Al-Tawḥīd

15 - حدثنا علي بن أحمد بن محمد بن عمران الدقاق رحمه الله، قال: حدثنا محمد بن أبي عبد الله الكوفي، قال: حدثنا محمد بن إسماعيل البرمكي، قال حدثنا علي بن العباس، قال: حدثنا الحسن بن محبوب، عن حماد بن عمرو النصيبي، قال: سألت جعفر بن محمد عليهما السلام عن التوحيد، فقال: واحد، صمد، أزلي، صمدي لا ظل له يمسكه، وهو يمسك الأشياء بأظلتها عارف بالمجهول، معروف عند كل جاهل فرداني، لا خلقه فيه ولا هو في خلقه، غير محسوس ولا مجسوس ولا تدركه الأبصار، علا فقرب، ودنا فبعد، وعصى فغفر، وأطيع فشكر، لا تحويه أرضه، ولا تقله سماواته، وإنه حامل الأشياء بقدرته، ديمومي، أزلي، لا ينسى، ولا يلهو ولا يغلط، ولا يلعب، ولا لإرادته فصل وفصله جزاء، و أمره واقع، لم يلد فيورث، ولم يولد فيشارك، ولم يكن له كفوا أحد.

15. `Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn `Imran al-Daqqaq (May Allah have mercy on him) said: Muhammad ibn Abu `Abd Allah al-Kufi said: Muhammad ibn Isma`il al-Barmake said: `Ali ibn al- `Abbas said: al-Hasan ibn Mahbub said on the authority of Hammad ibn `Amr alNasibi that: I asked Ja`far ibn Muhammad (AS) regarding Diving Unity; hence, he said: He is the One, the Needless, the Eternal, and the Independent. He has no protection to which He may adhere, But he is the Protector of All things. He is the Knower of the unknown. He is known (even) to the ignorant. He is related to uniqueness. His Creation is not in Him, nor is He in His Creation. He is not sensed nor felt, and eyes cannot perceive Him. He is Elevated, yet He is Near. He is close, yet He is far. He is disobeyed, yet He forgives. He is obeyed, so He rewards. The Earth does not encompass Him. His Heavens do not carry Him. Verily, He carries all things by means of His Omnipotence. He is related to perpetuity and eternity. He does not forget nor waste time. He does not make mistakes or play. There is no separation for His Intent. His Judgment is His Reward, and His Command is accomplished. He does not beget to be inherited, not is He begotten to have an associate. And there is none like unto Him.

16 - وبهذا الإسناد، عن علي بن العباس، قال: حدثنا يزيد بن عبد الله عن الحسين بن سعيد الخزاز، عن رجاله، عن أبي عبد الله عليه السلام، قال: الله غاية من غياه، والمغيى، غير الغاية، توحد بالربوبية، ووصف نفسه بغير محدودية، فالذاكر الله غير الله، والله غير أسمائه وكل شئ وقع عليه اسم شئ سواه فهو مخلوق (١) ألا ترى قوله: (العزة لله، العظمة لله)، وقال: ﴿ولله الأسماء الحسنى فادعوه بها﴾ (٢) وقال: ﴿قل ادعوا الله أو ادعوا الرحمن أياما تدعوا فله الأسماء الحسنى﴾ فالأسماء مضافة إليه، وهو التوحيد الخالص .

16. With the same chain of narration on the authority of `Ali ibn al- `Abbas that Yazid ibn `Abd Allah said on the authority of al-Husayn ibn Sa`id al-Khazzaz, on the authority of the ones he relates from, that Abu `Abd Allah al-Sadiq (AS) said: Allah is the Goal of those who seek to reach him, and the seeker differs from the Goal. He is United in His Lordship. He described Himself as Limitless. Hence, the one remembering Allah is other than Allah. And Allah is other than His Names. Every identifier differs from the identified, and is thus a creation. Do you not see what His Word says: the might belongs to Allah, the reverence belongs to Allah, and He said: And Allah’s are the best names; therefore, call on Him thereby.1 And He said: Say: Call upon Allah or call upon, the Most Compassionate Allah; whichever you call upon, He has the best names.2 Therefore, the names of Allah are subjoined to Him, and this is the purest expression of Divine Unity.

17 - حدثنا علي بن أحمد بن محمد بن عمران الدقاق رحمه الله، قال: حدثنا محمد بن أبي عبد الله الكوفي أبو الحسين ، قال: حدثني موسى بن عمران، عن الحسين ابن يزيد، عن إبراهيم بن الحكم بن ظهير، عن عبد الله بن جرير العبدي، عن جعفر بن محمد عليهما السلام أنه كان يقول: الحمد لله الذي لا يحس، ولا يجس، ولا يمس لا يدرك بالحواس الخمس، ولا يقع عليه الوهم، ولا تصفه الألسن، فكل شئ حسته الحواس أو جسته الجواس أو لمسته الأيدي فهو مخلوق، والله هو العلي حيث ما يبتغى يوجد، والحمد لله الذي كان قبل أن يكون كان لم يوجد لوصفه كان بل كان أولا كائنا لم يكونه مكون، جل ثناؤه، بل كون الأشياء قبل كونها فكانت كما كونها، علم ما كان وما هو كائن، كان إذ لم يكن شئ ولم ينطق فيه ناطق فكان إذ لا كان.

17. `Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn `Imran al-Daqqaq (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Muhammad ibn Abu `Abd Allah al-Kufi Abu al-Husayn said: Musa ibn `Imran related to me on the authority of al-Husayn ibn Yazid, on the authority of Ibrahim ibn al-Hakam ibn Zuhayr, on the authority of `Abd Allah ibn Jarir al- `Abdi that All praise is for Allah who is neither sense, nor felt, nor touched, and who cannot be perceived with the five senses. He cannot be imagined. He cannot be described by tongues. Everything that can be sensed is created. And Allah is the Most High. Wherever He is searched He is found. All praise is for Allah who was before the ward `was’ (was created). The word `was’ was not there to describe Him. In fact, He was the First Being. No creator has made Him. Exalted be His Praise! Rather, He created things before they existed; therefore, they were as He made them. He knows what has existed, and what will exist. He was there when nothing was there, and when nothing could be heard. Thus, He existed when there was no existence.

18 - حدثنا علي بن أحمد بن محمد بن عمران الدقاق رحمه الله، قال: حدثنا محمد بن أبي عبد الله الكوفي، قال: حدثنا محمد بن إسماعيل البرمكي، قال: حدثنا الحسين بن الحسن بن بردة ، قال: حدثني العباس بن عمرو الفقيمي، عن أبي القاسم إبراهيم بن محمد العلوي، عن الفتح بن يزيد الجرجاني، قال: لقيته عليه السلام على الطريق عند منصرفي من مكة إلى خراسان وهو سائر إلى العراق فسمعته يقول: من اتقى الله يتقى، ومن أطاع الله يطاع. فتلطفت في الوصول إليه فوصلت فسلمت فرد علي السلام ثم قال: يا فتح من أرضى الخالق لم يبال بسخط المخلوق، ومن أسخط الخالق فقمن أن يسلط عليه سخط المخلوق، وإن الخالق لا يوصف إلا بما وصف به نفسه وأنى يوصف الذي تعجز الحواس أن تدركه، والأوهام أن تناله، والخطرات أن تحده، والأبصار عن الإحاطة به؟ جل عما وصفه الواصفون، وتعالى عما ينعته الناعتون، نأى في قربه، وقرب في نأيه، فهو في بعده قريب، وفي قربه بعيد، كيف الكيف فلا يقال له: كيف وأين الأين فلا يقال له أين، إذ هو مبدع الكيفوفية والأينونية يا فتح كل جسم مغذي بغذاء إلا الخالق الرزاق، فإنه جسم الأجسام، وهو ليس بجسم ولا صورة، لم يتجزأ، ولم يتناه، ولم يتزايد، ولم يتناقص، مبرء من ذات ما ركب في ذات من جسمه وهو اللطيف الخبير السميع البصير الواحد الأحد الصمد، لم يلد ولم يولد، ولم يكن له كفوا أحد، منشئ الأشياء ومجسم الأجسام، و مصور الصور، لو كان كما يقول المشبهة لم يعرف الخالق من المخلوق، ولا الرازق من المرزوق، ولا المنشئ من المنشأ لكنه المنشئ، فرق بين من جسمه وصوره و شيئه وبينه إذ كان لا يشبهه شئ. قلت: فالله واحد والإنسان واحد، فليس قد تشابهت الوحدانية؟ فقال: أحلت ثبتك الله إنما التشبيه في المعاني فأما في الأسماء فهي واحدة وهي دلالة على المسمى وذلك أن الإنسان وإن قيل واحد فإنه يخبر أنه جثة واحدة وليس باثنين، والإنسان نفسه ليس بواحد، لأن أعضاءه مختلفة، وألوانه مختلفة غير واحدة، وهو أجزاء مجزأة ليس سواء دمه غير لحمه، ولحمه غير دمه، وعصبه غير عروقه، وشعره غير بشره. وسواده غير بياضه، وكذلك سائر جميع الخلق، فالإنسان واحد في الاسم، لا واحد في المعنى والله جل جلاله واحد لا واحد غيره، ولا اختلاف فيه، ولا تفاوت، ولا زيادة، ولا نقصان، فأما الإنسان المخلوق المصنوع المؤلف فمن أجزاء مختلفة وجواهر شتى غير أنه بالاجتماع شئ واحد. قلت: فقولك: اللطيف فسره لي، فإني أعلم أن لطفه خلاف لطف غيره للفصل، غير أني أحب أن تشرح لي، فقال: يا فتح إنما قلت: اللطيف للخلق اللطيف ولعلمه بالشئ اللطيف، ألا ترى إلى أثر صنعه في النبات اللطيف وغير اللطيف، وفي الخلق اللطيف من أجسام الحيوان من الجرجس والبعوض وما هو أصغر منهما مما لا يكاد تستبينه العيون، بل لا يكاد يستبان لصغره الذكر من الأنثى، والمولود من القديم، فلما رأينا صغر ذلك في لطفه واهتدائه للسفاد والهرب من الموت والجمع لما يصلحه بما في لجج البحار (١) وما في لحاء الأشجار والمفاوز والقفار و إفهام بعضها عن بعض منطقها (٢) وما تفهم به أولادها عنها، ونقلها الغذاء إليها، ثم تأليف ألوانها حمرة مع صفرة وبياض مع حمرة علمنا أن خالق هذا الخلق لطيف، وأن كل صانع شئ فمن شئ صنع (٣) والله الخالق اللطيف الجليل خلق وصنع لا من شئ. قلت: جعلت فداك وغير الخالق الجليل خالق؟ قال: إن الله تبارك وتعالى يقول: ﴿تبارك الله أحسن الخالقين﴾ فقد أخبر أن في عباده خالقين منهم عيسى ابن مريم، خلق من الطين كهيئة الطير بإذن الله فنفخ فيه فصار طائرا بإذن الله، والسامري خلق لهم عجلا جسدا له خوار، قلت: إن عيسى خلق من الطين طيرا دليلا على نبوته، والسامري خلق عجلا جسدا لنقض نبوة موسى عليه السلام، وشاء الله أن يكون ذلك كذلك؟ إن هذا لهو العجب، فقال: ويحك يا فتح إن لله إرادتين ومشيتين إرادة حتم وإرادة عزم ينهى وهو يشاء، ويأمر وهو لا يشاء، أوما رأيت أنه نهى آدم وزوجته عن أن يأكلا من الشجرة وهو شاء ذلك، ولو لم يشأ لم يأكلا ولو أكلا لغلبت مشيتهما مشية الله وأمر إبراهيم بذبح ابنه إسماعيل عليهما السلام، و شاء أن لا يذبحه، ولو لم يشأ أن لا يذبحه لغلبت مشية إبراهيم مشيئة الله عز وجل قلت: فرجت عني فرج الله عنك، غير أنك قلت: السميع البصير، سميع بالأذن وبصير بالعين؟ فقال: إنه يسمع بما يبصر، ويرى بما يسمع، بصير لا بعين مثل عين المخلوقين، وسميع لا بمثل سمع السامعين، لكن لما لم يخف عليه خافية من أثر الذرة السوداء على الصخرة الصماء في الليلة الظلماء تحت الثرى والبحار قلنا: بصير، لا بمثل عين المخلوقين، ولما لم يشتبه عليه ضروب اللغات ولم يشغله سمع عن سمع قلنا: سميع، لا مثل سمع السامعين. قلت: جعلت فداك قد بقيت مسألة، قال: هات لله أبوك. قلت: يعلم القديم الشئ الذي لم يكن أن لو كان كيف كان يكون؟ (١) قال: ويحك إن مسائلك لصعبة، أما سمعت الله يقول: ﴿لو كان فيهما آلهة إلا الله لفسدتا﴾ (٢) وقوله: ﴿ولعلا بعضهم على بعض﴾ (٣) وقال يحكي قول أهل النار: ﴿أخرجنا نعمل صالحا غير الذي كنا نعمل﴾ (٤) وقال: ﴿ولو ردوا لعادوا لما نهوا عنه﴾ فقد علم الشئ الذي لم يكن أن لو كان كيف كان يكون. فقمت لا قبل يده ورجله، فأدنى رأسه فقبلت وجهه ورأسه، وخرجت و بي من السرور والفرح ما أعجز عن وصفه لما تبينت من الخير والحظ. قال مصنف هذا الكتاب رضي الله عنه: إن الله تبارك وتعالى نهى آدم وزوجته عن أن يأكلا من الشجرة، وقد علم أنهما يأكلان منها، لكنه عز وجل شاء أن لا يحول بينهما وبين الأكل منها بالجبر والقدرة كما منعهما من الأكل منها بالنهي والزجر، فهذا معنى مشيته فيهما، ولو شاء عز وجل منعهما من الأكل بالجبر ثم أكلا منها لكانت مشيتهما قد غلبت مشيته كما قال العالم عليه السلام، تعالى الله عن العجز علوا كبيرا.

18. `Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn `Imran al-Daqqaq (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Muhammad ibn Abu `Abd Allah al-Kufi said: Muhammad ibn `Isma`il al-Barmaki said: alHusayn ibn al-Hasan ibn Burdah said: al- `Abbas ibn `Amr al-Fuqami said on the authority of Abu al-Qasim Ibrahim ibn Muhammad al- `Alawi, on the authority of al-Fath ibn Yazid alJurjani that I met him (AS) on my return from Mecca to Khurasan and he was going to Iraq. I heard him say that “Whoever fears Allah is feared, and whoever obeys Allah is obeyed.” So I politely went over to him and greeted him. Hence, he (AS) returned my greetings and then added: O Fath, he who pleases the Creator does not consider the displeasure of the creation. And he who displeases the Creator deserves that that displeasure of creation overpowers him. Verily, the Creator can only be described by means of the attributes He has given Himself. And how could He be described when he made the senses incapable of conceiving Him, the concepts incapable of describing Him, and the eyes incapable of perceiving Him? He is far above the attributes of the attributers and the descriptions of the describers. He is distant in His Closeness and close in His Distance. Thus, He is near in His Farness and Far in His Nearness. Since He created conditions, the question `how’ cannot apply to Him. He ionized space; therefore, the question `where’ cannot apply to Him. IN doing so He is the Inventor [Mubdi’] of conditions and space. O Fath! Everybody is nourished with food except the Creator, the Sustainer. Verily, He created bodies, yet He has neither body nor image. He does not have parts, not does He have an end. He does not increase or decrease. He is not composed of any substance that would be found in a body. He is the Subtle, the All-Knowing, the All-Listening, and the All-Hearing. He is the One, the Unique, and the Needless. He begets not, nor is He begotten, and there is nothing equal unto Him. He is the Producer of All things. He gave shape to all bodies and made all images. IF it were as the anthropomorphist say, then the Creator could not be distinguished from the created, the Sustainer from the sustained, or the Originator from the originated. However, He is the Producer. He differs from created bodies, images and things in that He resembles nothing. I asked: “if Allah is One and humankind is one, do they not resemble each other in oneness?” Hence, he (AS) replied: You have said something impossible. May Allah secure you! Verily, the resemblance is limited to meaning. Names are one, and they indicate what is named. When it is said that the human being is one, it means that he is one as opposed to two. But, in fact, the human being is not truly one because his body parts are different and his colors are different. He is composed of many parts which are not the same. His blood is other than his flesh. His flesh is other than his blood. His nerves are other than his veins. His hair is other than his skin. His darkness is other than his paleness. Likewise is the rest of creation. Thus, the human being in only “one” in name but not “one” in meaning. Allah, Exalted be His Majesty, is One and there is none other than Him. There is no variation, contrast, increase, or decrease in Him. As for the human being, he is created from different parts and different substances. He is only “one” in combination. I enquired: As for your statement regarding “the Subtle,” kindly explain it to me, I know, of course, that His Subtlety differs from that of others. However, I would appreciate it if you could explain it to me in greater detail. Therefore, he (AS) answered: O Fath! I said: He is Subtle in subtleness of His Creation and in His Knowledge of microscopic matter. Do you not see His Stamp on the various types of plants, both soft and rough? And do you not contemplate the subtle creation of creatures like the gnat and the mosquito and those insects which are even smaller than these two and are almost invisible to the naked eye? In fact, they are almost invisible due to their tiny size, making it virtually impossible to differentiate the male from the female, and the young from the old. Thus, when we see the smallness of creatures in their refinement, their instinct to reproduce, and their fear of death; when we see the creatures that exist in the depths of the oceans, and in the branches of trees; when we see what exists in deserts and wastelands, and that each species has a means of communication through which they are understood by their offspring; when we see how creatures feed their offspring, and how creatures are distinguished by color, red with yellow, and white with red; then, and only then do we come to appreciate the subtlety of the Creator. Verily, everything has a precursor. Allah, the Creator, the Subtle, and the Sublime created everything out of nothing. I asked: “May I be your ransom! Is there a creator other than the Sublime Creator?” He (AS) replied: Verily, Allah, the Blessed and High says: Blessed be Allah, the best of creators.1 He has certainly acknowledged that there are creators among His Servants, including Jesus, the son of Mary [Isa ibn Maryam] (AS). He created from clay a figure of a bird by the will of Allah. Then he breathed into it, and it became a bird, by the will of Allah. And Samiri made for them the body of a calf that mooed. I enquired: “Undoubtedly `Isa created from clay a bird as a proof of his Prophethood, while Samiri made the body of calf to refute Musa’s (AS) Prophethood. Was that Allah’s will? Certainly this is astonishing.” He answered: Woe unto you, O Fath! Verily, Allah has two intents or two wills; the definite [hatm] intent, and the determined [`azm] intent. He forbids with desire, and orders without desire. Have you not seen that He banned Adam (AS) and his wife from eating from the tree while He wanted them to. Had he not willed it, they would not have eaten it, and if they had not eaten it, they would have defied Allah’s will. He ordered Ibrahim (AS) to slaughter his son Isma`il (AS) and desired him not to slaughter him. If He did not will for him to slaughter him, then Ibrahim (AS) would have defied Allah’s will, the Mighty and High. I said: “You have relieved me. May Allah relieve you! Except that you asked: `The All-Hearing and the All-Seeing, does He hear with an ear and see with an eye?” Consequently, He (AS) replied: Most certainly He hears what He sees and sees what He hears. He sees, but not with an eye like the eyes of the created. He hears, but not like the listeners listen. He hears in the sense that nothing is hidden from Him, not even the movement of a black particle on a hard rock in the dark of the night, in the depth of the Earth or in the depth of the oceans. We say: He is Seeing but not like the created. And when He comprehends all languages, and does not confuse one from another. We say: He hear, but not like others hear. I commented: “May I be your ransom! I still have one last question.” He (AS) said: “Proceed for the sake of Allah, for the good deeds of your father!” I asked: “Would He know the things that He has not made; that if He did make them, how would they be?” He answered: Woe to you! Your questions are defiantly difficult. Have you not heard Allah say? If there had been in them any gods except Allah, they would both have certainly been in a state of disorder. And His Word: And some of them would certainly have overpowered others. And He said relating an account of the people of Hell: Take us out; we will do good deeds other than those which we used to do.4 And He said: And if they were sent back, they would certainly go back to that which they are forbidden. He certainly knew what would have happened if other things had happened. I then got up to kiss his hand and feet, but he (AS) brought his head nearer: hence I kissed his face and head. I left with so much contentment and joy that I am incapable of describing what was clarified for me of virtue and fortune. The Compiler (may Allah be pleased with him) of this book says: Verily, Allah, the Blessed, the High, forbade Adam and his wife from eating from the tree while knowing that they would both eat from it. However He, the Mighty and High, decided that He would not prevent them fro eating from the tree through determination [jabr] and power [qudrah], in the same fashion that He had prohibited them from eating by order and rebuke [zajr]. Thus, this is the meaning of His Will in these two case. If He, the Mighty and High, prohibited fthem from eating by determination, and thenthey ate from it, they would have defied His will, as al- ‘Alim1 (the Learned (AS) has said. “Exalted is Allah, the Most High, from inability.

19 - حدثنا علي بن أحمد بن محمد بن عمران الدقاق رحمه الله، قال: حدثنا محمد بن أبي عبد الله الكوفي، قال: حدثني محمد بن جعفر البغدادي، عن سهل بن زياد، عن أبي الحسن علي بن محمد عليهما السلام، أنه قال: (إلهي تاهت أوهام المتوهمين وقصر طرف الطارفين، وتلاشت أوصاف الواصفين، واضمحلت أقاويل المبطلين عن الدرك لعجيب شأنك، أو الوقوع بالبلوغ إلى علوك فأنت في المكان الذي لا يتناهى ولم تقع عليك عيون بإشارة ولا عبارة هيهات ثم هيهات، يا أولي، يا وحداني، يا فرداني شمخت في العلو بعز الكبر، وارتفعت من وراء كل غورة ونهاية بجبروت الفخر).

19. `Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn `Imran al-Daqqaq (RA) said: Muhammad ibn Abu `Abd Allah al-Kufi said: Muhammad ibn Ja`far al-Baghdadi related to me on the authority of Sahl ibn Ziyad that Abu al-Hasan `Ali ibn Muhammad al-Taqi (AS) said: O Allah! The imaginations of the imaginative are astonished; the curiosity of the curious has failed; the descriptions of the describers are ruined; and the words of the vain doers have faded in their attempts to perceive You. The eyes cannot reach You with indication or perception. They are far from the mark, so far from the mark! O First One, O Unique, O Incomparable! You are Exalted above everything in Might and Pride! And You are Lofty behind every depth and end with Power and Pride.

20 - حدثنا علي بن أحمد بن محمد بن عمران الدقاق رحمه الله، قال: حدثني محمد بن أبي عبد الله الكوفي، عن محمد بن إسماعيل البرمكي، عن الحسين بن الحسن، قال: حدثني أبو سمينة، عن إسماعيل بن أبان، عن زيد بن جبير، عن جابر الجعفي، قال: جاء رجل من علماء أهل الشام إلى أبي جعفر عليه السلام، فقال: جئت أسألك عن مسألة لم أجد أحدا يفسرها لي، وقد سألت ثلاثة أصناف من الناس، فقال كل صنف غير ما قال الآخر، فقال أبو جعفر عليه السلام: وما ذلك؟ فقال: أسألك، ما أول ما خلق الله عز وجل من خلقه؟ فإن بعض من سألته قال: القدرة، وقال بعضهم: العلم، وقال بعضهم: الروح، فقال أبو جعفر عليه السلام: ما قالوا شيئا، أخبرك أن الله علا ذكره كان ولا شئ غيره، وكان عزيزا ولا عز لأنه كان قبل عزه (١) وذلك قوله: ﴿سبحان ربك رب العزة عما يصفون﴾ وكان خالقا ولا مخلوق فأول شئ خلقه من خلقه الشئ الذي جميع الأشياء منه، وهو الماء فقال السائل: فالشئ خلقه من شئ أو من لا شئ؟ فقال: خلق الشئ لا من شئ كان قبله، ولو خلق الشئ من شئ إذا لم يكن له انقطاع أبدا، ولم يزل الله إذا ومعه شئ ولكن كان الله ولا شئ معه، فخلق الشئ الذي جميع الأشياء، منه، وهو الماء.

20. `Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn `Imran al-Daqqaq (RA) said: Muhammad ibn Abu `Abd Allah al-Kufi related to me on the authority of Muhammad ibn Isma`il al-Barmaki, on the authority of al-Husayn ibn al-Hasan that Abu Sumaynah related to me on the authority of Isma`il ibn Aban, on the authority of Zayd ibn Jubayr, on the authority of Jabir al-Ju`fi who said A man from the learned natives of Sham (Greater Syria) came to Abu Ja`far al-Baqir (AS) and said: “I have come to you concerning an issue that nobody could explain to me. I have asked three different persons, and each of them gave me a different answer.” Abu Ja`far (AS) said: “What is it?” Hence he explained: “What is the first thing that Allah, the Mighty and High, created from His Creation? Some of those whom I asked said: `Omnipotence.’ Some said: `Knowledge.’ And others said: `the Spirit.” Therefore, Abu Ja`far (AS) replied: They have said nothing! Let it be known that Allah, may His Remembrance be Exalted, was there when nothing but Him was there. He was Honorable when there was no honor, because He was there before His Honor and this is His Word: Glory be to your Lord, the Lord of Honor, above what they describe.1 He was the Creator when there was no creation. Thus, the first thing He created in creation was water, the element from which all things are form. So the questioner enquired: “Did He crate the (first) thing from something or from nothing?” Consequently, He (AS) answered: He created the thing from nothing which existed before it. And if He had created the thing from something, then nothing would be discontinuous. Thus, other that Allah would have existed along with Him. In fact, Allah was there, and there was nothing with Him. Hence, He created the thing from which all things originate, and that is water.

21 - أبي رحمه الله، قال: حدثنا سعد بن عبد الله، قال: حدثنا محمد بن الحسين ابن أبي الخطاب، عن محمد بن إسماعيل بن بزيع، عن إبراهيم بن عبد الحميد، قال: سمعت أبا الحسن عليه السلام يقول في سجوده: (يا من علا فلا شئ فوقه، يا من دنا فلا شئ دونه، اغفر لي ولأصحابي).

21. My father (may Allah have mercy on him) that Sa`d ibn `Abd Allah said: Muhammad ibn AlHusayn ibn Abu al-Khattab said on the authority of Muhammad ibn Isma`il ibn Bazi, on the authority of Ibrahim ibn `Abd al-Hamid that I heard Abu al-Hasan al-Kadhim (AS) saying the following prayer while he was in prostration: “O He who is so High that nothing is above Him! O He who is so near that nothing is without Him! Forgive me and my Companions!”

22 - أبي رحمه الله، قال: حدثنا أحمد بن إدريس، عن محمد بن أحمد، عن سهل ابن زياد، عن أحمد بن بشر عن محمد بن جمهور العمي، عن محمد بن الفضيل بن يسار، عن عبد الله بن سنان، عن أبي عبد الله عليه السلام، قال: قال في الربوبية العظمى والإلهية الكبرى: لا يكون الشئ لا من شئ إلا الله، ولا ينقل الشئ من جوهريته إلى جوهر آخر إلا الله، ولا ينقل الشئ من الوجود إلى العدم إلا الله .

22. My father (may Allah have mercy on him) that Ahmad ibn Idris said on the authority of Muhammad ibn Ahmad, on the authority of Sahl ibn Ziyad, on the authority of Ahmad ibn Bishr, on the authority of Muhammad ibn Jamhur al- `Ammi, on the authority of Muhammad ibn al-Fudayl ibn Yasar, on the authority of `Abd Allah ibn Sinan that Abu `Abd Allah al-Sadiq (AS) said the following regarding the Great Lord and God: “None but Allah can create something out of nothing. None but Allah can transfer one substance into another. None but Allah can transfer existence into non-existence.”

23 - حدثنا محمد بن موسى بن المتوكل رضي الله عنه قال: حدثنا علي بن إبراهيم بن هاشم، قال: حدثنا أبي، عن الريان بن الصلت، عن علي بن موسى الرضا عليهما السلام، عن أبيه، عن آبائه، عن أمير المؤمنين عليهم السلام، قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله: قال الله جل جلاله، ما آمن بي من فسر برأيه كلامي، وما عرفني من شبهني بخلقي، وما على ديني من استعمل القياس في ديني.

23. Muhammad ibn Musa ibn al-Mutawakkil (may Allah be pleased with him) said: `Ali ibn Ibrahim ibn Hashim said: My father said on the authority of al-Rayyan ibn al-Salt, on the authority of `Ali ibn Musa al-Riza (AS) on the authority of his father, on the authority of his forefather, on the authority of Commander of the Faithfuly (AS) that The Messenger of Allah (SA) said: Allah, Exalted be His Sublimity, said: He who interprets My Words on the basis of his own personal opinion does not believe in Me. He who compares Me to My Creation does not believe in Me. And he who uses analogy [qiyas] in religion is not of My Religion.

24 - حدثنا أبو عبد الله الحسين بن محمد الأشناني الرازي العدل ببلخ، قال: حدثنا علي بن مهرويه القزويني، عن داود بن سليمان الفراء عن علي بن موسى الرضا، عن أبيه، عن آبائه، عن علي عليهم السلام، قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله: التوحيد نصف الدين، واستنزلوا الرزق بالصدقة .

24. Abu `Abd Allah al-Husayn ibn Muhammad al-Ushnani al-Razi the jurist in Balkh said tha `Ali ibn Mihrawayh al-Quzwini said on the authority of Dawud ibn Sulayman al-Farra’, on the authority of `Ali ibn Musa al-Rida (AS) on the authority of his father, on the authority of his forefathers (AS), on the authority of `Ali (AS) that The Messenger of Allah (SA) said: “Divine unity is half of faith And increase your sustenance by means of charity.”