Section

As for the claim:

“If anything existed within His dominion that He did not will, that would be an imperfection,”

and the other claim:

“If He predestined and then punished, that would be injustice—and injustice is an imperfection,”

it may be answered:

The first assertion is evident. For if it were supposed that within His dominion there existed something that He did not will, over which He had no power, and which He neither created nor brought into being, this would constitute an imperfection in several respects.

First:

For anything to bring events into existence independently of Him would be an imperfection, even if it were assumed to lie outside His dominion—so how much more if it lay within His dominion?

We know that if we suppose two beings, one upon whom everything depends while he depends upon nothing, and another upon whom some things depend while others have no need of him, the first is more perfect. Thus, the mere fact that anything should lie beyond His power and creation is an imperfection. These are proofs of divine oneness: partnership is an imperfection in each partner, whereas absolute perfection lies only in oneness.

We know that one who possesses power independently is more perfect than one who needs a helper; one who does everything himself is more perfect than one who has a partner and assistant in doing some things; and one upon whom everything depends is more perfect than one of whom some things have no need.

Another respect is that being the Creator of all things and having power over all things is more perfect than creating only some things and having power over only some things.

The Qadarites do not affirm that He is the Creator of all things or that He has power over all things.