his lifetime. Had he himself appointed a man, that man and others would have been bound by the same duties as other holders of authority.
Second:
Each of two created beings may be perfected by the other, as when they discuss scholarly matters, consult one another, or cooperate in pursuing their religious and worldly interests. This is impossible only in the case of the Creator—glory be to Him—for contingent beings that have come into existence must have an agent who is self-sufficient and needs no one, lest this lead to circularity and regress among causal agents. As for the two created beings, both derive their ability and strength from Allah Most High, not from themselves or from one another. Thus, there is no circularity here.
Third:
Students have always drawn their teachers’ attention to things that the teachers then learn from them, even though students have received most of their fundamental knowledge from their teachers. The same applies to craftsmen and others.
Fourth:
Moses—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—learned three matters from al-Khidr, although he was superior to him.
The hoopoe said to Solomon:
“I have learned what you do not know.”
[Surah al-Naml: 22]
Yet the hoopoe was nowhere near Solomon’s rank.
Our Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—used to consult his Companions and would sometimes adopt their views. For example, (1) al-Hubāb said to him on the day of Badr: “O Messenger of Allah, tell me about this position: is it a position where Allah Most High has stationed you, so that we may not move beyond it, or is it a matter of warfare