Then his statement:

“Whoever is among the people of the Real perceives them as loci of manifestation and disclosure, while whoever upholds distinction perceives them as screens and veils,”

is self-contradictory. For if existence were one, neither observer would be distinct from the other, nor would the observer be distinct from what he observes.

Thus, one of their shaykhs said:

“Whoever says that anything other than Allah exists in the universe has lied.”

Another asked him, “Then who is it that has lied?” This left him speechless.

For if nothing existed except the Being whose existence is necessary in Himself, it would be He who lies, commits injustice, eats, and drinks. Their leading figures state this explicitly. The author of al-Fusūs and others say that He is described by every blameworthy attribute, and that it is He who falls ill, strikes, suffers afflictions, and is described as having faults and deficiencies, just as it is He who is described by qualities of praise and blame.

He said:

“The One who is exalted in Himself is He who possesses all affirmative and negative attributes, whether considered praiseworthy by reason, religious law, and custom, or blameworthy by reason, religious law, and custom. This belongs exclusively to the One named Allah.”

He also said:

“Do you not see the Real manifesting with the attributes of originated things—as He has stated concerning Himself—and with the attributes of the self and blameworthy attributes? Do you not see the created being manifesting with the attributes of the Creator, all of which rightfully belong to it, just as the attributes of the created being rightfully belong to the Creator?”

The poet’s statement:

“Indeed, I am entitled to passionately love existence and all who inhabit it,”

implies that he passionately loves Iblīs, Pharaoh, Hāmān, and every unbeliever, and that he passionately loves dogs