group. My purpose in mentioning them here was to point out that they were unanimous in venerating the revealed Law, followed the path of spiritual discipline, and agreed on adhering to the Sunnah without neglecting any of the proprieties of religion. They also agreed that anyone who neglected religious practice and spiritual striving, and did not base his conduct on scrupulousness and piety, was fabricating lies against Allah, glorified be He, in his claims. Such a person was deluded: he had ruined himself and ruined those who were deceived by him and relied on his falsehoods.”

Once the meaning of the word “knowledge” in their terminology is understood, Abū ‘Alī ibn al-Kātib’s statement, “The Sufis affirmed His transcendence on the basis of knowledge,” means on the basis of revelation—the Quran and the Sunnah. They thus declared Him free of whatever He declared Himself free of, and they were correct. The Mu‘tazilah, however, affirmed His transcendence according to their own reasoning and desires. They sought to deny Him every actual attribute, supposing that affirming such attributes would liken Him to creation. They failed to understand that the Creator is described in a manner