And, in sum, if affirming that the world came into being entails affirming the divine attributes and acts subsisting in Allah, then the proof we have presented establishes both that the world came into being and that its Originator possesses attributes subsisting in Him and performs voluntary acts subsisting in Him. This is also indicated by the mass-transmitted divine texts conveyed by the prophets in the Quran, the Torah, and the Gospel. This illustrates the agreement of sound reason with authentic revelation. The rational principles that underlie the innate dispositions of rational beings and represent the furthest reach of their reason likewise accord with this. Consider this in light of what Abū ‘Abd Allāh ibn al-Khatīb al-Rāzī writes in his book al-Arba‘īn (The Forty), concerning the identification of the premises to which one may appeal in establishing rational propositions.
He said:
“Know that there are two premises upon which the speculative theologians and philosophers base most of their discussions. The first is the premise of perfection and imperfection, as when they say: ‘This attribute is an attribute of perfection, so it must be affirmed of Allah; this attribute is an attribute of imperfection, so it must be denied of Allah.’ Most of the positions held by the speculative theologians are based on this premise.”
He went on to say:
“As for the second premise—the premise of necessity and contingency—this