(1) On the margin of manuscript (h): the corresponding passage was taken from the original source. Manuscript (b) alone includes the following issue concerning al-Hallaj, which we present here: Issue concerning al-Hallaj Sheikh al-Islam Taqī al-Dīn Aḥmad ibn Taymiyya (may Allah have mercy on him and admit him to His spacious paradise) was asked: “I [as it reads in the copy, though the correct reading may be] hold the same beliefs as al-Hallaj. What ruling applies to him? He says that al-Hallaj was killed unjustly, just as some prophets—peace be upon them—were slain, and that al-Hallaj is among the awliyāʾ (friends) of Allah. What judgment is to be passed on these statements, and was he executed by the sword of the noble sharīʿa or not? Please issue your fatwā; may you be rewarded.” Reply: Praise be to Allah. Whoever adopts the beliefs for which al-Hallaj was executed is, by consensus of the Muslims, an apostate and disbeliever. The Muslims executed him solely for his doctrines of hulūl (incarnation) and ittiḥād (union) and similar heterodox claims—such as “I am God” and “There is a god in heaven and a god on earth.” From the essentials of Islamic belief is that there is no god but Allah and that Allah is the Creator of all things; everything else is creation. Allah says: “Indeed, everyone in the heavens and the earth will come to the Most Merciful as a servant. He has enumerated them and counted them in full, and all of them will come to Him on the Day of Resurrection, alone.” (Qur’an 19:93–95) And He says: “O People of the Scripture, do not exceed the limits in your religion, and do not say about Allah except the truth. The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, was only a Messenger of Allah and His word which He conveyed to Mary and a spirit [created by Him]. So believe in Allah and His messengers. And do not say ‘Three’—cease! It is better for you. Indeed, Allah is but one God. Exalted is He above having a son. To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. And sufficient is Allah as Disposer of affairs. The Messiah, son of Mary, was not but a messenger; [other] messengers have passed on before him. And his mother was a supporter of truth. They both ate food. Look how We explain to them the signs; then look how they are deluded.” (Qur’an 4:171–172; 5:73–75) Thus the Christians, on whom Allah and His Messenger pronounced disbelief and on whose disbelief the Muslims are unanimous, held among the gravest of their errors the claim of hulūl and ittiḥād with the Messiah, son of Mary. Whoever professes hulūl and ittiḥād in anyone other than Jesus—whether the extremist deifying ʿAli, the Hallājīyah regarding al-Hallaj, the Ḥākimīyah regarding al-Ḥākim, or others—his claim is more reprehensible than that of the Christians, for Christ is superior to them all. They resemble the followers of the False Messiah (al-Masīḥ ad-Dajjāl), who will claim divinity while performing wonders (e.g., calling to the sky “Rain,” to the earth “Produce,” to the barren land “Bring forth your treasures”), even reviving the dead. Yet he remains the one-eyed lying Dajjāl. Whoever claims divinity without such miracles is of even lesser rank than this impostor. Al-Hallaj himself was said to have extraordinary feats and was attributed books on magic. In sum, there is no dispute among the umma that whoever asserts God’s incarnation in humans or His union with them, or that humans are deities or part of the divine, is a disbeliever whose blood is lawfully shed. On this basis al-Hallaj was executed. And whoever claims that God spoke through al-Hallaj’s tongue—that whatever is heard from al-Hallaj is God’s speech, and that Allah is the speaker through him—is likewise an unbeliever by consensus, for God neither indwells a human nor speaks through one. Rather, He sends His messengers with His word, and they convey what they are commanded. For example, the Prophet ﷺ said: “Allah said on the tongue of His Prophet, ‘Allah hears those who praise Him,’” for in human communication each messenger speaks on behalf of the one giving the command.