LessonsThe Attribute of Takwīn: Reality, Eternity, Created Effects and RelationsQuiz

The central objection is: if takwīn is eternal, how can the created product be temporal? Must the effect of an eternal producer also be eternal?

The response distinguishes the existence of the attribute from the time of its relation to a particular object. Divine power and knowledge are eternal, yet possible things related to them come to exist at different times. Thus the eternity of takwīn is not taken to entail that every created thing is eternal.

This is not a merely verbal solution: it claims a specific relation of the eternal attribute to a temporally produced effect, according to divine knowledge and will.

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Eternal takwīn and a temporal product

The Attribute of Takwīn: Reality, Eternity, Created Effects and Relations

The central objection is: if takwīn is eternal, how can the created product be temporal? Must the effect of an eternal producer also be eternal?

The response distinguishes the existence of the attribute from the time of its relation to a particular object. Divine power and knowledge are eternal, yet possible things related to them come to exist at different times. Thus the eternity of takwīn is not taken to entail that every created thing is eternal.

This is not a merely verbal solution: it claims a specific relation of the eternal attribute to a temporally produced effect, according to divine knowledge and will.