but that is not the case. I have explained in some of my treatises that “command” and other terms denoting attributes sometimes refer to the attribute itself and sometimes to its object. Thus, mercy is an attribute of Allah, while what He creates is also called “mercy.” Power is one of the attributes of Allah Most High, while the object of that power is also called “power,” as is its relation to that object. Creating is one of the attributes of Allah Most High and is termed “creation.” Knowledge is one of Allah’s attributes, while what is known, or what is connected with knowledge, is also called “knowledge.” Thus, sometimes the attribute itself is intended, sometimes its object, and sometimes the relation itself.

“Command” is a verbal noun, so what is commanded is also called a “command.” It is in this sense that Jesus—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—was called a “word”: he was brought into existence through the word and came to be through the word. This answers the objection raised by the Jahmiyyah when they said, “Jesus is Allah’s Word, yet he is created; therefore, if the Quran is Allah’s speech, it can only be created.” Jesus is not Allah’s actual word; rather, he was given this name because he was created through the word, contrary to the ordinary manner in which created beings come into existence. The customary course was thus broken in his case: he was told, “Be,” and he was. The Quran, however, is Allah’s actual speech.

Anyone who reflects on what has been transmitted concerning Allah Most High’s names and attributes will recognize that a term’s reference, in certain passages, to Allah’s Essence or to some of His essential attributes does not require it to bear that meaning wherever it occurs. The one affirming the attribute cannot simply apply that meaning uniformly, nor can the one denying it refute it by citing a different usage. Rather, each verse and hadith must be examined individually, in its own context, together with whatever in the Quran and other evidence clarifies its meaning.

This is a great, important, and beneficial principle for understanding the Book and the Sunnah and drawing evidence from them generally. It is also useful for understanding arguments, objections, and answers, and for determining whether an argument holds consistently or is invalidated by a counterexample. Thus, it is