Now, if what Ibn Sīnā and his followers have said in proving the existence of the Necessary Existent is sound in itself—even though it is unnecessary and does not accomplish what is intended by establishing the Creator’s existence—and al-Rāzī and others like him claim that this is the foremost method of proving the existence of the Necessary Existent, then we shall set it out as it stands. This is also the method followed by al-Āmidī, although he raised an objection to it which, he stated, he could not answer.

[Ibn Sīnā on proving the existence of Allah Most High]

Ibn Sīnā said: “Indication: Every existent, when considered in itself without regard to anything else, either has existence necessarily in itself—in which case it is the Real in itself, whose existence is necessary by virtue of itself, and it is al-Qayyūm (the Self-Subsisting Sustainer)—or its existence is not necessary. In the latter case, it cannot be said to be impossible in itself, since it has already been assumed to exist. Rather, if considering it in itself is coupled with a condition such as the absence of its cause, it becomes impossible; or a condition such as the existence of