of negation, and matters of negation are perceived neither by the intellect nor by the senses. Thus, this interpretation is evidently invalid.

As for the second interpretation—that “form” means “attribute,” and that the meaning is that Allah manifests to them such force and severity of might as they have never known or experienced in His dealings with them, after which various kinds of mercy and honour come to them in the manner they know and recognize—this is even more untenable than the preceding interpretation. Most of the arguments that invalidate the former also invalidate this one. There are also objections peculiar to this interpretation, as the following arguments make clear.

First: Interpreting “form” as merely “attribute” is invalid, as we have already explained. We have shown that wherever the word “form” denotes an attribute inhering in its subject, or an attribute existing in thought and speech, it must also denote the external form, even if it denotes the mental form.