Another group imagined that whoever says:

“Existence is a general univocal term,”

is thereby saying:

“The Creator’s existence is additional to His reality,”

and that whoever says:

“His reality is His existence,”

must hold that “existence” is shared only as a homonymous term. The same applies to similar claims that have been discussed at length elsewhere.

The root of their error is their assumption that the unqualified universal denoted by these general, universal names is itself present in this particular [and this particular] (1). This is not so, for whatever exists in external reality does not exist as an unqualified universal; it exists only as a determinate, particular thing.

(When He is designated by these names, what they denote is exclusive to Him; (2 and when the servant is designated by them, what they denote is exclusive to him 2) (2)) (3)

Thus, no one else shares in Allah’s existence or life (4). Indeed, no one else shares even in the existence of this particular existent—so how much more is this true of the Creator’s existence?

If it is said:

“They share in what is denoted by ‘existence’ (5), so each must necessarily be distinguished from the other by what is exclusive to it—namely, its particular quiddity and reality,”

it is answered:

They share in unqualified existence as conceived in the mind, not in what is denoted by “reality” (6), “quiddity,” “essence,” and “self.” Just as the reality of this one is exclusive to it,