that He be obeyed, yet He is disobeyed. The gist of the question was: “If You had willed this, it would have occurred, for You have power over it. Whatever You will occurs, and whatever You do not will does not occur. Yet You have commanded it, and commanding it entails loving and seeking it. Why, then, did You not will that what You love and seek should occur?” Allah Most High then revealed to them: “This is My secret, so do not ask Me about My secret.” They also related that the Messiah said to the disciples: “Divine decree is Allah’s secret, so do not strain to fathom it.”

The point is to emphasize that human minds cannot fully comprehend the purpose intended in His acts, just as they cannot fully comprehend the true nature of the One who acts. But denying something’s existence is not the same as denying knowledge of it. Denying this intended wisdom on the assumption that affirming it entails temporal events subsisting in Him—which would entail His having come into existence—and His attaining perfection through another—which would imply His being in need—and similar consequences, is analogous to denying His attributes, which are established by innate human nature, revelation, and reason, on the assumption that affirming them