Created and Eternal

One of the first questions in theology is: Does the universe have a beginning, or has it always existed? To answer this question, theologians classify existence into two categories. 1. Created (Hadith) A created thing is something that did not exist before, came into existence after non-existence, and has a beginning. Examples include a tree, a mountain, a human being, and a building. All of these things were once absent and later came into existence. 2. Eternal (Qadim) An eternal being is one whose existence has no beginning, was never absent, and was not preceded by non-existence. A truly eternal being never began to exist. According to Islamic theology, only Allah is eternal. Everything besides Allah came into existence after not existing. Why is this important? If something begins to exist, we naturally ask why it began and what caused it to exist. But if something is eternal, it does not require a beginning. This distinction forms the foundation of many theological arguments for the existence of Allah. Everyday example: a house did not exist. Builders constructed it. Now it exists. Therefore, the house is created. A house, tree, or human cannot be eternal because each begins to exist.