due to its particular essence”—if by its particular essence you mean this composition, he denies this, let alone accepting it as the cause of this property.

If, however, by its particular essence you mean what bodies have in common—namely, that they can be pointed to—he does not concede that there exists anything self-subsistent that cannot be pointed to.

[Continuation of al-Rāzī’s discussion of direction in Lubāb al-Arbaʿīn]

Al-Rāzī said, presenting his opponent’s argument:

“If He is in a direction, it must be the direction above, since it is fitting that the noblest should be assigned the noblest.”

He said:

“The answer is that his statement, ‘The direction above is the noblest of directions,’ is rhetorical; it cannot establish rational conclusions.”

He said:

“Moreover, the world is a sphere, so nothing is above without also being below in relative terms. Furthermore, if His extension in the upward direction has no limit, then above every point there is another point; thus, whatever is posited within that extension is below something else. If it does have a limit, then above its uppermost extremity there is a void higher than it, so it would not be absolutely above. Moreover, the nobility conferred by direction belongs intrinsically to the direction itself, and only incidentally to whatever occupies it. Place would therefore be superior to Him in this respect. Exalted is Allah above that.”