and the manifestation of their effects. For when He appears within the entities, the relation between existence and the entities—which constitutes the names—comes into being, and their effects—which are the entities—become manifest. The existence of these entities is the Real. Hence he said: “They are nothing other than His very essence, so the matter became confused and obscure.”

Reflect on these words of his and others like them, so that you may understand what he believes concerning the Essence of the Real and His names: in his view, the Essence of the Real is the very existence of created beings; His names are the relations between existence and the entities; and their effects are the entities themselves. You will then understand how his words encompass denial of Allah, His names, His attributes, His creation and His command, as well as deviation concerning Allah’s names and signs. Indeed, what he has stated represents the utmost deviation concerning Allah’s names and signs—both the signs in creation and the recited signs. He affirms neither a name nor a sign for Him, since there is only a single existence, and that is neither a name nor a sign. Nor are the fixed entities His names or His signs. When he posited two things and distinguished between them in terms of existence and fixedness—although there is no difference between them—the matter became confused and obscure to him.

This is the true substance of his statements and the secret of his doctrine, by virtue of which he claims to be the most knowledgeable of all people about Allah, and thereby to have surpassed al-Siddīq (the eminently truthful), who, according to him, was ignorant when he said:

“Inability to attain comprehension is itself comprehension.”

He also claims thereby to have surpassed the messengers, who learned this only from his light. His doctrine contains so many forms of disbelief and misguidance that listing them would take too long.

Among them is disbelief in the Essence of Allah, since, in his view, there is nothing but the existence of created beings.