from Him, and that He necessarily possesses the attributes of perfection that are inseparable from His essence. Thus, if someone says that He depends on Himself, what this actually means is that He exists only through Himself, and this meaning is true.

If it is said that He depends on His inseparable attributes, a part of Him, what necessarily belongs to His essence, or the like, what this actually means is that He cannot exist without the attributes of perfection, and that His existence without the attributes of perfection inseparable from His essence is impossible. This is true, and it is well known that, for things that can exist only by coming into being in succession, perfection does not consist in each of them being eternal, for that is impossible, nor in their not existing, for that is deficiency and nonexistence; rather, in each of them being eternal, for that is impossible, nor in their not existing, for that is deficiency and nonexistence; rather, in their existing as far as their possibility allows, in accordance with what wisdom requires.

Thus, the existence of those things He wills for a wise purpose is among the greatest attributes of perfection with which He must be described. Denying Him these entails ascribing imperfections to Him. In every perfection attributed to Him, He depends on nothing other than Himself whatsoever; rather, it necessarily belongs to His essence. Glorified and exalted is He, far above what the wrongdoers say—those who ascribe imperfections to Him and deny Him wisdom, which is pure