Another objection argues that if no created thing existed eternally, positing eternal takwīn would make it idle or ineffective.
The reply again distinguishes the existence of an attribute from the actual occurrence of a specific object related to it. An attribute need not exhibit every effect at every time. Divine power includes possibilities never actually brought about; their absence does not negate power.
Because takwīn specifically concerns origination, however, that analogy is not enough on its own. One must explain its relation to a product at the product’s specified time. This leads to discussion of a temporal relation or the temporal realization of the relation.