—indeed, in a way that befits His Majesty and is worthy of His glory? Or would anyone dare (1) to say that these words have been diverted from their plain sense? What must be affirmed is that every doer acts in a manner appropriate to him: just as His Essence is unlike the essences of His creatures, so His acting, His fashioning, and His building are unlike their acting, their fashioning, and their building.

When we say, “So-and-so built,” or “So-and-so wrote,” we do not understand from the bare verb the details of his handling of tools or the effort involved; we grasp that only because we know the builder’s particular circumstances, not from the wording alone. Therefore—may Allah set you aright—distinguish between what the mere wording of the verb conveys and what is conveyed specifically by attributing it to a given agent (2).

By realizing this, much of what perplexes many people will become clear to you. We have observed numerous points of confusion (3) in this field. May Allah grant us and all our fellow believers success in saying and doing what He loves and is pleased with, and unite our hearts upon the religion He has approved for Himself and sent with His Messenger—may Allah bless him and grant him peace (4). (5)