whose statements Imam al-Dārimī refuted in his well-known rebuttal of him. I shall therefore confine myself here to citing Imam al-Dārimī’s response to Bishr al-Marīsī on this issue, so that the refutation of the teacher will also serve as a refutation of the pupil.

Al-Dārimī (may Allah have mercy on him) said: “The opponent claimed in his interpretation that the Lord’s laughter means His pleasure and mercy …” After mentioning several matters, he said: “As for your statement that His laughter means His pleasure and mercy, you are partly correct, for He laughs at no one except out of pleasure with him. Thus His laughter is accompanied by pleasure, and He withholds it only from an enemy. Yet you deny that Allah laughs and affirm pleasure alone for Him …” He went on to say: “Mūsā ibn Ismāʿīl narrated to us: Abū Yaʿlā narrated to us: Yaʿlā ibn ʿAtāʾ informed us, from Wakīʿ ibn Hudus, from Abū Razīn al-ʿUqaylī, that the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said: ‘Our Lord laughs at His servants’ despair when the change He brings is so near.’ Abū Razīn asked, ‘Does the Lord laugh, O Messenger of Allah?’ He replied, ‘Yes.’ Abū Razīn said, ‘We shall never lack goodness from a Lord who laughs.’

This, O opponent, is the hadith you yourself transmitted, affirmed as true, and interpreted, acknowledging that the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) said it. Yet this very hadith of yours contains what refutes your claim: Abū Razīn’s question to the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), ‘Does the Lord laugh?’ If laughter meant nothing more than pleasure, mercy, and pardon for sins, would Abū Razīn then, according to your claim, have been so ignorant as not to know that his Lord shows mercy, is pleased, and forgives sins? Rather, according to your claim, he would be a disbeliever, since he would not have known Allah as One who is pleased, shows mercy, and forgives. Yet he had read the Quran and heard what Allah mentions in it of His mercy, forgiveness, and pardon for sins—enough to spare him any need to ask the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), ‘Does our Lord forgive and show mercy?’ He asked him only about what he did not know, not about what he already knew and had previously believed in. He had read the Quran and found these matters mentioned in it, but had found no mention of laughter. When the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) told him that He laughs, he said, ‘We shall never lack goodness from a Lord who laughs.’ If it were as you interpret it, it would have been inconceivable for