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Al-Rāzī said: “Seventh: Allah Most High says, ‘Who is it that will lend Allah a goodly loan?’ There is no doubt that this requires figurative interpretation.”

This may be answered in several ways.

First, he may be told: This claim is disputed, and he has offered no proof for it. At most, he could say that only someone in need borrows, whereas Allah is Self-Sufficient. He may then be asked: Where in the Arabic language is it established that borrowing, as such, necessarily implies that the borrower is in need?

Second, it is well known that a human borrower may have no need to borrow, but borrows only to meet the lender’s need, as al-Zubayr ibn al-Awwām used to do. For in