The Meaning of the Poet's Statement: "And the failure of the effect after the completion of *** its cause is impossible; it is not possible"
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The Shaykh :"And the failure of the effect after the completion of *** its cause is impossible; it is not possible"
He means: He is refuting them, saying: If you say that Allah the Exalted had no created effect in eternity, and then He came to have a created effect, or if you say that Allah is All-Powerful but the thing He has power over failed to occur, this is impossible. For the failure of the effect after the completion of its cause is impossible. If the cause exists, the effect must exist and cannot fail. So if Allah is All-Powerful and an Actor, why is the created effect not eternal, just as the act of creation is eternal? However, if we say that it is eternal, it does not necessitate that it be equal to the Actor, because the act comes after the Actor, and the created effect comes after the act.
He means: He is refuting them, saying: If you say that Allah the Exalted had no created effect in eternity, and then He came to have a created effect, or if you say that Allah is All-Powerful but the thing He has power over failed to occur, this is impossible. For the failure of the effect after the completion of its cause is impossible. If the cause exists, the effect must exist and cannot fail. So if Allah is All-Powerful and an Actor, why is the created effect not eternal, just as the act of creation is eternal? However, if we say that it is eternal, it does not necessitate that it be equal to the Actor, because the act comes after the Actor, and the created effect comes after the act.