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is on account of His existence, just as denying death of Him is on account of His life. Likewise, when they said, “We have declared that He is a thing, unlike created things, so that we might negate non-existence for Him,” their intent—Allah knows best, even though their wording falls short—was simply to affirm existence and deny non-existence, and to affirm life and deny death.
لِأَجْلِ وُجُودِهِ، كَمَا أَنَّ نَفْيَ الْمَوْتِ عَنْهُ لِأَجْلِ حَيَاتِهِ،
وَكَذَلِكَ قَوْلُهُمْ:
قُلْنَا إِنَّهُ شَيْءٌ لَا كَالْأَشْيَاءِ الْمَخْلُوقَةِ وَذَلِكَ لِنَنْفِيَ الْعَدَمَ عَنْهُ، لَكِنْ كَانَ مُرَادُهُمْ وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ - وَإِنْ كَانَتْ عِبَارَتُهُمْ قَاصِرَةً - إِثْبَاتَ الْوُجُودِ، وَنَفْيَ الْعَدَمِ، وَإِثْبَاتَ الْحَيَاةِ وَنَفْيَ الْمَوْتِ.