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Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Al-ghazali’s Argument For the Eternity of the World and the Problem of Divine Immutability and Timelessness Argument for the Eternity of the Universe Al-Ghazali began his first proof by summarizing the argument between theologians and philosophers, and started with his over arching premise: “That it is impossible for the temporal to proceed from an eternal.”[^24] Al-Ghazali recorded the philosopher’s argument, that without perceiving that the world proceeded from God co-eternally, the world would remain in the realm of pure possibility, since “existence would not have had that which gives [it] preponderance.”[^25] If the world did come into existence temporally, then the One who gave it existence would have had to “come into existence anew.” For if such an Originator did not come into existence anew, then the world would remain in the realm of possibility.

Yet, if the Originator did come into existence anew, the question arises, “who originated this giver of preponderance and why did it originate now and not earlier?”[^26] If the Eternal never changes, consequently, then either nothing ever comes into existence or “it comes into existence perpetually.” For God cannot exist in a state of refraining to act, then move into a state of acting. If this is not so, then the question arises, why was the world created at one point and not another?

Any answer given here, by the theologians, can only infer “a change in the states of affairs in the Eternal by way of power, instrument, time, purpose, or nature [that which] is impossible.”[^27] Al-Ghazali offered some possible replies to this argument.[^28] William Lane Craig comments Al-Ghazali’s first point is a clear repudiation of the notion of perfect cause. God is not the cause of the world in the sense that a cause is that which necessarily accompanies its effect.

But God is a cause in [a] second sense, a free agent that precedes its effect. Thus, the effect (the universe) need not follow upon the heels of the cause (God), but can appear a finite number of years ago when God willed from eternity that it should.[^29] Al-Ghazali’s reply began with the assertion that God willed from all eternity to create the world at a specific point.[^30] Al-Ghazali admits that an opponent would respond that this still has the temporal occurrence of the world being necessitated and caused.