a determining agent—he discussed this method in terms that need not be considered here, until he said:

“It has thus become clear to you from all this that the well-known methods by which the Ash'arīs seek knowledge of the Creator’s existence are neither rational methods yielding certainty nor scriptural methods yielding certainty. This is evident to anyone who considers the kinds of evidence in the Noble Book that draw attention to this matter—namely, knowledge of the Maker’s existence. For when the scriptural methods are examined, most are found to combine two characteristics: first, they yield certainty; second, they are simple rather than complex—that is, they involve few premises, so their conclusions follow closely from the initial premises.”

He said: “As for the Sufis, their methods of inquiry are not methods of rational argument—that is, composed of premises and syllogisms. Rather, they claim that knowledge of Allah and of other existing things is something cast into the soul