permissible to interpret it as blessing or power, for there is no valid sense in specifying two with regard to Allah’s blessings or His power. His blessings are too numerous to count or enumerate. Allah Most High says:

“If you tried to count Allah’s blessings, you could never enumerate them.” [Ibrāhīm 34]

This establishes that Allah truly created Adam, peace be upon him, with His two hands, which are two attributes of His essence. Likewise, He said in refuting the Jews for their words:

“‘Allah’s hand is shackled.’ May their hands be shackled, and may they be cursed for what they have said! Rather, both His hands are outstretched; He spends as He wills.” [al-Mā’idah 64]

He explicitly employs the wording designated for the dual, thus confirming what we have said.

Furthermore, if ‘hand’ meant blessing or power, Iblīs would have found grounds for an argument when he refused to prostrate to Adam, peace be upon him. He could have said: “What is there in Your creating him with Your two blessings or Your two powers that obliges me to prostrate to him? You created me with Your two blessings and Your two powers. I am equal to him in that You created us both with Your two hands, which are blessing and power.” For no rational person can fail to recognize that Allah, glorified is He, created