What does Al-mtqdm bal-ʿlya mean?

Islam > Glossary > Al-mtqdm bal-ʿlya

Discover the meaning of the term Al-mtqdm bal-ʿlya (متقدم بالعلية) in Islamic vocabulary.

Definition Al-mtqdm bal-ʿlya

Al-mtqdm bal-ʿlya according to Kitab at-Ta'rifat (Al-Jurjani)

It is the efficient producing cause with respect to its effect; its precedence by causality lies in its being an efficient cause, as the hand's motion: it is prior by causality to the brush's motion, though both are simultaneous in point of time.