This hadith is evidence against them in this respect as well, for they draw no distinction between this world and the Hereafter. In their view, even in the Hereafter, He is the very people who refused to recognize Him and said, “We seek refuge in Allah from you. We shall remain here until our Lord comes to us.” These heretics say that one who knows Him recognizes Him in every form, and that those who failed to recognize Him in certain forms on the Day of Resurrection did so because their knowledge was deficient.

This reveals their ignorance. Those who refused to recognize Him on the Day of Resurrection, then recognized Him when He manifested Himself to them in the form in which they had seen Him the first time, are the prophets and the believers. Their refusal was something for which He—glorified and exalted be He—praised them. He tested them in this way so that they would not follow anyone other than the Lord whom they had worshipped. Hence the hadith states:

“He questions them and makes them steadfast, while the caller has proclaimed, ‘Let every people follow what they used to worship.’”

These heretics may then be told: If, according to you, He is the one manifest in every form, then He is the one rejected, and He is the one rejected. Thus, one of them said to another, “Whoever tells you that anything other than Allah exists in the universe has lied.” The other replied, “Then who is it that lied?”

Ibn ‘Arabī mentioned that he went in to see a disciple of his who was in seclusion and needed to defecate. The disciple said, “I see nothing other than Him to urinate on.” His shaykh replied, “Then where does what comes out of your belly come from?” He answered, “You have relieved my distress.”

Two of their shaykhs—this al-Tilimsānī and al-Shīrāzī—passed a dead, mangy dog. Al-Shīrāzī asked al-Tilimsānī, “Is this also part of His essence?” Al-Tilimsānī replied, “Is there anything outside it?”