For whatever is generated from a thing is generated only through that thing together with something else, whereas from a single thing by itself nothing is produced. Moreover, what is generated from something other than itself is not a newly originated event. As for the eternal attribute that inseparably belongs to the Lord’s essence, it is neither begotten of Him nor generated from Him; rather, it subsists in Him, inherent in His very being.

Furthermore, the word mawlūd (begotten) is a passive participle. One says: “walada-hu yalidu-hu, so he is mawlūd,” and this applies only to something that has come into existence after non-existence, for it is the object produced by the act of the begetter. That which is eternally pre-existent can never be a produced, begotten thing.

Likewise, describing an eternal, primordial attribute as “begotten” or “a son” is found nowhere in the speech of any of the prophets—peace be upon them. Even if, hypothetically, our language permitted such an expression, it would still be impermissible for us to coin a terminology foreign to that of the prophets and then impose it upon their words, for that would be a falsehood against them.

This is exactly what the Christians and others who distort revelation do with the words of the prophets: they invent a vocabulary at odds with the prophets’ language and then force the prophetic statements to conform to it.

An illustration of this is that the prophets informed mankind that Allah is a single God, declared anyone who affirmed two gods to be an unbeliever, commanded monotheism and called people to it, forbade idolatry and labeled its practitioners disbelievers, and proclaimed that Allah is One, Unique. By this they intended to affirm His oneness and that it is not permissible to