Section

Al-Rāzī said:

“Chapter Two: On the term shakhs (person).

This term does not occur in the Quran, but it is reported that the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said: ‘No person loves protective jealousy more than Allah does.’

There are two expressions in this report that must be interpreted figuratively. The first is ‘person,’ by which is meant the particular essence and the specific reality. A body possessing an individual form and volume must necessarily be one; thus, applying the designation ‘personhood’ to oneness is to apply the name of one of two inseparable correlates to the other.

The second is the expression ‘protective jealousy,’ which means rebuke. Protective jealousy is a psychological state that prompts rebuke and prevention; here, therefore, the cause is mentioned as an indirect reference to its effect.”