the ordinary kind is exemplified by a human being born of two parents, and the extraordinary kind by a human being born of a mother alone, as Jesus was; or of a father alone, as Eve was; or without either parent, as Adam, the father of mankind, was created from clay.
All causes were known to Allah beforehand, recorded by Him, determined and decreed by Him, as were their connections to their effects. The causes through which vegetation is created, such as the sending down of rain and other causes, likewise fall into this category. As the Most High says:
“And the water Allah sends down from the sky, giving life thereby to the earth after its death and dispersing throughout it every kind of creature.”
And He says:
“We sent down water with it and thereby brought forth every kind of fruit.”
And He says:
“We made from water every living thing.”
There are other similar passages. All of this is determined, known, decreed and recorded before it is brought into being. Whoever supposes that something’s being known and recorded suffices for its existence, without its needing that through which it comes into being—the agent who brings it about and all the other causes—is ignorant and manifestly astray in two respects.
The first is that he has turned knowledge into ignorance. Knowledge corresponds to what is known and relates to it as it truly is. Allah, glorified is He, knows that created things come into being through the causes He creates, because that is what actually happens. Whoever claims that He knows something to occur without its causes has spoken falsely about Allah. He is like someone who says that Allah knows that this child was born without parents, or that this vegetation grew without water.
Knowledge relates to the past and the future alike. Just as someone makes a false claim when he speaks of a past event and claims that Allah knows it occurred without its causes, so too does someone who makes such a claim about the future. This is like someone saying: “Allah knew that He created Adam without clay, and knew