, too numerous to count. Abraham, peace and blessings be upon him, did not reason from what he observed in the stars, the sun and the moon for his own sake, for he was neither ignorant of his Lord nor doubtful of His eternity. Rather, he wished to show his people how to reason from these things, rebuke them for overlooking this clear proof, and make them recognize the falsehood of their beliefs. He was among the prophets most accomplished in argument—may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon them all—as is evident from the Book of Allah, Exalted is He. Consider what Allah, Almighty and Majestic, relates of his words after he had shown them that their beliefs had no foundation:

“Indeed, I have turned my face toward He who created the heavens and the earth, inclining to truth, and I am not of those who associate others with Allah.” [al-An‘ām: 79]

“His people disputed with him. He said, ‘Do you dispute with me’” [al-An‘ām: 80]—concerning Allah—up to His words:

“And that was Our argument which We gave Abraham against his people.” [al-An‘ām: 83]

And His words at the beginning of the passage:

“Thus We show Abraham the dominion of the heavens and the earth, so that he might be among those who have certainty.” [al-An‘ām: 75]

It has also been said that this occurred during his childhood, when he first began to reason. The first interpretation, however, is sounder and clearer. Allah, Glorified and Exalted is He, knows best.

Section
On the Oneness of Allah, Almighty and Majestic, His Names, and the Attributes of His Essence and His Acts

Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, is one God, eternally existent with His sublime attributes and His most beautiful names. His existence has no beginning, and He remains forever, without limit or end. He is exalted above resembling created beings and transcends any likeness to things brought into existence. There is nothing like Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing. All of this is attested by texts transmitted from the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, and established by rational proofs.

Among the rational proofs of His oneness is that, if there were two gods or more, they could differ. If they differed, there would be only three possibilities, with no fourth: first, that both would have their wills fulfilled; second, that neither would have his will fulfilled; and third, that one would have his will fulfilled while the other would not. Two of these alternatives are impossible: the fulfilment of both their wills and the non-fulfilment of the will of