they subsist—not to one who created them in something other than Himself and brought them into being (1). Thus, when Allah creates motion, knowledge, and power in a locus (2), that locus (3) is what moves, knows, and possesses power by virtue of those attributes. They are not attributes of Allah (4), but things He created.

Were He characterized by created things separate from Himself, then whenever He caused inanimate things to speak—as He said:

“O mountains, echo his praises, and you birds as well!”

[Surah Saba: 10]

and as He said:

“On the Day their tongues, hands, and feet will testify against them concerning what they used to do.”

[Surah al-Nūr: 24]

“They will ask their skins, ‘Why did you testify against us?’ They will reply, ‘Allah, who causes everything to speak, caused us to speak.’”

[Surah Fussilat: 21]

And as He said:

“Today We shall seal their mouths; their hands will speak to Us, and their feet will testify to what they used to earn.”

[Surah Yā Sīn: 65]

The same applies to the stone greeting the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—the pebbles glorifying Allah in his hand, and the food glorifying Allah while they were eating it. If Allah’s speech were nothing but what He creates in something other than Himself, all of this would necessarily be Allah’s speech, for He created it in something other than Himself. Likewise, when the hands speak, that should be Allah’s speech—just as they claim that He created speech in the tree through which He spoke (5) to Moses son of Imrān.

Moreover, since the proof has established that Allah Most High is the Creator of His servants’ deeds and words, and that He causes every speaker to speak, it would necessarily follow that every utterance in existence is His speech. This was indeed asserted by the proponents of indwelling (6) among the Jahmites, such as Ibn Arabī, the author of al-Fusūs. He said: