denial and rejection of a state or belief, like that found among the innovators. Both groups thus remain involved in innovation and denial of some of what the scriptural texts entail. The reason is that those who affirm remain intent on affirming what the innovators have denied. They feel an aversion to the innovators’ statements because the latter reject and deny the truth; consequently, they turn away from whatever truth the innovators do affirm, recoil from it, or deny it.

This resembles the way some ignorant professed adherents of the Sunnah turn away from certain virtues of ‘Alī and the Prophet’s household when they see the innovators exaggerating them. Indeed, some Muslims display something of this same aversion to the virtues of Moses and Jesus because of the Jews and Christians. It is even related that some ignorant people would revile the Messiah when they heard Christians reviling our Prophet in battle.

[It is also related that an ignorant person said:
“Revile ‘Alī as they reviled your ‘Atīq—
Disbelief for disbelief, and faith for faith.”] (*)

An example of this in the discussion of “the divine attributes” is that when a servant knows and loves his Lord—or even knows, loves, and worships someone other than Allah—the one whom he knows, loves, and reveres remains in his heart and on his tongue. His passion, love, and reverence may become so intense that he is wholly absorbed in his beloved and loses awareness of himself.

Thus, it is related that a man loved another man, and the beloved fell into the sea. The other threw himself in after him. The beloved said, “I fell in, but what made you fall in?” He replied, “I became so lost in you that I lost awareness of myself and thought that you were me.”

This is as the poet said:
“Your image is before my eyes, your remembrance on my lips;
Your dwelling is within my heart—where, then, could you disappear?”