Section

As for the comprehensive conclusion, it contains useful principles.

The First Principle

Allah, glorified is He, is described through affirmation and negation. Affirmation includes His declaration that He knows all things, has power over all things, and is All-Hearing, All-Seeing, and other such descriptions. Negation includes His saying: “Neither drowsiness nor sleep overtakes Him.”

It should be understood that negation conveys neither praise nor perfection unless it entails affirmation. Mere negation, otherwise, conveys neither praise nor perfection, for pure negation is pure nonexistence. Pure nonexistence is nothing, and what is nothing is, as has been said, nothing—let alone a source of praise or perfection. Moreover, pure negation can describe both the nonexistent and the impossible, neither of which can be described as possessing anything praiseworthy or perfect.