and Abū ʿAbd Allāh the grammarian recited to me:

“In the reaches of the Hijaz lies a hidden love,
Keeping me sleepless when eyes fall still.”

The interpretation he has offered may be addressed from several angles.

First, he said: “Know that what is meant by His nearness and drawing close is the nearness of His mercy and its drawing close to the servant.” The response is that this interpretation does not hold for the Most High’s words:

“We are closer to him than his jugular vein.” (16) [Qāf 16]

It is well known that this encompasses both the believer and the unbeliever, whereas the unbeliever does not draw near to His mercy. This may instead be interpreted in terms of knowledge, as may be discussed in its proper place.

Second, this interpretation could only apply to the Lord’s drawing near to the servant, as in His words, Most High: “Whoever draws near to Me by a handspan, I draw near to him by a cubit.” As for the servant’s drawing near, one would describe it as the servant’s drawing near to mercy, not His mercy’s drawing near and coming close to the servant. But he has confused the one with the other, and this is not sound.