In sum, the possibility of His being an agent in pre-eternity entails the possibility of temporal events arising in pre-eternity. Hence, no one is known to have held that He was an agent in pre-eternity while denying the perpetuity of temporal events. Those who hold that bodies arose from one of the soul’s conceptions also hold that temporal events perpetually arise within the soul. Those who maintain the Five Eternals do not say that He was their agent in pre-eternity. Rather, they say that they are necessary in themselves; this is what has been reported of them. They may also say that they are effects caused by Him, not products of His agency] (1).

Thus, if it is assumed that He was the agent producing the world in pre-eternity, while the arising of temporal events in pre-eternity is deemed impossible, one has combined the [necessity] (2) of His being an agent with the impossibility of His being an agent.

If it is said (3), “He produces what is eternal but does not produce what is temporal,” the reply is: On this supposition, an eternal entity could undergo change, for it is assumed that temporal events arose within the eternal effect (4), after not having existed, without a [new] (5) cause. Yet the eternal effect (6) cannot undergo change, since that would entail (7 changing its complete, pre-eternal cause that necessitates it. Furthermore, on this supposition—which entails affirming an eternal entity that is an effect of Allah, or 7) (7) affirming eternal entities that are effects (8) proceeding from Allah, together with temporal events (9 perpetually arising within that eternal entity, or with temporal events arising anew 9) (9) within them—it is (10) a doctrine affirming the origination of [this] (11)