the servant’s two sides to mean his beneficence, this would mean that He placed Allah’s favor within the servant’s beneficence. This is manifestly false.

Fourth: Kanaf (protection) is used in the singular, whereas this wording is not singular. If it is transmitted in the dual form, kanafayya (my two protective sides), that would be contrary to Arabic usage, for kanaf is used in the singular, not the dual, in such a context. If kanafī (my protection) is transmitted in the singular and accepted as the reading, then bayna (between) can only govern an expression denoting more than one. He did not say, “between my protective sides,” but rather, “between my shoulders.”

Fifth: He said, “Then He placed His hand between my shoulders, until I felt the coolness of His fingertips in my chest”—or “between my breasts.” This makes the intended meaning explicit. Thus, to say, “under my protection, until I felt the coolness of His fingertips in my chest,” is manifestly contradictory.

Sixth: One may say, “So-and-so is under so-and-so’s protection,” but not, “He is between his protection,” or “between his two protections.”

As for his statement, “‘I felt its coolness’ may mean the coolness of the favor