glorified and exalted. It is well known that a thing’s not being seen is not a praiseworthy attribute, for a sheer negation is not praiseworthy unless it entails something affirmative. Moreover, the nonexistent (1), too, cannot be seen, and the nonexistent is not praised. It is therefore known that the mere negation of vision contains nothing praiseworthy.

[This is a consistent principle: sheer nonexistence that entails nothing affirmative possesses neither praise nor perfection. The Lord therefore does not praise Himself with it; indeed, He does not even describe Himself with it. Rather, He describes Himself by negations that entail an affirmative meaning, such as His saying:

{Neither drowsiness overtakes Him nor sleep.}

His saying:

{Who is there that can intercede with Him except by His permission?}

His saying:

{They encompass nothing of His knowledge except what He wills.}

And His saying:

{Preserving them does not tire Him, and He is the Most High, the Magnificent.}

[Surah al-Baqarah: 255]

And His saying:

{Not even an atom’s weight is hidden from Him in the heavens or on earth.}

[Surah Saba: 3]

And His saying:

{Nor did any weariness touch Us.}

[Surah Qaf: 38]

These and similar negative statements by which the Lord Most High describes Himself entail His possession of affirmative attributes of perfection, such as the perfection of His life, self-subsistence, sovereignty, power, knowledge, and guidance, and His uniqueness in lordship and divinity, among other things. Any description applicable to sheer nonexistence can itself be nothing but sheer nonexistence. It is well known that sheer nonexistence is said to be seen; it is therefore known that the negation of vision is sheer nonexistence. Yet it is not said of sheer nonexistence that it cannot be apprehended. Rather, this is said of that which cannot be apprehended because of its greatness, not because it does not exist](2).

[And when (3) what is negated is apprehension, then He—glorified and exalted (4)—cannot be encompassed