The Criterion for being an Effect

“A quiddity does not come into existence unless brought into existence by the cause. Its being brought into existence by the cause depends on the quiddity’s existence becoming necessary, which again depends on its being necessitated by the cause. From what was said earlier, it becomes clear that the cause’s making its existence necessary depends on the quiddity’s need for it and the quiddity’s need for it depends on its contingency. For were it not contingent, and were it necessary or impossible, of necessity it would not need any cause. Hence its need depends necessarily on its contingency” [Bidaya,IV,VIII]

From the viewpoint of the Philosophers, the criterion for being an effect معلول and hence being dependent on a cause علت is not temporal origination حدوث زمانی but essential-contingency امکان ذاتی; therefore it is by no means necessary for an existent موجود to come into existence from a prior non-existence عدم in order to be an effect and hence depend upon a cause; according to the Argument from Contingency برھان امکان an existent would be an effect and consequently dependent on a cause if its essence negates both the necessity of existence and the necessity of non-existence, such that it is neither necessary for it to exist nor is it necessary for it not to exist, but both existence and non-existence are possible in relation to it; such an essence is equidistant with respect to both existence and non-existence, in that it is inclined towards neither of the two; due to this equidistance it is in need of an external preponderant مرجح or determining factor for granting preponderance or preference to either existence or non-existence in order for it to exist or not exist; no such preponderance can occur in the absence of such a determinant and the equidistance would continue to hold; in the presence of a determinant that grants preference to its existence over its non-existence, the state of equidistance ceases to hold, and the essence enters the realm of being; it makes no difference whether the essence is originated or eternal قدیم, if it negates both the necessity to exist and the necessity for non-existence, it would be an effect in need of a cause for existence. Therefore even an eternal universe would continue to be an effect of some cause despite its eternity due to essential contingency; its eternity does not render it independent of a cause.