He says: "The 'Unseen' (al-Ghayb) which you claim is other than the Visible Image is 'no-thing'; for as He (Exalted be His Might) said: 'For he who is absent and never seen is on the verge of being nothing.' This 'Unseen' that you claim is an unseen that is never seen [and thus non-existent]."

He [Abu Sa'id] cites [the verse]:

He shows them the Essence as an Image by His Power, Exalted be the Imager beyond the imaging of limited beings.

"And your [erroneous] interpretation of the phrase: 'He shows them the Essence as an Image'—claiming that the Essence is what shows them the imaging while He Himself remains unseen—is among the corrupt and impossible interpretations that lead only to confusion and misguidance."

Had the matter been as you [Abu Dhuhayba] described, then there would be no meaning to the statement of him [the Sheikh]—peace be upon him:

That they might establish Him and not negate His vision

With the certainty of beholding—Exalted is the Eternal.

Truly, how can that which is not seen be established? How can His vision not be negated [if He is invisible]? And how can one have certainty regarding who is neither seen nor witnessed? This is also why he [al-Khasibi]—may Allah sanctify his soul—said in this poem of his: