one thing over another—so that He makes no distinction between someone who worships Him alone, associating nothing with Him, and someone who worships other gods alongside Him—and who made everything contingent upon a will devoid of wisdom, mercy, or justice, which makes no distinction between good and evil deeds, became eager to attain whatever they desired without obeying Allah and His Messenger.

Then, when they accepted the possibility of miraculous gifts for anyone claiming righteousness, without requiring righteousness to be grounded in sound knowledge, sincere faith, and piety, but instead made these extraordinary feats the sign of righteousness, admitted such feats without restriction, related accounts of spiritual unveilings in this connection, and made reprehensible statements, some of them said:

“A saint is granted the power to say, ‘Be!’”

Others said: “It is not impossible for a saint to do anything possible, just as it is not impossible for Allah Most High to do what is impossible.” This was said by Ibn ‘Arabī and those who followed him.

They said: “What is intrinsically impossible can be accomplished.” In their view, nothing can be said to lie beyond a saint’s power—not even bringing two contraries together, or anything else.

Ibn ‘Arabī further asserted that nothing possible lies beyond a saint’s power. Yet the One beyond whose power nothing possible lies is Allah alone.

This is an explicit declaration on their part that a saint is like Allah, if not Allah Himself.