a word familiar to ordinary people and specialists alike cannot denote something whose existence is disputed and which can be known only through subtle reasoning—even if its existence is conceded. Moreover, these thinkers expressly state that a body is, in itself, one and simple, composed neither of two atoms nor of several atoms. Since they describe it as one and deny that it is composed of even two atoms, this argument cannot be valid on their principles. These four points thus demonstrate the invalidity of his claim that the name “the One” indicates that He is not a body.

The fifth point is that a body either consists of indivisible atoms, with two atoms being the minimum required for its composition, or it does not. If the former is true, it invalidates the second argument he advanced to deny that He is an atom, since that argument rests on denying that the smallest body consists of two atoms. If it is false, then this argument by which he denied that He is a body is invalid. Thus, one of the two arguments is necessarily invalid. There remains the third argument he advanced to rule out the indivisible atom, which we shall discuss, Allah willing. For if the smallest body consists of two atoms, then an atom