that was written in the sultan’s name and read from the pulpits of Islam contains such blatant lies and slander about those who attended the session—the emirs and judges—what then of matters they did not witness?”

I said, “He constantly claims that I say Allah is in a corner and has begotten a child. All of this is false. His reputation for lying and wickedness is known to the elite and the common people alike. Is someone like this fit to adjudicate questions concerning the foundations of religion and the meanings of the Quran and Sunnah, when he knows nothing of them?” At this point, I saw him smile like someone who knew that what I had said was true. It seemed that this judge’s evil conduct was notorious among the Muslims.

He began saying to me, “Here are the records, and they found material in your handwriting.”

I replied, “You were present that day. Did anyone show me an error or a written record that day? Was I told, ‘Testimony has been given against you concerning such-and-such’? Or was anything I had to say heard? Rather, when I began to praise and extol Allah, in accordance with the saying of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace,

‘Every important undertaking that is not begun with praise of Allah is incomplete,’

they stopped me from praising Allah. They said, ‘Do not praise Allah; just answer.’

“I said to Ibn Makhlūf, ‘Am I to answer you or this claimant?’ Each of them had made statements that were mostly lies.

“He said, ‘Answer the claimant.’

“I said, ‘Will you alone give judgment, or will you and these judges do so?’

“He said, ‘I alone.’

“I said, ‘Then you are my adversary. How can your judgment against me be valid?’ Yet you did not ask me to explain the grounds of this dispute? For this man was