The third degree of Tawhid pertains to the oneness of the source of creatorship (khaliqiyya). This means that there is no creator but God, and that whoever or whatever dons the robe of existence is of necessity His creature. The Qur'an mentions this aspect of Tawhid thus:
Say: God is the Creator of all things, and He is the One, the Almighty. (Sura al Ra'd, 16)
And again:
Such is God, your Lord, the Creator of all things. There is no God save Him. (Sura al-Ghafir, :62)
In addition to revelation, the intelligence also bears witness to the oneness of creatorship. For all that which is other than God is a possibility, as opposed to a necessity, and thus stands in need of something other than itself, in order that it be translated from possibility into actuality. Naturally this need for existence can only be fulfilled by God, and only through God can all the subsequent aspirations of the creature, once it exists, be realized.
The intelligenc bears witness to the oneness of creatorship. For all that which is other than God is a possibility, as opposed to a necessity, and thus stands in need of something other than itself, in order that it be translated from possibility into actuality. Naturally this need for existence can only be fulfilled by God, and only through God can all the subsequent aspirations of the creature, once it exists, be realized.
Needless to say, this affirmation of the oneness of creatorship does not imply the negation of secondary causality in the order of existence, for the principle by which contingent phenomena have reciprocal effects upon each other is itself derived from the authority of God. The reality of the cause and the very principle by which causality inheres in existent things-both should be grasped as manifestations of His will. It is He who bestows upon the sun and the moon their heat and light; and if He so desires, He can withdraw from them their capacity to influence phenomena. From these points it should be clear that He is indeed the sole Creator, without peer.
The Qur'an has confirmed the principle of causality; for example:
It is Allah who sends the winds, and they stir the clouds and spread them in the sky however He wills, and He makes them fragments so you see the rain emerge from within them. And when He causes it to fall upon whom He wills of His servants, immediately they rejoice (Sura al-Rum, 48) ·
Evil acts
Despite the fact that all phenomena are connected with the all-inclusive sphere of divine creatorship, it does not follow that the evil acts of God's creatures are also to be linked to God. It is true that every single phenomenon, insofar as it is a contingent entity, cannot enter into existence without the support of the universal power and will of God. However, it must clearly be stated that in the case of man-since he is a being endowed by divine providence with free will and the capacity for independent decision-making as regards his actions-the quality of his actions will depend upon his own decisions.
Despite the fact that all phenomena are connected with the all-inclusive sphere of divine creatorship, it does not follow that the evil acts of God's creatures are also to be linked to God. It is true that every single phenomenon, insofar as it is a contingent entity, cannot enter into existence without the support of the universal power and will of God. However, it must clearly be stated that in the case of man-since he is a being endowed by divine providence with free will and the capacity for independent decision-making as regards his actions-the quality of his actions will depend upon his own decisions.
But the capacity to make rational decisions, proper to man alone, determines the extent to which man's actions will conform to the standards established by the intelligence and the divine law alike. Let us consider two actions such as eating and drinking. Insofar as these actions partake of existence, they are grounded in the divine reality. But from another angle we must note, firstly that 'existence', within these two actions, manifests in the form of 'eating' and 'drinking'; then, since it is man's free actions that result in these particular forms of existence, the actions must be seen as pertaining to the agent, man. These two actions, in their particular forms and qualities, cannot in any respect pertain to God. Thus, God must be understood as the bestower of existence, while man is the agent of the acts within existence, the actual eater and drinker.
1. Translator's note: The author seems to be implying the following idea, or principle of theodicy: since God is both absolute reality and infinite goodness, all that stems from Him cannot but be both-real and good; evil is grasped in this light as a transient and thus relatively unreal phenomenon, one which acquires its appearance of reality only from its capacity to negate reality/ goodness: that which negates reality can thus be grasped as 'unreal', hence the statement, 'evil does not really enter into existence'.
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