It has also been related that the angels said to Adam:

“May Allah grant you life and gladden you”—that is, make you laugh.

The human being is an animal endowed with speech and laughter. What distinguishes human beings from beasts is an attribute of perfection. Just as speech is an attribute of perfection, so too is laughter. One who speaks is more perfect than one who does not, and one who laughs is more perfect than one who does not. If laughter in us necessarily involves some imperfection, Allah is far exalted above that. Such imperfection is, for the most part, particular rather than universal: laughter as such is not inherently associated with imperfection. Likewise, our essences and attributes are associated with imperfection, as is our existence. Nor does it follow that the Lord is an originator and that He has no essence.

This is where the extremist Qarmatians went astray, including the author of al-Iqlīd (The Key) and others like him. They sought to deny of Him everything the heart knows and the tongue expresses, whether by negation or affirmation. They said, “We do not say ‘existent’ or ‘not existent,’ nor ‘possessing attributes’ or ‘not possessing attributes,’” because, they claimed, this would involve likening Him to creation. Yet this entails that His existence is impossible—the consequence of likening Him to what cannot exist.

The resemblance that is impossible for Allah is that He should share any property exclusive to created beings—such as coming into being, death, passing away, and contingency—or resemble them in any of His attributes, such as life, knowledge, and power. For although He is described by these attributes, the Creator’s attribute does not resemble the creature’s attribute.