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Sultan Veled, Bahā’u-’d-Dīn, is said to have recounted of his father, Jelāl, this saying: “A true disciple is he who holds his teacher to be superior to all others. So much so, that, for instance, a disciple of Bāyezīd of Bestām was once asked whether Bāyezīd or Abū-Hanīfa was the greater, and he replied that his teacher, Bāyezīd, was the greater. ‘Then,’ said the questioner, ‘is Bāyezīd the greater, or is Abū-Bekr?’ ‘My teacher is the greater.’ ‘Bāyezīd or Muhammed?’ ‘Bāyezīd.’ ‘Bāyezīd or God?’ ‘I only know my teacher; I know no other than him; and I know that he is greater than all others.’

“Another was asked the last question, and his reply was: ‘There is no difference between the two.’ A third was asked it also, and he replied: ‘It would require a greater one than either of the two to determine which of them is the greater.’

“As God does not walk in this world of sensible objects, the prophets are the substitutes of God. No, no! I am wrong! For if thou suppose that those substitutes and their principal are two different things, thou hast judged erroneously, not rightly.”