and necessary concomitants. It follows that He knows every particular thing individually, including its length, breadth, depth, and magnitude, whether it belongs to a continuous or discrete whole.

Hence the messengers taught that Allah has counted all things precisely: He knows the weights of the mountains, the cycles of time, the waves of the seas, the drops of rain, and the breaths of the children of Adam:

“No leaf falls without His knowing it, nor is there a grain in the darkness of the earth, nor anything moist or dry, but that it is in a clear Record.”

[al-An‘ām: 59]

This is clarified by what was established earlier: knowledge of the complete cause entails knowledge of its effect, since that cause necessitates its effect. The Lord, glorified is He, brings about everything He wills through His will and power.

They call Him a cause. Yet He only brings particular things into existence, not universals, since nothing universal exists in external reality. He must therefore know every particular thing, just as He creates every particular thing.

If He also has general, universal knowledge of universal matters, there is no incompatibility between the two. Indeed, His creatures possess knowledge of both universals and particulars, so the Creator is all the more entitled to such knowledge.

As for his statement, “Apprehending them in this manner is possible only through sensation or imagination,” they may be told:

There is no doubt that Allah is All-Hearing and All-Seeing: He hears and sees, glorified and exalted is He.

Ibn Abī Talhah narrated from Ibn ‘Abbās concerning the words of the Most High:

“Except that We might know who follows the Messenger”

[al-Baqarah: 143]

and similar passages. He said: “Except