Who was, and there was nothing alongside Him; for this reason, the verifier (al-muhaqqiq) said: "And He is now exactly as He was." If you restrict it by two conditions such that there is something alongside it, then it is the very essence of the restricted entity, which exists through Him and without Him is non-existent. He has manifested in its form, and existence has been attributed to it; thus, if the attribution is dropped, it is non-existent in its own essence.

Commentary on the Peak of Eloquence (Sharh Nahj al-Balaghah):

"And monotheism is not perfected except by purifying the innermost secret strictly for Him, the Exalted, without the glimmering of any aspect of created things (al-hawadith) when turning toward Him and seeking the illumination of His light. This sincerity is not complete until it is accompanied by the negation of the attributes that appear within the witnessed individuations of specific entities. This is because recognizing the Most Sacred Essence through such attributes implies an evaluation of the Essence as one thing, and another distinct entity as something else separate from It yet alongside It.