at issue. We say: The temporal occurrence under dispute means something that exists after having been nonexistent, whether a self-subsisting entity or an attribute of something else, such as an accident. As for things that have no existence—such as nonexistence; states, according to those who affirm them, which are described as neither existent nor nonexistent, such as being knowing, capable, or willing, and the like; or relations and relational ascriptions, which the theologian regards as merely notional matters with no existence—whatever comes about among these after not having been is called ‘newly arisen,’ but not a ‘temporal occurrence.’”

He said: “Accordingly, we say that rational people, whether followers of religious traditions or others, agree that temporal occurrences cannot inhere in the essence of the Lord, blessed and exalted be He, except for the Magians and the Karrāmiyya, who agreed that this is possible.

However, the Karrāmiyya did not allow every temporal occurrence to inhere in the essence of the Lord Most High. Rather, most of them said that it is whatever is required for bringing things into existence and creating them. They then differed concerning this temporal occurrence: some said it is His saying ‘Be,’ while others said it is