Praise be to Allah, and may peace and blessings be upon the Messenger of Allah, his family, and all his Companions. To proceed:
These questions are based on confusing possible things, to which divine power applies, with intrinsically impossible things that have no real existence. This is the basis for answering this objection.
Allah سبحانه وتعالى is One, without any partner. He is the Creator of everything, and there cannot be another god equal to Him in His essence, attributes, or actions.
Allah تعالى says:
﴿Had there been gods in the heavens and the earth besides Allah, both would surely have been ruined. So glory be to Allah, Lord of the Throne, above what they describe.﴾ [Al-Anbiya’ 21:22]
And He says:
﴿Allah has never taken a son, nor has there ever been with Him any other god. Otherwise, each god would have taken away what he created, and some of them would have dominated others. Glory be to Allah above what they describe.﴾ [Al-Mu’minun 23:91]
If the existence of two independent gods were assumed, each would have to possess the characteristics of divinity and each would have independent authority. This would necessarily lead to conflict and disagreement, contradicting the order of the universe and the unity of its governance.
Ibn Kathir, may Allah have mercy on him, explained that the existence of multiple gods would require each god to be independent over what he created, which would lead to corruption in the order of existence and would also entail each attempting to overpower and dominate the others.
The question itself contains a contradiction.
An actual god, according to the meaning of divinity, cannot be created, because a created being depends upon its Creator. Whoever is created cannot be an independent god.
If Allah تعالى were to create something and then it were called a “god,” then either that created being would be an independent creator who does not need Allah—which contradicts its being created—or it would be a created servant dependent upon Allah, in which case it would not be a god.
Therefore, the phrase “create a god like Himself” combines two contradictory descriptions: being created and being a god equal to the Creator.
Scholars have explained that this question falls under the category of the impossible, because what is truly a god cannot be created, while what is created cannot be a god equal to Allah تعالى.
This objection is likewise based on constructing a question that contains a contradiction.
When we say that Allah تعالى “is capable of all things,” this means that His power encompasses everything whose existence is possible. As for something that is intrinsically impossible, it is not an existent thing to which power can apply.
Examples of the intrinsically impossible include something existing and not existing at the same time and in the same respect, or something being both created and a god equal to its Creator at the same time.
Such things are not realities that can actually exist; rather, they are mental concepts containing contradictions.
Allah تعالى says:
﴿Indeed, Allah is capable of all things.﴾
This does not mean that contradictions and intrinsic impossibilities are included in the concept of a “thing.”
An intrinsically impossible thing cannot exist in the first place, and therefore it is not a real thing.
Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, established that everything whose existence is possible falls under Allah’s power. As for what is intrinsically impossible—such as the simultaneous existence and nonexistence of the same thing—it has no reality and cannot possibly exist. This includes what is described as “creating something identical to Himself.”
Ibn al-Qayyim, may Allah have mercy on him, stated that the impossible is not a thing and therefore is not subject to power, whereas every possible thing falls within the power of Allah تعالى.
It is important to distinguish between two matters:
Being unable to do something that is possible: This is a deficiency, and Allah سبحانه وتعالى is far above any inability.
Power not applying to something that is intrinsically impossible: This is not inability, because the impossible cannot exist in the first place.
If someone asks, “Can Allah make a triangle square while it remains a triangle and a square at the same time?” the problem is not with Allah’s power. Rather, the question demands two contradictory descriptions to exist simultaneously in the same thing and in the same respect.
Likewise, the question, “Can Allah create something He is unable to lift?” assumes the existence of something Allah is capable of creating and then assumes that He would be unable to deal with it. This entails denying His absolute power, which contradicts the premise of the question itself.
These questions cannot validly be used to argue that there is any deficiency in Allah’s power, because they are based on impossible concepts and logical contradictions, not on real things whose existence is possible.
Allah سبحانه وتعالى is capable of all things, and His power encompasses everything whose existence is possible. Nothing possible lies outside His power.
As for “creating another god like Himself” or “creating something Allah would be unable to lift,” both expressions contain a contradiction in their conception. A god cannot be created, and something that Allah is unable to lift does not fall within the reality of the divine power that Allah has described. Likewise, an intrinsically impossible thing is not a thing at all for divine power to act upon.
And Allah تعالى knows best.