takes him out of the obligation, nor any speech in which elevation over his brother appears, nor leadership, nor plotting, nor stubbornness, nor boasting, nor opposition, until they depart as if they were worshiping ascetics. This is the image of their affair."

Regarding the Name of Allah and Its Meaning

I said: "O my lady, does there remain any of my father's brothers whom you can point me to and guide me to?" She said: "O my son, there remains one man among them; he is in retreat in his house and does not appear to anyone." I said to her: "Point me to him and guide me to him." So, she guided me to his house. I came to the house, knocked on the door, and it was opened. I entered and saw no one in it but him. I found him sitting in his prayer niche (miḥrāb) upon a mat under which he had placed straw and grass for it to be soft for him; old age had touched him. I stepped forward to him and greeted him; he returned the greeting and said to me: "Who are you?" I named myself to him. He said: "I do not know you unless you make known to me your father's name." So, I made known to him my father's name. When he heard his mention, he stood on his feet and nearly fell on his face from his weakness, and his tears flowed down his cheeks. Then he took me and embraced me to his chest; I smelled from him scents the likes of which I had never smelled anything better.

He kissed me between my eyes, sat down, seated me at his side, and said to me: "O my son, what distracted you from me? It is as if you have not heard my mention?" I said: "O my master, seeking science distracted me from you." He asked me: "And what science did you seek?" I said to him: "The science of the Quran." He said: "The most magnificent of sciences." I said to him: "And I sought the science of its revelation (tanzīl), its esoteric interpretation (ta’wīl), its firm verses (muḥkam), its ambiguous ones (mutashābih), its outward and its inward. I sought grammar and linguistics and reached the highest ranks in that, and I related the reports." He said: "O my son, indeed the Quran,