in any being whatsoever must necessarily constitute an imperfection in Allah. Indeed, such conduct is not invariably reprehensible even in a human being. Rather, if a person has a beneficial purpose in causing some animal to suffer or doing something to it that causes suffering, then doing so is right. Consider someone who produces silk: he takes steps to have silkworms spin it, then to have it placed in the sun so that he may obtain the intended benefit from the silk. Here, he has contributed to the activity of the worms that became the cause of their suffering. Likewise, someone who takes steps to have livestock breed and hens lay eggs, then slaughters the resulting animals to benefit from them, has contributed to bringing those animals into existence in a way that ultimately leads to their suffering, for a benefit he gains thereby. In “short,” it is right for a person to cause an animal pain for an outweighing benefit. Thus, this kind of action is not inherently blameworthy, reprehensible, or unjust, although some instances of it are unjust.

Accordingly, regarding injustice on Allah’s part, one may say that it is intrinsically impossible, because injustice means exercising control over what one does not own, whereas everything belongs to Allah; or that injustice means disobeying a command that one is obliged to obey. It is impossible for Allah Most High to exercise control over another’s property or to disobey the command of anyone whom He is obliged to obey. If injustice consists solely of either of these, then injustice on His part is impossible.

Alternatively, one may say that it is possible, but that He, glorified is He, does not commit it because of His self-sufficiency and His knowledge of its reprehensibility, and because He has declared that He does not commit it. The perfection of His being precludes injustice on His part, since justice and mercy are inseparable from His essence. Thus, He cannot be characterized by the opposites of the attributes of perfection that are inseparable from Him, according to this