denied it. For those among the Mu'tazilah and Ash'arīs who deny direction say that He is neither in a direction nor outside it. Someone who says this is like someone who affirms the existence of one thing alongside another, yet holds that neither one's existence precedes or follows the other's.

He said: “Furthermore, ordinary people make no distinction between saying, ‘I sought it but did not find it anywhere,’ and saying, ‘I sought it, only to find that it did not exist.’” Thus, they explained that what is firmly rooted in human nature is that saying, “I sought it but did not find it anywhere”—indicating that they did not perceive it in any location—is equivalent to saying, “It turned out not to exist.” For the opposite of the nonexistent is something that is where a finder can find it.