If he then says: “In the observable world, anger can only be conceived of as the boiling of the heart’s blood in pursuit of revenge, and descent can only be conceived of as movement from one place to another. Such movement requires vacating one space and occupying another. Thus, if He were to descend, no Lord would remain above the Throne.”

The reply is:

Nor, in the observable world, can will be conceived of except as the heart’s inclination to obtain what one needs and benefits from—things for which one depends upon others—and to ward off what harms one. Yet Allah, glorified and exalted be He, has said concerning His holy Self in His divine hadith:

“O My servants, you will never be able to benefit Me, nor will you ever be able to harm Me.”

Thus, He is far above the only kind of will conceivable in the observable world. Likewise, hearing can only be conceived of in the observable world as sound entering the ear canal, which can occur only in something with an internal cavity. Allah, glorified be He, is One and al-Samad, far above anything of that kind. Indeed, the same applies to sight and speech: in the observable world, they can only be conceived of as residing in something with an internal cavity. Allah, glorified be He, is One and al-Samad, far above that.

Ibn Masʿūd, Ibn ʿAbbās, al-Hasan, Saʿīd ibn Jubayr, and many of the early generations said: “Al-Samad is He who has no internal cavity.” Others said: “He is the Master whose mastery is perfect.” Both statements are true, for the Arabic word al-Samad encompasses both meanings. In Arabic, al-samad means “the master”; it also means al-musammad (solid), and al-musammad means al-musmat (without an internal cavity). Both usages are well established in Arabic.