and I kept urging him to get up and do it. He reached out as though to take off his shirt, but I said, “Not until you have washed in hot water and vinegar.” He then put on their customary show, saying, “Whoever loves the emir, let him bring some wood”—or he said, “a bundle of firewood.”

I said, “This will only prolong matters and disperse the gathering, without achieving anything. Instead, let a lamp be lit, and after washing I will put my finger and yours into its flame. Whoever’s finger is burned, may Allah’s curse be upon him”—or I said, “he is defeated.” When I said this, his demeanour changed and he became subdued. I was told that his face turned pale.

Then I said to them, “Even so, if you genuinely entered the fire and emerged unharmed, flew through the air, walked on water, or did whatever else you might do, none of that would establish the validity of your claims to act contrary to the Sharia, nor would it invalidate the Sharia. The great Antichrist will say to the sky, ‘Rain,’ and it will rain; to the earth, ‘Bring forth vegetation,’ and it will do so; and to a ruined place, ‘Bring forth your treasures,’ and it will bring forth its treasures, which will follow him. He will kill a man, then walk between the two halves of his body, then say to him, ‘Rise,’ and he will rise. Yet he is an accursed, lying impostor whom Allah has cursed.” I raised my voice as I said this, and it made a profound impression on their hearts.

I quoted the saying of Abū Yazīd al-Bistāmī: “If you see a man flying through the air and walking on water, do not be taken in by him until you see how he observes the commands and prohibitions.” I also related that Yūnus ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿlā said to al-Shāfiʿī, “Do you know