imply that His own pleasure is greater than that. Another point is that he combined “His own pleasure” with “the ink of His words,” thus affirming pleasure and speech for Him. Pleasure necessarily entails will, even though it is not identical to will. This therefore affirms His speech and His pleasure, which encompasses His love and His will.

These two attributes are precisely those denied by al-Jaʿd ibn Dirham, the first of the Jahmiyyah, when he claimed that Allah did not take Abraham as a close friend—since, according to him, He has neither love nor pleasure—and did not truly speak to Moses. On this basis, the Muʿtazilah denied that will or speech subsists in Allah Himself, regarding both only as things created in something other than Him.

A group among the Ashʿariyyah comes close to their position: they affirmed will, but did not regard love and pleasure as attributes distinct from will. They also affirmed speech, but regarded it only as a single meaning subsisting in His essence. Thus, they agreed with those who affirm the divine attributes in some of the truth, and with the Jahmiyyah in some of their falsehood.

Another point is that he moved from describing creation to describing the Creator. He mentioned the number of created things and the weight of their roof, the greatest of them, as stated in the authentic hadith in which the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“When you ask Allah, ask Him for al-Firdaws, for it is the middle of Paradise and the highest part of Paradise, and its roof is the Throne of the Most Merciful.”