Is there Time for God?

Transcendence as the highest Form of Temporality

Abstract

This article examines the widespread assumption within Islamic theology and philosophy that divine perfection necessarily implies timelessness. It argues that this view is based on certain conceptions of time that are neither explicitly prescribed in the Qur’an nor metaphysically compelling. In particular, it shows that the rejection of divine temporality often results from a problematic equation of time with space and from the identification of temporality with deficits such as finitude, changeability, or dependence. The essay does not defend the thesis that divine temporality is the only or preferable approach, but rather shows that the affirmation of a non-deficient form of divine temporality is compatible with central Islamic theological intuitions. Through a conceptual clarification of temporality and a distinction between physical and metaphysical time, it is argued that divine transcendence does not necessarily presuppose absolute atemporality. The aim of this article is to open up the conceptual space for considering divine temporality as a serious and coherent possibility within Islamic thought.