degree of his aspirations are proportionate to his goals and what he is preoccupied with. Moreover, man becomes absorbed and lost in his aims and what he is turned to. It is because of this that lowly or minor matters are not ascribed to the great, for they would not condescend to them and their aspirations could not be contained in such petty matters. The balance would be broken because such aspiration is weighty, while petty matters are light. Also, whatever man beholds, he seeks its criteria and principles in himself. If he cannot find them there, he seeks them in his surroundings or in his fellow men. Even, if he ponders over the Necessary Existent, Who in no way resembles contingent beings, his surmising faculty wants to make its false conjectures into principles and telescopes. Whereas the All-Glorious Maker may not be beheld in this way. There is no limit to His power. His power, knowledge, and will are all-embracing and comprehensive like the light of the sun, and may not be restricted or measured. As they connect with the greatest thing, so they connect with the tiniest and lowliest. The measure of the grandeur and balance of their perfection is the totality of His works. So to compare the Necessary Existent to contingent beings is absurd and a contrariety.

To reason in accordance with the above-mentioned futile conjectures is pure error. It is due to the unfortunate results of this boorish error and delusive surmise that the Naturalists believed that causes have an actual effect, the Mu'tazilites believed they created their voluntary actions, the philosophers denied that divine knowledge encompassed particulars, and the Zoroastrians ascribed the creation of evil to things other than God. As though according to them with His mighty grandeur the Maker would not condescend to busy Himself with lowly, particular matters. Pooh to their intelligences for becoming captive to such futile delusions! Brother! Even if not by way of their beliefs, this delusory notion has assailed some believers due to the whisperings of Satan.

Indication

If you say: The proof that things are given existence out of nothing (delil-i ihtira'; Ar. ikhtirā') is the giving of existence. The giv-