the Throne, and that affirming His being above the Throne entails affirming that He is a body. Thus, each of these two innate premises provides evidence for each of these two conclusions, and each conclusion provides evidence for the other. There are therefore four arguments for each conclusion, all founded on innate premises. This shows that what you advanced as an objection against the proponents of negation, intending thereby to invalidate their argument, is itself among the strongest arguments for the soundness of their position.

Likewise, the philosopher may offer:

The eleventh response:

He may say: At most, the objection you have raised against me concerning time obliges me to affirm direction. Yet affirming direction is the position of the leading philosophers, as we previously related from Judge Abū al-Walīd ibn Rushd, the philosopher, who was among the most faithful followers of the views of Aristotle and his associates. He said:

“On direction: As for this attribute, the adherents of revealed religion had affirmed it of Allah, Glorified and Exalted, from the very beginning, until the Mu'tazilah denied it. The later Ash'arīs then followed them in denying it, including Abū al-Ma'ālī and those who followed his position.”

He said: “All the apparent meanings of revelation require affirming direction, as in His saying, ‘The Most Merciful rose over the Throne (5)’ [Tā Hā: 5], and His saying, ‘Encompasses