observe that if we point to an indivisible point, either there is something else above it or there is not. If there is something else above it, that upper thing must be distinct from it. For if one could say that it was identical to the thing indicated, rather than distinct from it, one could likewise say that this part was identical to that part. This would allow a mountain to be a single unit or an indivisible particle despite being a mountain, thereby casting doubt on self-evident truths. It is therefore established that composition and divisibility must be conceded.

Alternatively, if there is nothing else above it, to its right, to its left, or beneath it, then what is indicated would be an indivisible point and an indivisible particle. This is false by the agreement of all rational people. Thus, this is not a matter of drawing an analogy from the observable to the unobservable; rather, it rests on a division between the alternatives of negation and affirmation.

He said: “Know that those Hanbalīs who affirm composition and aggregation