Furthermore, regarding his claim that “I felt the coolness of His fingertips” means “I felt the effect of that care,” it may be said in response: The effect of that care was present on his back and in his heart and chest. It is therefore unwarranted to single out the chest as the location of its effect, since, according to him, nothing whatsoever was placed between the shoulders. Rather, the meaning is simply that the Lord directed His care toward him. He should therefore have explained that the effect of that care has a general scope or concerns the noblest organ, and that the area between the breasts fits that description.

This is unlike accepting the hadith as it stands: when the palm is placed on his back, its coolness passes through to the other side, namely the chest. People know such things through sensory experience.

Moreover, the statement, “He placed His hand between my shoulders until I felt the coolness of His fingertips between my breasts,” is explicit and admits of no reinterpretation. Using such wording to express mere care is self-evidently untenable on linguistic grounds. It belongs to the worthless talk of the Qarmatians and the Sophists.