in their view, created, made, dependent on another, or in need of anything else ن. Thus, nothing in existence has come into being after not existing, or ceased to exist after existing. This entails treating the nonexistent as existent, the contingent as necessary, the servant as the Lord, and that which has a beginning as beginningless—the utmost unbelief, association of partners with Allah, and misguidance.

[The Correct Method, Consistent with the Innate Disposition, for Establishing the Existence of Allah, Exalted Is He]

Yet establishing the existence of the necessarily existent, self-sufficient Creator, and that of contingent, originated, dependent, created beings, is among the most evident forms of knowledge and the clearest truths.

As for the existence of dependent, originated beings in need of another, this is evident in our observation that some things come into existence after not existing, and cease to exist after existing: animals, plants, minerals, and the clouds, rain, thunder, lightning, and other things between heaven and earth, as well as the movements of the celestial bodies that we observe.

Likewise, night comes after day, and day after night. All this involves things coming into existence after not existing, and ceasing to exist after existing—phenomena that human beings witness with their own eyes.

Then, once they have witnessed this, we say:

It is known that whatever comes into existence must have an originator.

Knowledge of this is self-evident, as has already been explained, and there must be an originator who is not