or genus; others are inseparable from its species or genus.

As for dividing inseparable attributes into essential and accidental, and dividing accidental attributes into those inseparable from the quiddity, those inseparable from existence, and those that are not inseparable but merely incidental, Muslim speculative thinkers and others regard this as mistaken.

Rather, a group of Muslim speculative thinkers divided inseparable attributes into essential and qualitative attributes. By essential attributes, they meant those without which the essence cannot be conceived. By qualitative attributes, they meant those that need not themselves be conceived for the essence to be conceived. Although such an attribute is inseparable from the essence, it is necessarily associated with it only if conceived as a particular attribute subsisting in that essence.

For them, the first category includes being self-subsisting and existent, and, according to most of them, being beginningless as well. Ibn Kullāb holds that the Beginningless One is beginningless by virtue of an attribute of beginninglessness. Al-Ashʿarī has two positions, the better-known among his followers being that He is beginningless without an attribute of beginninglessness, but everlasting by virtue of an attribute of everlastingness. Ibn Abī Mūsā and others agreed with him on this.

As for the Judge