their attributes and magnitudes.

The celestial sphere likewise varies in its attributes and magnitude. It is impossible for something whose attributes and magnitudes vary to emanate from what is simple in every respect. If that were possible, their assertion that “only one can emanate from the One” would be invalid.

Once this assertion is invalidated, so too is their account of the world’s emanation from Him, whether through simple intermediaries necessarily consequent upon Him, such as the intellects, without intermediaries, or through diverse intermediaries. However they conceive it, they must posit necessary concomitants consisting of bodies that differ in magnitude and attributes, proceeding from a simple One that has no attributes and in which no action occurs.

Moreover, diverse events occur at every time. Certain periods may be distinguished by events unlike those of other periods, such as the Flood and similar occurrences. Indeed, the sending of Moses, peace be upon him, and the events that followed his mission, the sending of Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and the events that followed his mission, and other such occurrences are events peculiar to one time rather than another.

If, then, events have no cause other than an essence whose relation to all times is the same, together with its necessary concomitants whose relation to all times is likewise the same—and on this very basis they have said, “It is impossible to single out one time rather than another for the world to come into being,” and have therefore maintained that the world is eternal—then their position involves singling out particular times for particular events just as the other position does, and more besides. For the Mu‘tazila say: “The singling out occurred only