to power." [At that point] I asked him, "Was God moving from eternity?" He replied, "Exalted is God above that! Motion is an attribute that comes into being with the act of moving." I said, "Was God speaking from eternity?" The Imam replied, "Speaking is an attribute that comes into being and is not eternal. God, the Almighty and Glorified, was when there was no speaker."٤

NOTES

١. Qashji, Sharlz ai-Tajrid, p. ٣٥٤.
٢. See Ajwad al-Taqrirlit, on the subject of qui in jurisprudence.
٣. Drwan a/Akhtal (Beirut: Dar adir,
٤. Kulayni, ai-Kafi, vol. ٣, pp. ٣١٤-١٥.