are all bodies? Our acknowledgment that they share corporeality does not mean that we liken the sun and moon to ants and bugs.

“If, however, you mean those who hold that Allah resembles His creation in some respects, this does not entail unbelief. Muslims agree that He exists, is a thing, and possesses knowledge and power; animals also possess these qualities, yet this does not entail unbelief.

“And if by someone who likens Allah to His creation you mean someone who says that God is a body occupying a particular place, we do not concede that a consensus has been reached