Thus it is clear that the temporal precedence they deny of the Lord admits of dispute in only one sense. There are three other senses that admit of no dispute among rational people, making four senses in all.

The first is that He precedes some of His creatures with a precedence concurrent with the night and day He has created, as in His precedence over daily events. Undoubtedly, whatever precedence over another may be ascribed to a creature applies all the more fully and fittingly to the Creator. This is a matter of a fortiori reasoning, for precedence over another is an attribute of perfection, as is being above another. Whatever elevation is established for a creature, He is more entitled to it; and whatever precedence is established for a creature, He is more entitled to it.

Thus, if those who came earlier precede those who come later with a precedence recognized through its concurrence with time, He exists when the sun rises and sets, just as others exist at those times. His existence is more perfect, so His concurrence with time is more perfect. Nothing in this implies that He needs time. Indeed, we have explained that a creature’s concurrence with time does not entail its need for time. All the more, then, the Creator does not need time merely because time coincides with His existence for as long as time exists.

This is clarified by the fact that concurrence is expressed by the word “with.” That Allah is with His creation, whether generally or specifically, is a matter of consensus among Muslims and is indicated by the Quran in several places. Thus, He is with everything in a general or particular sense. Why, then, should it be impossible for Him to be with time and place in a manner befitting