in the Sahīh, “and the earth in His left hand,” and so on through the other reports on this subject, which would take too long to recount.

Either they must be broken down into identical parts, or they need not be. If this is necessary, then any two different things could become identical; indeed, they would have to be identical. For if they must be broken down into identical parts, such that whatever is possible for one is possible for the other, then whatever is possible for the parts of either must also be possible for the parts of the other. Among the possibilities for the parts of each are moving apart and coming together, as he mentioned. Thus, it must be possible for its parts to disperse, and for either of the two to take the place of the other. This entails that any two different things could be identical.

They would thus share the possibility that whatever is possible for one could be necessary, impossible, or possible for the other. If they share this possibility, several impossibilities follow. One is that they share the possibility of the impossible. Yet the possible cannot be impossible; rather, it is its contradictory opposite. Thus, they would share the possibility of two contradictories applying to them.