From Risālaħ Fī Mabādiʾ ʿIlm Al-Kalām – Translated by Faizan

Know: necessity (wujūb) is either intrinsic (biḏ-ḏāt) or extrinsic (bil-ḡayr). The first is where it relies on the essence (ḏāt) without consideration of another matter such as the necessity of the Creator. The second is where it occurs to the essence with consideration of something external to it such as the necessity of the existence of Zayd who is existent [as it is within God’s knowledge that Zayd will exist]. Likewise, impossibility (ʾimtināʿ) is either intrinsic like a partner for the Creator, or extrinsic like the impossibility of Zayd being non-existent.

It is not hidden that extrinsic necessity and impossibility, each one of these are accidental (ʿāriḍ) and not fundamental (ʾaṣlīyy) and every accidental subject relies on an accident-accepting place (maḥall maʿrūḍ). The accident-accepting subject of both of these is possible (mumkin) intrinsically and not extrinsically. The necessary (wājib) extrinsic and impossible (mumtaniʿ) extrinsic are possible intrinsically. Because possible when mentioned generally is considered to be possible intrinsically. ʿAbd Al-Ḥakīm As-Siyālkūtīyy, may Allah have mercy on him, clarified this in his Ḥāšiyaħ of Šarḥ Al-Mawāqif, where he says:

“The possible extrinsically – which is caused by something other than it – is not conceivable because if it was possible extrinsically then it would be necessary or impossible intrinsically [at the same time] necessitating alternation. (ʾinqilāb)”¹

From the special qualities (ḵawāṣṣ) of intrinsic necessity is that it is impossible to be compounded (murakkab) with other than it and for other than it to be composed of it such that one reality may result from it and other than it, because every compounded, is contingent (muftaqir) upon its parts and every contingent is possible.