and similar statements containing lies about Allah Most High and attributing imperfections to Him—statements whose falsehood is established by clear reason and authentic revelation.

Likewise, someone may say: “If He descended to the lowest heaven, this would necessarily entail movement and passage from one place to another, which are exclusive to bodies.” Or he may say: “It would necessarily follow that the Throne would be vacant of Him, and that is impossible.” People hold three positions on this.

(One is the position of those who say: “He descends, but He is not a body.” Another is that of those who say: “He descends, and He is a body.” The other is that of those who neither deny nor affirm that He is a body. They either refrain from both because such terminology constitutes an innovation and creates confusion, as explained above; or they clarify the intended meaning, affirm what is true, reject what is false, and explain the correct rational meanings that have become confused in this matter.

For example, one may say: “Descent, ascent, coming, approaching, and similar acts are varieties of movement. We do not concede that they are exclusive to the technically defined body whose affirmation and negation the speculative theologians debate. Rather, these descriptions apply more broadly than that.”

There are then two approaches here. The first is that these descriptions apply to both bodies and accidents. Thus, one says: “The cold has come,” “The heat has come,” “The fever has come,” and similarly of other accidents. Since accidents can be described as coming and approaching, it is known that these are not exclusive to bodies. Thus, it is not permissible to describe Him with these