Occurrence of Attributes as an Argument for the Existence of God in Imami Theology

One of the old and lesser known arguments in Islamic and Shiite theology to prove the existence of God is an argument called the proof of the occurrence of attributes. In this argument, considering the occurrence of special attributes for bodies and also essential need of each spacio-temporal being to an immaterial creator, the existence of an immaterial creator, ie God, as the creator of the attributes of these beings is proved. The background and various interpretations and evolutions of this argument have not been studied in the history of Imami theology so far and little is known about this theological argument. Therefore, in the present article, following the Imami theological texts, its background, historical developments and various interpretations are recognized and explained, and finally, this argument is evaluated. The present study indicates that despite the incompleteness of this argument, some Imami theologians in different periods and schools of Imami theology have used different interpretations of the argument to prove the existence of God and have considered it as a complete argument.