“One must not say that He exists or that He does not exist, nor that He is living or that He is not living, for that would liken Him to what exists or to what does not exist.” This entails denying both sides of a contradiction—something whose impossibility is utterly plain. Moreover, these people necessarily liken Him to nonexistent things, impossibilities, and inanimate objects to a far greater degree than the resemblance to perfect living beings from which they sought to flee. The ways of declaring Him exalted and holy above all that He is free from are extensive; there is no need for this approach.

It has already been explained that whatever is denied of Him—glorified is He—is denied in a manner that entails affirmation, since mere negation contains neither praise nor perfection. Nonexistent things can be described through negation, and what does not exist does not resemble existing things; yet this is no praise of it. Resembling a deficient being in its deficiencies is itself a deficiency in every case, just as being identical to a created being in any attribute constitutes a likeness and resemblance above which the Lord—blessed and exalted is He—is far exalted. Deficiency is the opposite of perfection.

For example, it is known that He is living, and death is the opposite of life, so He is exalted above it. Likewise, sleep and drowsiness are contrary to the perfection of life, for sleep is the brother of death. Fatigue, too, is a deficiency in power and strength. Eating, drinking, and similar things involve dependence upon something other than oneself, just as seeking another’s assistance, relying on another’s support, and similar things entail dependence upon and need for that other. Anyone who needs someone to bear him or help sustain his being and his actions is dependent upon him