attributes of perfection. This thus entails affirming every attribute of perfection and denying every attribute of deficiency. The surah therefore encompasses everything that must be denied of Allah, as well as everything that must be affirmed of Him, in two ways: through His name al-Samad, and because denying that He has ancestors, offspring, or equals also entails affirming His attributes of perfection.

Every negation by which the Lord is praised must imply an affirmation. Indeed, the same applies to every negation by which any existing thing is praised: it must imply an affirmation. Otherwise, pure negation amounts to sheer nonexistence, and sheer nonexistence is nothing at all, let alone an attribute of perfection.

This is illustrated by what He, glorified be He, mentions in the Verse of the Throne, such as His words:

“Allah—there is no deity worthy of worship except Him, the Ever-Living, the Sustainer of all existence. Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep.”

Denying that drowsiness or sleep overtakes Him necessarily implies the perfection of His life and His sustaining of all existence. Sleep is incompatible with sustaining all existence, and sleep is the brother of death. For this reason, the people of Paradise do not sleep.

Then He says:

“To Him belongs whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth. Who is it that can intercede with Him except by His permission?”

Denying intercession without His permission necessarily implies the perfection of His sovereignty. For anyone who accepts an intercession made to him without his permission has been influenced by that intercessor: the intercession has affected him, prompting him to act after he had not done so. That intercessor would thus be a partner of the one petitioned in the matter sought through intercession, since the intercession took place without his permission. In particular, when a created being accepts an intercession made to him without his permission, he accepts it only out of hope or fear, whether from