I say:

Ibn Abd mentioned various matters. Although some of what he mentioned consists of reports that are not reliably established and statements open to criticism, the purpose here is to explain his assertion that knowledge of Allah is innate.

He went on to say:

“By his words, Abraham, Allah’s intimate friend, was merely awakening his people and reminding them of the first covenant, bringing them back to their necessary knowledge, so that, through what they necessarily knew and what had been disclosed to them, they might understand what had become obscure to them. If Abraham said this in his childhood, as has been related, where, then, is the place for reflection and inference? And if he said it in adulthood, when has this matter ever confused even an ordinary believer, in our time or any other, that it should have confused Abraham, whom Allah singled out from all people for His intimate friendship?! We seek refuge in Allah from bewilderment in religion.

Indeed, Allah Most High says:

‘That was Our argument which We gave Abraham against his people.’

If Allah were known through reason, He would be comprehended by reason, whereas no intellect can grasp Him or encompass Him. We have only been commanded to reflect and ponder on what is known through measurement—not on Him of whom it is said:

‘There is nothing like Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.’

Thus, we know that every effect has a cause, every building a builder, and every piece of writing a writer, because we necessarily know this—just as we necessarily know that the sky is above us and the earth beneath us, that we ourselves exist, and other such things. For it is impossible for anything to bring itself into existence: we know that it is incapable of doing so even when it exists and possesses its full capacities; how, then, could it do so when it does not exist and has no capacity?!”