what our companion”—meaning al-Layth ibn Saʿd—“said? He said, ‘If you see a follower of deviant teachings walking on water, do not be taken in by him.’” Al-Shāfiʿī replied, “Al-Layth did not go far enough. If you see a follower of deviant teachings flying through the air, do not be taken in by him.”

I spoke about this and similar matters in terms I no longer clearly recall. Their senior shaykhs were pleading with the emir for reconciliation, while I repeatedly pressed him to demonstrate what they claimed concerning fire, but they would not respond. Most of their shaykhs in the city had assembled, along with their ecstatic Sufi devotees, who were numerous. The people were clamouring in the square and saying things whose exact words I cannot recall.

Some of those present reported that what the people were saying amounted to:

“So the truth was established, and what they had been doing came to nothing.”

“Thus they were defeated there and turned back humiliated.”

They also mentioned that this shaykh was known as ʿAbd Allāh the Liar, and that he was the one who had once approached me and to whom I had given thirty dirhams. I said, “When he took the dirhams and left, it became apparent to me that he was a deceiver.” He had related a story about himself, saying that he had put fire into his beard before the ruler of Hamāh. When he left me, it occurred to me that his beard had been coated with oil. He had also gone into the lands of Rūm and gained influence over their people.

When his followers’ inability, lies and deception became apparent to those present, and the emirs who had supported them realized that their claims were false, those emirs withdrew their support. Al-Hājj Bahādir, the sultan’s deputy and others discussed what had happened and recognized the truth behind those absurd claims. We then got up to go