And if the world exists of itself, without a cause, then the First Principle has already been established, for by it we mean only an uncaused being, whose existence is necessarily established.

Admittedly, the First Principle cannot be the heavens, since they are multiple, and the proof of oneness rules this out. The falsity of this identification is therefore established by examining an attribute of the Principle. Nor can it be said to be a single heaven, a single body, the sun, or anything else of that kind, since it would be a body, and a body is composed of matter and form. The First Principle cannot be composite; this is established by a further inquiry.

The point is that the existence of a being whose existence has no cause is necessarily established and agreed upon—the disagreement concerns only its attributes—and this is what we mean by the First Principle.’”

Al-Ghazālī said:

“The answer has two aspects. First, the logical consequence of your doctrine is that the bodies of the world are eternal and therefore uncaused. As for your claim that the falsity of this is established by a further inquiry, this claim of yours will be refuted in