resemblance. We have explained the distinction between the terms “equal” and “counterpart,” on the one hand, and “resemblance,” on the other. He, glorified be He, has declared that He is One and that none is comparable to Him. This, too, is an unequivocal and comprehensive declaration that He has no counterpart, since nothing that exists is equal to Him in any respect, as we explained earlier. It must be denied that He has a counterpart or equal in any respect; this is the meaning of “One.”

For if “One” meant merely that nothing resembled Him in every respect, most created things could also be called “one,” and this would serve no purpose, since no one believes that Allah has a counterpart in every respect. Rather, the One is He who has no equal in any respect. This does not entail denying resemblance in certain respects, such as existence, knowledge, power, life, and so forth.

Likewise, regarding composition and corporeality, He must be declared free