Are time and space considered among the issues of accidents (ʿaraḍ) and substances (jawhar), such that time is regarded as an accident and space as a substance?
"Substance, accident, where (place), and when (time) are topics in Islamic scholastic theology (kalam) and philosophy. These are difficult sciences and often provide no benefit, but rather may cause harm. Substance is that which exists by itself and carries others, while accident is that which does not exist by itself and is carried by others. Both time and place are accidents. Time is the measure of motion, and place is the inner surface of the containing substance that is in contact with the outer surface of the contained body. Sheikh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah refuted those who claimed that time and place are substances, explaining that these are matters conceived by the mind and do not have an external reality."
Summarized from the full answer at Ftawy · reviewed Sep 2, 2026
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