Attributes do not exist without substance, and substance does not exist without attributes, making them inseparable and non-dependent on each other.
However, the actions resulting from attributes do not merge with the substance, as the power of attributes and the substance itself still exist even in the absence of actions.
Thus, the effects resulting from these attributes are close (dependent on substance).
Substance (creation) depends on Essence (Creator) because the substance itself exists due to the power of the attributes of Essence.
Substance is understood as a manifestation or result of the power of the attributes of Essence.
Both (attributes & Essence) are fundamental aspects that are equal, neither preceding the other.
However, both (substance & Essence) are not fundamental aspects because substance depends on the power of the attributes of Essence.
Even though substance is not an attribute, it is the power of the attributes of Essence, hence substance does not merge with Essence.
Substance is the power of Essence, thus substance only merges with its own attributes but depends on the power of the attributes of Essence and does not merge with Essence.
Essence-Attributes & Substance-Attributes
Substance merges with its attributes, but this does not mean that creation, as the power of His attributes, merges with His Essence. Substance and its attributes are an inseparable unity, while substance and Essence have a dependency relationship.
Substance depends on the power of His attributes, where the absence of the power of His attributes means the absence of substance, but the absence of substance still affirms the presence of Essence, indicating that substance with the power of His attributes is not inseparably merged with His Essence but affirms proximity.
Inseparable Unity & Closeness
📌 Distinguish between inseparable unity and closeness that affirms dependency.
Closeness affirms absolute dependency, not the unity of substance with Essence, while inseparable unity affirms the absence of dependency because it is a singularity.
The inseparability of substance and its attributes affirms their unity, whereas the dependency of substance on Essence affirms the proximity of substance to Essence.
Inseparability & Encompassing
📌 Distinguish between inseparability (unity) and encompassing.
Although substance does not merge with Essence, it does not mean that Essence does not encompass substance. Essence encompasses substance but does not merge with it.
The encompassing of Essence over substance does not mean the unity of Essence with substance, due to the condition of substance being dependent on Essence.
The encompassing of Essence over substance affirms the power of His attributes over substance, which also affirms the dependency of substance on His power.
Differentiation
🎯 Therefore, we must distinguish between "unity," "encompassing," and "dependency" ✅ to avoid conflating them and deifying creation ❌.
❇️ The power of Essence encompasses substance, thus substance depends on Essence.
❇️ The attributes of substance merge with its attributes, which are encompassed by His Essence without substance merging with Essence.
❇️ The encompassing of Essence over substance makes substance close to Essence due to the dependency of substance on Essence, thus Essence encompasses without inseparably merging with substance.
If the one encompassing also merges with the one encompassed, then the encompassed would not depend on the encompassing, making Essence and substance inseparable, meaning neither can precede the other ❌.
Thus, encompassing affirms the dependency of something without releasing it from the encompassing, merely affirming the domain of authority without affirming unity.
Understanding Unity & Encompassing
If unified, there is no distance and no dependency, thus encompassing does not affirm unity because the encompassing and the encompassed affirm dependency.
📌 If the unity between the results of actions and the power of His attributes is forced, it is because there is no gap between the power and its result, but it does not mean there is no dependency between the result of His power and the power of His attributes.
- 👉 Therefore, understanding the unity between creation and the power of the attributes of His Essence must be understood as there being no gap between creation and the act of creation (kun fa yakun), and cannot be understood further as an "inseparable unity between creation and Essence due to a dependency the substance to Essence.
