“Then what lies between heaven and earth became manifest to me.” There is no doubt that this was one of the effects of His placing His hand there. For we observe in ordinary experience that when someone places his chest or hand against another person’s chest or back, the latter experiences effects in his heart corresponding to his own condition and that of the person making contact. Thus, in Sahīh Muslim, Ubayy ibn Kaʿb relates:

“I was in the mosque when a man came in to pray and recited in a way I objected to. Then another man came in and recited differently from the first. When we had finished praying, we all went to the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. I said, ‘This man recited in a way I objected to, and another came in and recited differently from his companion.’ The Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, instructed them both to recite. They did so, and he approved both their recitations. A sense of disbelief then arose within me such as I had never experienced even in the days of pre-Islamic ignorance. When the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, saw what had overcome me, he struck my chest. I broke into a sweat, and it was as though I were looking at Allah in fear