two opposites entails the negation of the other. Thus, when it is known that He exists necessarily in Himself and is necessarily without beginning, it is known that nonexistence and coming into being are impossible for Him. It is also known that He is independent of everything other than Himself. For whatever depends on something else for any of its own needs does not exist by itself alone, but by itself together with that other which supplies what it needs; it therefore cannot exist without it.

He—glorified is He—is independent of everything other than Himself, and so He is exalted above whatever contradicts His independence. He—glorified is He—is powerful and strong, and so He is exalted above whatever contradicts His power and strength. He—glorified is He—is the Ever-Living, Self-Subsisting Sustainer of all, and so He is exalted above whatever contradicts His life, His self-subsistence, or His sustaining of all things.

In short, revelation has affirmed for Him the most beautiful names and attributes of perfection that have been transmitted. Revelation therefore denies whatever contradicts them, just as it denies that He has any likeness or equal. For affirming something negates its opposite and whatever entails that opposite. Reason recognizes this negation just as it recognizes the affirmation of the opposite: affirming either of two opposites negates the other and whatever entails it.

Thus, the ways of knowing that whatever the Lord is exalted above must be denied of Him are extensive. There is no need to confine them merely to denying resemblance and corporeality, as those deficient in understanding and negligent in their efforts have done. They have contradicted themselves in this regard and distinguished between things that are alike, to the point that whenever anyone affirms something, whoever denies it argues against him that it entails resemblance. Likewise, the Qarmatians argued for denying all things, until they even denied negation itself, saying: