The Lord’s actions arise from His names and attributes

Ninth: The actions of the Lord—Exalted is He—spring from His names and attributes, whereas the names of created beings are derived from their actions. The Lord’s deeds flow from His perfection, while a creature’s perfection follows from his deeds; only after he attains a measure of perfection through acting are names then ascribed to him. The Lord, however, has never ceased to be perfect, and so His actions proceed from that perfection—for He is perfect in His essence and in His attributes. His actions issue from His perfection: He is perfect, and therefore He acts; the creature acts first and then acquires the degree of perfection that befits him.