He said: “Ja‘far al-Sādiq also said concerning His words, ‘Then he approached and descended’ [Surah al-Najm 8]: ‘Whoever imagines that he drew near in person has posited a downward movement. Rather, his drawing near means that the closer he came to Him, the further He removed him from the various forms of knowledge, for there is neither nearness nor distance.’”

I say: Those versed in the subject agree that these words and others like them are falsely attributed to Ja‘far, as are many of the allusive interpretations attributed to him by Abū ‘Abd al-Rahmān in Haqā’iq al-Tafsīr. Lies attributed to Ja‘far are numerous and widespread. What trustworthy scholars have transmitted from him is well known and contradicts the accounts of those who fabricate statements in his name.

He said: “I saw in the handwriting of the master Abū ‘Alī that a Sufi was asked, ‘Where is Allah?’ He replied, ‘May Allah cast you far away! Do you seek a trace when the thing itself is present?’”

I say: This statement is ambiguous: a man of truth may intend a sound meaning by it, while a heretic may intend a corrupt one. Someone who asks, ‘Where is Allah?’ may be asking out of uncertainty concerning the exaltedness that is Allah’s due, or he may be seeking information