without being within any of His creation.”

I say: It has already been explained that whatever attributes of perfection are established for created beings, the Creator is more deserving of them. Ahmad, may Allah have mercy on him, thus offered an illustration and an analogy: if a servant’s sight can encompass what is in his hand and grasp without his being inside it or occupying the same space as it, then Allah, glorified is He, is all the more deserving of this perfection and of being described by it. There is all the more reason, therefore, that this should not be impossible for Him.

Ahmad’s citation, within this analogy, of Allah’s words, “To Him belongs the highest example,” accords with what we have explained: a fortiori reasoning applies to Allah in keeping with the highest example. Such reasoning, which establishes that something is all the more applicable and fitting, belongs to the highest example. An equal or inferior likeness, however, can never apply to Allah.

These words of his, and his use of this verse as evidence, substantiate our earlier explanation that analogies concerning Allah’s attributes are a fortiori arguments, such as the one he presented here: if this perfection is established for the servant, then Allah—to whom belongs the highest example—is more deserving of it.

He then presented another analogy, saying:

“Another illustration: if a man were to build a house with all its amenities, then close its door and leave it, he would still know how many rooms his house contained and how spacious each room was, without the owner being inside the house. Thus Allah, glorified is He—to whom belongs the highest example—has