and the hadiths concerning them involves terms used of both the Creator and His creation. They were reluctant to call these terms “shared,” because Allah Most High has no partner. Rather, to Allah belongs the highest description. This is a fortiori reasoning: every attribute of perfection established for a created being belongs more fittingly and rightfully to the Creator, for He is more perfect than His creation, and He is the One who bestowed that perfection upon it.

The One who bestows perfection upon another is Himself more deserving of possessing it. His giving does not mean that He has deprived Himself of what is rightfully His and transferred it to another, for that is impossible. Rather, through His goodness and generosity, He has bestowed upon the creature whatever He has bestowed of such qualities as life, knowledge, and power.

Likewise, whatever is denied of a created being because it constitutes a deficiency or flaw must, with still greater reason, be denied of the Creator. I have explained this principle at length elsewhere.