and in being things. Thus, when he subsequently says, “It is not necessary for every existent to have a counterpart and a likeness,” if he means a likeness in every respect, he has already stated that no rational person has ever held such a view. If he means a likeness in some respects, he has already stated that this is a matter of agreement among Muslims. If he intends some particular kind of likeness, he has neither explained the distinctions nor offered a clear account in this premise.

It is remarkable that, in his Nihāyat al-‘uqūl, he reports his opponents as asserting that Muslims unanimously declare those who liken Allah to His creation to be unbelievers, and that this designation does not refer to someone who holds that Allah—Most High and Most Holy—is like His creation in every respect, since no rational person has ever held such a view. It must therefore refer to someone who affirms that God has an attribute in respect of which he likens Him to His creation. Then he himself reports a Muslim consensus that Allah is like His creation in some respects.