of distinct things that exist as individual entities necessarily entails the existence of attributes, as already explained and acknowledged by his followers. Thus they have no argument whatsoever for denying this.

Allah Most High has spoken in His Book of His knowledge of what will happen, as in the events He foretold before they occurred. It is therefore known that He knows things before they exist. He has also stated that He knows them when they come into existence, as in His words:

“We only appointed the direction of prayer you used to face so that We might know who follows the Messenger and who turns back on his heels.”
[al-Baqarah: 143]

There are ten-odd passages of this kind in the Quran.

It has been reported from Ibn ‘Abbās and others:
“Only that We might see.”

A group of Quran commentators said:
“Only that We might know it as existent.”

[Al-Ghazālī’s Refutation of the Philosophers in The Incoherence of the Philosophers, and Ibn Taymiyyah’s Commentary]

We shall now quote Abū Hāmid’s words against them. He said:

“An issue concerning the refutation of their claim that Allah—exalted is He above what they say—does not know particulars distinguished by the divisions of time into what is, what was, and what will be.”

He said: “They have agreed on this.”

I say: He means the agreement of those among them whose views he knew, namely those mentioned by Ibn Sīnā. Otherwise, Abū al-Barakāt reported two positions among them and himself adopted the view that He knows particulars.

Abū Hāmid said:
“For whoever among them holds that He knows only Himself,