this, like someone who says, “The roof fell upon them from beneath them”—of whom it is said, “Neither reason nor Quran!” For the prophets lived earlier, so how could those who came earlier acquire knowledge from those who came later? Moreover, according to Muslims, Jews, and Christians, these men are not superior to the prophets. Thus, these people have departed from both reason and religion—the religion of Muslims, Jews, and Christians. We have refuted them at length elsewhere. Their statements concerning “the unity of being, indwelling, and union” are among the worst statements made by heretics.
As for other shaykhs who speak of bewilderment, if one of them is describing his own bewilderment, this does not imply praise of bewilderment. Rather, the bewildered person is commanded to seek guidance. Thus, it is related that Imam Ahmad taught a man to supplicate:
“O Guide of the bewildered, guide me to the path of the truthful, and make me one of Your righteous servants.”
As for the person who said, “Knowledge begins in bewilderment and ends in bewilderment,” he may intend a sound meaning: namely, that the seeker travelling the spiritual path is bewildered before attaining knowledge and guidance. Everyone seeking knowledge and guidance experiences a degree of bewilderment before attaining what he seeks.
His statement, “It ends in bewilderment,” may mean that a person continues to seek guidance and knowledge, remaining bewildered with regard to what he has not yet attained. This does not praise bewilderment. Rather, it means that a person inevitably experiences some degree of bewilderment for which he needs knowledge and guidance.