Rather, intellection itself—which, in the language of Muslims, is knowledge—is inseparable from His essence, just as Abū al-Barakāt said of power.

Thus, His perfection does not consist in anything other than Himself, but in His knowledge, which is eternally inseparable from His essence, just as His perfection consists in His power.

Knowledge’s relation to what is other than Him is like power’s relation to what is other than Him. Just as power is an attribute of perfection, undiminished by its necessarily having an object over which it is exercised, so too is knowledge—and all the more so. For its objects include both Himself and what is other than Him, whereas power is power only over what is other than Him.

[Second response]

As we have mentioned, the entities to which His knowledge and power relate are His creatures, in whose creation no one shared with Him. They all depend upon Him, not upon anyone else. Nothing exists but Himself and His creatures, which exist only through Him. The relation of His attributes to His creatures is therefore no greater than the relation of His essence to them. Just as the relation of His essence to them belongs to His perfection, not to any deficiency in Him, the same applies to the relation of His knowledge and power to them.

It is well known, by the agreement of all rational people, that His essence cannot exist without that which is inseparable from it. Thus, according to Muslims, He cannot exist without His knowledge and power.

The vast majority of Muslims say that His will is inseparable from His essence, whether they hold that it is numerically one or multiple.

Since His will is inseparable from His essence, He cannot exist without the existence of the things He wills, namely His creatures. For whatever Allah wills comes to pass, and whatever He does not will does not come to pass.

The philosophers say that His existence without the existence of His effects is impossible. Nevertheless,