Once it is established that He has will, it may be said: He either willed these occurrences for a wise purpose or willed them without any wise purpose. If they say, “Without any wise purpose,” this is obstinate denial. For will is intelligible only when the one who wills acts for a wise purpose that he intends to achieve through his action. Moreover, if they allow that He acts with will but without a wise purpose, then His acting with will for a wise purpose is all the more possible.

As for their statement, “This is conceivable only of one who derives benefit, and that entails need, whereas Allah is far above such a thing”: if they mean that this entails His needing another, or anything among His creatures, that claim is rejected and false. Everything besides Him needs Him in every respect. He is the One upon whom all depend, free of need of everything besides Himself, while everything besides Him needs Him. He is the Self-Subsisting, who sustains everything besides Himself. How, then, could He need another?

If, however, they mean that through creation a wise purpose is realized for Him, which itself also comes about by His will, there is nothing objectionable in this; rather, it is the truth.

If they say, “The wise purpose is pleasure,” the response is: The term “pleasure” has not been used in revelation; it is potentially misleading and ambiguous. Revelation does, however, state that He “loves” and “is pleased”