The meaning of his saying: 'the deified by divinity, known for pre-eternity' is: 'I am God,' i.e., Lord of the world, and that above him is the God of gods — to distinguish between himself and his Meaning. Because his Meaning is the Pre-eternity (al-Azal), and he is the Pre-eternal (al-Azali); thus he attributed deification to another. Then he said: 'Whoever attributes to me what I did not say is quit of the Oneness of Ja'far, the High, the Most High' — this is clear, meaning: do not say of me that I am Ja'far, who is the Meaning."

Our Lord Jabir ibn Yazid al-Ju'fi, our Lord Umar ibn al-Furat, and Abu Shu’ayb—peace be upon them—all called to the divinity of the Master and announced His Oneness. However, in this epistle, we have relied upon what is known from that famous report upon whose correctness the majority have agreed. We ask God for the best in all matters by His favor and mercy.

(445) By the chain—which is the completion of the first report—from my two sheikhs, Abu al-Fath Muhammad ibn al-Hasan—may God grant him satisfaction: He said: Then Isa ibn Musa—may God curse him, who was of the Banu Abbas and their most fierce warrior, and none among them was more severe in might than him—fought him [Abu al-Khattab] with a vast multitude of al-Mansur’s army who were with him in Kufa. The number of those with our Lord Abu al-Khattab—peace be upon him—among his companions was seventy men. Isa ibn Musa charged at our Lord Abu al-Khattab, killed him, and took his head to carry it to al-Mansur—may God curse him.

Then a cry broke out in his army: "This is Abu al-Khattab—peace be upon him!" He returned and found him standing, fighting them. Eleven times he severed the head of Abu al-Khattab and threw it to Isa ibn Musa, only to see Abu al-Khattab in the next moment charging and crying "Allahu Akbar." While they were in the midst of the battle, a Shari¹ man passed by them; he heard a man from the Khattabiyya saying: {Say, "O People of the Scripture, come to a word that is equitable between us and you—that we will not worship except God and not associate anything with Him and not take one another as lords instead of God." But if they turn away, then say, "Bear witness that we are Muslims [submitting to Him]."}².