If, however, it is assumed that His existence neither entails nor requires the existence of that thing, but that the latter comes about contingently rather than necessarily, this is clear.

But if it is assumed that this is necessarily consequent upon Him, the most this amounts to is that His existence entails something necessarily consequent upon Him, which itself depends upon the Lord Most High. And is it not already known what people have said about such matters?

[The fifth of al-Rāzī’s arguments in Lubāb al-Arba'īn]

Al-Rāzī said:

“The fifth argument for denying that He is above creation is that, if spatial loci are identical in their entire essence, His occupying one rather than another would be contingent and would therefore require a determining factor. If they differ in essence, they would be numerically distinct, with each essence possessing particular properties and attributes. Since they are infinite in number, infinitely many self-subsisting existent things would thus have existed from eternity alongside Allah. No Muslim would accept this.”

[Reply to him on several grounds: First ground]

It may be said: Spatial loci are non-existent things, as is already known. For they say that the world occupies a spatial locus, while regarding that locus as non-existent.

If someone were to say that a spatial locus can be something existent, those who affirm His being above creation would reply:

“We say that He is above the world, alone, just as He was before created beings existed, and that He is not in an existent spatial locus. So if