to the subject it qualifies. This is the distinction between the two; otherwise, ascribing an attribute to its subject would be confused with ascribing something owned and created to its Owner and Creator. This is the apparent meaning of the wording in both cases, for those addressed know that independently subsisting entities do not subsist in Allah’s essence, and thus know that this is not the ascription of an attribute. As for attributes that subsist in something else, they know that these must have a subject in which they subsist and to which they are ascribed. Thus, when an attribute is ascribed to something, it is understood to be ascribed to the subject in which it subsists. Accordingly, an image subsists in that which has that image. Allah’s image, like Allah’s face, Allah’s hand, Allah’s knowledge, Allah’s power, Allah’s will, and Allah’s speech, cannot subsist in anything other than Him.

Third, entities ascribed to Allah are not ascribed to Him simply because they are created and owned by Him, since that would require all entities to be ascribed to Allah Most High, as they all share in being created and owned by Him. Thus, if