involving admixture, or without admixture, as foods, drinks, medicines, buildings, and garments are composed of their constituent parts. It is well known that this kind of composition does not apply to Allah, and we know of no rational person who says that Allah Most High is composite in this sense.

The same applies to composition in the sense of being composed of indivisible atoms, or of matter and form—which, according to those who affirm it (1), constitutes bodily composition. This, too, is inapplicable to Allah Most High.

Among those who say that Allah is a body, some may maintain that He is composite in this sense, although many of them—indeed, most of them—deny this. They say: “By calling Him a body, we mean only that He exists, that He (2) subsists by Himself, that He can be pointed to, or something similar.” In sum, however, Allah Most High (3) must be held far above both this kind of composition and this attribution of corporeality.

As for His being—glory be to Him—an essence (4) to which the attributes of perfection necessarily belong, possessing knowledge, power, and life, this is not called “composite” (5) in any known language. If someone (6) calls this “composite” (7), the dispute with him is not about the term, but about the intelligible meaning. It is well known that there is no proof for denying this, as has been explained at length elsewhere. Rather, rational proofs require its affirmation.