The Book of Distinction

Blessed be God, the God of Israel, the One and Only, the Eternal, who ceases neither to exist, nor to be worshiped, the Everlasting, the Enduring, the First without beginning, and the Last without ending, the Unequaled, the Lord, the like of whom nothing exists, unique in His eternity, distinguished by His unity, without equal or partner.

He has planted in our intellects the obligation to speculate upon those matters which demonstrate His existence, and which lead to the knowledge of His true existence. [This is] like the statement of the saint: The heavens declare the glory of God, and the firmament shows His handiwork (Psalms 19:2).

He has notified [us] as well [that we are to] contemplate the perceptible things [in this world], raise questions [about them], and investigate their origins and creation, as it is stated: Lift up your eyes on high and see: who created these? He who brings out [their host] by number, [calling them all by name] (Isaiah 40:26). Were blind acceptance of authority [Arabic, taqlīd] the path to knowledge of Him and His attributes, it would not be necessary for us to contemplate His actions.

The phrase who created these is not a question [directed] to human beings, but rather a proof expressed figuratively. Indeed, [He] draws attention to the proof by [the very next words in] the verse: He who brings out their host by number, calling them all by name by the greatness of His might (Isaiah 40:26). The [hosts’] ordered array demonstrates that He is omnipotent and omniscient, as it states: by the greatness of His might, and because He is strong in power not one is missing (Isaiah 40:26). Were He not omniscient, He could not describe them, as it is stated: He counts the number of the stars; He gives them all their names (Psalms 147:4).

Now, he who abandons rational speculation, because he finds it too troublesome, and takes it easy—which he finds refreshing—deceives himself, since he does not believe that his opponent might be right, and he is familiar with that to which he is accustomed. For the members of different religious factions, which oppose each other, are accustomed to [the beliefs] in which they were raised.

Now it is impossible that two contradictory propositions both be true; one of the two must be false. And we are obliged to avoid what is false. Now if one personally doesn’t know [which is false], he will not be able to avoid it with confidence. Therefore, he is obliged to know [which is false] and to distinguish it [from what is true] so as to turn away from it toward that which he knows to be true and proper.

And so, it is stated: Thus says the Lord: “Stand in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths, where the good way is; and walk in it, and you will find rest for your souls” (Jeremiah 6:16). The different religious factions are compared to paths, since among them, one finds those that lead to miserable buildings and places, as well as those leading to uninhabited places. He who reaches them is censured and ruined. It is the same with [those] religious factions whose false doctrine brings censure upon their adherents as well as eternal punishment. He who exercises rational speculation and knows the correct path will succeed and be saved.

A person should know that God is incorporeal, that He is the creator of bodies, that He brings some of them to life, nourishes them, and imposes obligations on them, while alluding to the eternal recompense, which is the ultimate good for them, and the utmost good that a rational being seeks. And since it would not be good to bestow grace through that reward itself, God has bestowed grace [upon us by indicating] the path to it [i.e., the reward].

This is the obligation [of humankind]: its root is to know God, His attributes, and His actions, and the way by which one is to attain knowledge of Him, as we will show you in this book, chapter by chapter.

We begin—as is the custom of the theologians [mutakallimūn]—by introducing you to several special terms. Understanding them will bring [you] closer to the knowledge you desire, God willing. Know that rational people must reach agreement concerning the terminology [they employ], so that they can make each other understand their desires and intentions. [ . . . ] Therefore, the theologians sketched the preliminaries for the novice, leading him to an understanding of his teacher’s intentions. For all the terms, they established definitions, for a definition is like an explanation of a word’s meaning. Now we will present the essentials in brief so that it will be easy for you [to grasp] what we wish to explain to you subsequently, God willing.