because He is the Cause of causes (Mu‘allil al-‘ilal), and there is no cause above Him.

Second: That we know that He, glorified is He, was when there was no locus, no epoch, no time, no human, and no jinn. He was Knowing when there was no object of knowledge, a Lord when there was no subject of lordship, and Powerful when there was no object of power. Thus, in His primordial eternity, neither name, nor attribute, nor boundary, nor description can be applied to Him; letters cannot articulate Him, nor can He be characterized by any descriptor.

Third: That we know that He, glorified is He, is Primordial and Pre-Eternal (qadīm azal); nothing exists before Him, and nothing exists after Him. His Being preceded all times, His existence preceded nothingness, and His pre-eternity preceded all beginnings. He is the First before every first, and He is the Last after every last.

Fourth: That we know that He, glorified is He, is a unique genus unto Himself and a single Essence—an indivisible, solid Entity (juz’ aṣamm) that can neither be partitioned nor fractioned,