The point here is that the weakness of these five proofs, which he used to argue for the temporal origination of bodies, has been demonstrated by his own followers who hold him in high esteem. Indeed, he himself demonstrated their weakness in other works, such as al-Matālib al-‘Āliya—the last work he composed, in which he brought together the culmination of his learning—and al-Mabāhith al-Mashriqiyya. His investigation and inquiry ultimately led him to undermine these proofs.

This matter has been discussed at length in several places, explaining the statements of the early generations and the leading scholars on this issue, such as Imam Ahmad and others, as well as those of theological thinkers who affirm the divine attributes, such as Abū Muhammad ibn Kullāb and others. It has also been explained that when someone says, “I worshipped Allah,” “I called upon Allah,” “Allah is the Creator of everything,” or similar expressions, His name, exalted is He, encompasses His self and His attributes. His attributes neither fall outside what His name denotes nor constitute something additional to it; rather, they are included in what His name denotes.

For this reason, Ahmad said in his work refuting the Jahmiyya, who deny the divine attributes:

“They said: ‘If you say, Allah and His knowledge, Allah and His power, and Allah and His light, you have adopted the doctrine of the Christians.’ He replied: ‘We do not say, Allah and His knowledge, Allah and His power, and Allah and His light. Rather, Allah, with His knowledge, His power, and His light, is one God.’”

Ahmad thus explained that we do not join His attributes to what His name denotes by a conjunction suggesting that they are distinct from it. Rather, we express ourselves in a way that makes clear that His attributes are included in what His name denotes.