He said: Then the opponent set out against those attributes which he compiled and enumerated in his book, such as: the Face, hearing, sight, and other than that, subjecting them to interpretation, and passing judgment upon God Almighty and upon His Messenger regarding them, letter by letter, and thing by thing, according to the judgment of Bishr b. Ghiyāth al-Marīsī. He does not rely in this upon any Imam older than him, nor more rightly guided than him in his view. So we seized that opportunity against him since he explicitly stated his name and submitted to his judgment in it, because the word of the generality of jurists has united upon his disbelief, the tearing of his veil, and his disgrace in his city, and in all other cities that heard his mention.
He said: And more astonishing than all of this is your drawing an analogy for God with the analogy of the Throne, and its measure and weight, whether small or large. And you claimed, like blind children: Is God larger than the Throne, or smaller than it, or equal to it? For if God is smaller, then you have made the Throne greater than Him; and if He is larger than the Throne, then you have claimed that there is an excess in Him beyond the Throne; and if He is equal to it, then if the heavens and the earth are added to the Throne, they would be larger.
[These are] from the superstitions he spoke of, the nonsense he plays with, and the misguidances by which he misguides. If there were anyone acting for God against him, he would have cut off the tip of his tongue. Disappointment is for a people whose jurist is this man, and who is looked up to despite all this [poor] discernment, this [flawed] reasoning, and all these ignorances and misguidances.
So it is said to this babbling, pompous windbag (1): Indeed, God is greater than everything, and larger than all creation. The Throne did not bear Him by greatness or power, nor did the bearers of the Throne bear Him
قال: ثم انتدب المعارضُ لتلك الصفات التي ألّفها وعددها في كتابه من: الوجه، والسمع والبصر، وغير ذلك يتأولها، ويحكم على الله تعالى وعلى رسوله فيها حرفًا بعد حرفٍ، وشيئًا بعد شيء، بحكم بِشر ابن غيّاث المريسي، لا يعتمد فيها على إمام أقدم منه، ولا أرشد منه عنده، فاغتنمنا ذلك منه إذ صرح باسمه؛ وسَلَّم فيها لِحُكْمه، لما أن الكلمة قد اجتمعت من عامة الفقهاء في كفره، وهتوك ستره، وافتضاحه في مصره، وفي سائر الأمصار الذين سمعوا بذكره.
قال: وأعجب من هذا كله قياسك الله بقياس العَرْش، ومقداره ووزنه من صغير أو كبير، وزعمت كالصبيان العميان إن كان الله أكبر من العرش، أو أصغر منه، أو مثله؟ فإن كان الله أصغر فقد صيرتم العرش أعظم منه، وإن كان أكبر من العرش فقد ادعيتم فيه فضْلًا عن العرش، وإن كان مثله فإنه إذا ضم إلى العرش السموات والأرض كانت أكبر.
من خرافات تكَلَّمَ بها، وترّهات يلعب بها، وضلالات يُضل بها، لو كان من يعمل عليه لله لقطع ثمرة لسانه، والخيبة لقوم هذا فقيههم، والمنظور إليه مع هذا التمييز كله، وهذا النظر، وكل هذه الجهالات والضلالات.
فيقال لهذا البقباق (١) النفاخ : إن الله أعظم من كل شيء، وأكبر من كل خلق، ولم يحتمله العرش عِظَمًا ولا قوة، ولا حملةُ العرش احتملوه
(۱) البقباق: كثير الكلام. «العين» (٣٠/٥).
