the like of which He has never had before and will never have again.’” This makes clear that the anger occurred on that day, not before it.

An authentic hadith states:

“When Allah speaks revelation, the inhabitants of the heavens hear something like a chain being dragged across smooth stone.”

The words, “When Allah speaks revelation, they hear,” indicate that He speaks it when they hear it, which rules out its being beginningless. Moreover, something resembling a chain being dragged across smooth stone occurs in succession, and whatever is preceded by something else cannot be beginningless.

Likewise, an authentic hadith states:

“Allah says: ‘I have divided the prayer between Myself and My servant into two halves: half is for Me and half is for My servant, and My servant shall have what he asks for.’ When he says, ‘All praise is for Allah, Lord of all worlds,’ Allah says, ‘My servant has praised Me.’ When he says, ‘The Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful,’ Allah says, ‘My servant has extolled Me.’ When he says, ‘Master of the Day of Judgment,’ Allah says, ‘My servant has glorified Me.’ When he says, ‘You alone we worship, and You alone we ask for help,’ Allah says, ‘This verse is between Myself and My servant, and My servant shall have what he asks for.’ When he says, ‘Guide us to the straight path—the path of those You have blessed, not those who have incurred Your anger, nor those who have gone astray,’ Allah says, ‘These verses are for My servant, and My servant shall have what he asks for.’”

He thus tells us that when the servant says, “All praise is for Allah,” Allah says, “He has praised Me”; and when he says, “The Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful,” Allah says, “My servant has extolled Me”—and so on through the hadith.

The authentic hadith collections also contain the hadith of descent:

“Our Lord descends every night when the last third of the night remains and says: ‘Who is calling upon Me, so that I may answer him? Who is asking Me, so that I may give to him? Who is seeking My forgiveness, so that I may forgive him?’”

This is speech and action at a particular time. The early generations unanimously agreed that “descending”