[^6]: We say ‘apparently’ because ‘the humanly host, guest,...

[^6]: We say ‘apparently’ because ‘the humanly host, guest, as well as the banquet’ all come under contingent existence, which has no dependence whatsoever. Hence in reality there isn’t and can never be any host in the independent sense of the word other than Allāh (SwT). [^7]: This can be understood by trying to appreciate the relation between the Primary Cause and every dependent being in the universe.

The relation is not like the human builder and his building, who after having built a beautiful edifice, is able to live independent of the edifice and has no existential control over the same, nor does the building need him to exist. If he were to die, the building would still remain erect. [^8]: Holy Qur’ān, 37:96.

📌This is one of the most explicit verses that endorses the belief accepted by the Imāmites who neither believe that they are coercively driven by Allāh (SwT) in every action they do, nor believe that they have complete independence in their action. They rather believe that whatever they do is volitional, but entirely by Allāh’s (SwT) power. Note the subtlety that while the action is attributed to the doer (ta‘malūn), Allāh (SwT) says that He is the One who Creates the action chosen by His servant.

[^9]: Contingent beings are those that do not exist essentially nor are they impossible to exist. Therefore in order for them to exist, they always need a cause. All the created beings are such. [^10]: Mafātīh al-Jinān, vol. 1, pg. 33. [^11]: Al-Balad al-Amīn, vol. 1, pg. 405. [^12]: al-Iqbāl, vol. 2, pg. 212. [^13]: Al-‘Adad al-Qawiyyah, vol. 1, pg. 163. [^14]: This refers to verse 5:63 of the Holy Qur’ān. Imām Khumaynī has a beautiful note on this issue in his commentary on tradition no.

31 [On the Indescribability of God] of his Forty Traditions. Previous…

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