is evil, not good. This proves that goodness is an attribute of His judgment. For if goodness consisted solely in what is commanded(1), or what has not been forbidden, there would be no point in this statement, nor would judgments be classified as good and better. For according to them, the Lord may issue any judgment that could conceivably occur, and all of it would be good. Thus, in their view, there is no judgment above which the Lord must be declared transcendent.

Allah Most High says:

“Whenever a sign comes to them, they say, ‘We will never believe until we are given the like of what Allah’s messengers were given.’ Allah knows best where to place His message.”

[Surah al-An'ām: 124](2)

This shows that He knows best who is suited to receive the message. Had all people been equal and the choice been made for no reason, there would have been no fact for this knowledge to apprehend that distinguished the one fit to receive the message.

Allah Most High also says:

“The people of Pharaoh certainly received warnings. They denied all Our signs, so We seized them with the seizure of One Almighty, Omnipotent. Are your disbelievers any better than those, or do you have immunity in the Scriptures?”

[Surah al-Qamar: 41–43]

And He says:

“Are they better, or the people of Tubba' and those before them? We destroyed them, for they were evildoers.”

[Surah al-Dukhān: 37]

This makes clear that, since those people were disbelievers and We punished them, the disbelievers who denied Muhammad are no better than they were. Rather, they are like them(3) and deserve the same punishment they deserved. Had they been better than them, they would not have deserved it. It is thus known that He—Glorified is He—treats equals equally and favors the one possessed of goodness, not equating him with someone inferior to him.