Those who affirm the attributes then said to them:

“Likewise, it is known by necessity that the Messenger brought knowledge of the attributes (1) in general. Indeed, they are mentioned in the Quran and Sunnah far more extensively than the angels and the Resurrection. Moreover, the Arab polytheists did not dispute this as they disputed the Resurrection, and the Torah is replete with it. The Messenger did not condemn the Jews for affirming this, as he condemned their distortions and the deficiencies they ascribed to the Lord, such as their statements:

‘Indeed, Allah is poor, while we are rich.’

[Surah Āl Imrān: 181]

and:

‘The hand of Allah is chained.’

[Surah al-Mā’idah: 64]

[and other such statements] (2).

This indicates that Allah (3) is more clearly established by revelation and reason than the Resurrection. If it is not [permissible] (4) to distort the texts concerning the Resurrection, then such distortion is all the more impermissible here. These matters are discussed at length elsewhere (5).

The second answer (6) is to say: The weakness of this argument is already known, for it assumes that if this temporal event is not everlasting, and this other one does not remain forever, then the class of temporal events cannot be everlasting (7) and enduring. By the same reasoning, if this temporal event does not endure, [and this temporal event does not endure] (8), it would follow that the class of temporal events does not endure.”