because they do not indicate that for which the Lord is praised and commended. Yet no one may deny what either group of designations signifies, saying, “He does not harm or abase,” or, “He does not will or speak, nor is He separate from the world or spatially distinct from it,” and the like. Such negation is false, although these meanings are affirmed in a manner that entails praise and commendation of Allah.

If someone denies these meanings, that denial may be countered by affirming them, even though these designations are not used without qualification in praise, supplication, or general statements about Him. This is itself a kind of qualification, intended to refute the denier who negates His attributes.

This applies to both affirmation and negation. There are faults and imperfections whose denial is not fitting as an unprompted expression of praise for Allah. But if some polytheists attribute them to Him, they are denied in refutation of their claims—as when someone says that Allah is poor, begets, is begotten, or sleeps, and the like. Thus, Allah is declared free of poverty, begetting, and being begotten