مَا زَالَ بِصِفَاتِهِ قَدِيمًا قَبْلَ خَلْقِهِ
Allah has always possessed His attributes, even before creation.
Allah did not acquire the attribute of creating when creatures came into existence. The attribute is eternal, while creatures come to exist in time. The same distinction applies to providing and giving life.
Distinguishing an eternal attribute from its created object or effect avoids both the claim that an attribute newly arose in Allah and the claim that creation itself is eternal.
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Evidence Mastery: Text, Meaning and the Limits of Inference
مَا زَالَ بِصِفَاتِهِ قَدِيمًا قَبْلَ خَلْقِهِ
Allah has always possessed His attributes, even before creation.
Allah did not acquire the attribute of creating when creatures came into existence. The attribute is eternal, while creatures come to exist in time. The same distinction applies to providing and giving life.
Distinguishing an eternal attribute from its created object or effect avoids both the claim that an attribute newly arose in Allah and the claim that creation itself is eternal.