nearer, if that were possible for him. No rational person would say that he should bore through the earth and then ascend from the other side, or that he should go right, left, forwards, or backwards to some other place on earth and then ascend. Wherever he went would be equivalent to his present position or below it, and the celestial sphere would still be above him. Travelling in any of these five directions would therefore entail a longer journey and needless exertion.

If a man wished to address the sun or the moon, he would address it only upwards, even though the sun and moon rise and set, moving away from the point directly overhead. How much more, then, does this apply to Him who is always above everything, who neither sets nor disappears—glorified and exalted is He?

Just as motion, such as that of a stone, tends towards its centre by the shortest route—a straight line—how could the deliberate seeking that arises in the hearts of Allah’s servants turn away from the short, straight path to a long, winding route? Allah Most High created His servants with a sound and upright innate disposition, except for those whom the devils have led astray, taking them away from the innate disposition with which they were created.

(Second:

If a person directs his aim downwards, without any upward orientation, his aim will terminate at the centre. If he seeks Him in front of him, behind him, to his right, or to his left, without aiming upwards, his aim will terminate somewhere in the air. He must therefore necessarily aim upwards, whether or not he also aims in these other directions.

Suppose he were to say, “I seek Him to the right while also aiming upwards, or from below while also aiming upwards.” This would be like someone saying, “I wish to perform Hajj from the Maghrib, so I shall go to Khurāsān and then go to Mecca.” Indeed, it would be like someone saying, “I shall ascend to the celestial spheres, so I shall descend into the earth and then