by the former they mean the absence of any equal, and by the latter they mean that He is indivisible. They interpret “the One” and “monotheism” in ways that do not reflect their meaning in Allah’s Book and His Messenger’s Sunnah. Nor is this the monotheism with which Allah sent down His Books and sent His Messenger. This is a principle of exaltation that must be understood.

Thus, those who deny the attributes—the Jahmiyyah, the Muʿtazilah, the philosophers, and others like them—say that the One is that which has neither attributes nor magnitude. They express this meaning in various ways. Philosophers who intend this meaning, such as Ibn Sīnā and others like him, say that the Necessary Existent is one in every respect, containing neither definitional nor quantitative parts; alternatively, it is said that it contains no