[The Evidence of Revelation for the Acts of Allah Most High]

We shall draw attention to the evidence in revelation for the acts of Allah Most High—evidence that leaves the eternalist philosophers without an answer and demonstrates the agreement of reason with revealed law.

There is no dispute about what the apparent meaning of revelation indicates. Those who reject what it indicates, however, claim that this indication is merely apparent, not conclusive, and that conclusive rational evidence contradicts it. Thus, the basic indication is agreed upon.

We therefore say:

It is known through revelation that Allah Most High is characterized by acts performed by His will and subsisting in Him, such as His istiwā’ towards heaven, His istiwā’ over the Throne, grasping, folding up, coming, arriving, descending, and the like.

Indeed, this also includes creating, giving life, and causing death. For Allah Most High has described Himself in terms of intransitive acts, such as istiwā’, and transitive acts, such as creating. A transitive act necessarily entails an intransitive act, for every act must have an agent, whether or not it extends to an object.

An agent must have an act, whether that act is confined to himself or extends to