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A Shi'ite Anthology Allamah Sayyid Muhammad Husayn Tabataba'i Part 1
But what does it mean to say that there is no god but God ? For Islam,
the manner in which the believer answers this question displays the depth
to which he understands his religion. And, paraphrasing a hadith
of the Prophet often quoted in Sufi texts, one might say that there are
as many ways of understanding the meaning of this profession as there are
believers. [1] Islamic intellectual history can be understood as a gradual unfolding
of the manner in which successive generations of men have understood the
meaning and implications of professing God's Unity. Theology, jurisprudence,
philosophy, Sufism, even to some degree the natural sciences, all seek
to explain at some level the principle of tawhid, "To profess that
God is One." Some of the most productive of the intellectual schools which
have attempted to explain the meaning of tawhid have flourished
among Shi'ites. Many historians have looked outside of Islam to find the inspiration
for Islam's philosophical and metaphysical expositions of the nature of
God's Unity. Such scholars tend to relegate anything more than what could
derive-that is, in their view from a "simple bedouin faith" to outside
influence. Invariably they ignore the rich treasuries of wisdom contained
in the vast corpus of Shi'ite hadith literature pertaining to Islam's
first centuries, i.e., the sayings of the Imams who were the acknowledged
authorities in the religious sciences not only by the Shi'ites but also
by the Sunnis. Even certain sayings of the Prophet which provide inspiration
for the Imams have been ignored. In particular, the great watershed of
Islamic metaphysical teachings, Ali ibn Abi Talib, the Prophet's cousin
and son-in-law and the Shi'ites' first Imam, has been largely overlooked. In the following selections from Bihar al-anwar, fifteen out
of hundreds that can be found in Shi'ite sources, the reader will see the
seeds for much of later Islamic metaphysical speculation. It will be noticed
that the style of the hadiths varies little from the Prophet himself
to the eighth Imam, the last from whom large numbers of such sayings have
been handed down. The most important sources for such hadiths, i.e.,
the Prophet, the first, fifth, sixth, seventh and eighth Imams, are all
represented. The basic themes of the selections remain largely constant.The Prophet
and the Imams all emphasize God's transcendence, or His "incomparability"
(tanzih) with the creatures. We may speak of God-although only on
the authority of His own words, i.e., the Quran-but the expressions we
employ are not to be understood as they are when we use the same words
to describe the creatures. At the same time, the very fact that words can
properly be employed to refer to God show that in some respect He is indeed
"comparable" or "similar" (tasbih) to His creation, if only in the
sense that His creation is somehow "similar" to Him because created by
Him. Otherwise, the words employed to speak about Him would all be meaningless,
or each one would be equivalent to every other. But this second dimension
of God's Reality-one more emphasised in Sufism-is relatively ignored in
favor of His incomparability. Another theme of the selections is man's
inability to grasp God through such things as the powers of his reason
and his senses. The constant emphasis upon this point underlines God's
incomparability and illustrates the particular errors to which the polytheistic
and anthropomorphic thinking and imagination of the "Age of Ignorance"
(al-jahiliyyah) before Islam was prone. In order to clarify the meaning of the selections, I have tried to supply
a sufficient number of annotations. To comment upon the sayings in detail
has been the task of much of Shi'ite speculation throughout the centuries.
Every word and every sentence have provided numerous scholars with ample
opportunity to display their erudition. But for a Western audience, one
can only hope to point out the most important references to the Quran and
the prophetic hadith literature-references which are largely obvious
for the Arabic speaking Muslim. Then I have tried to illustrate the manner
in which later commentators have elaborated upon the hadiths by
quoting a number of explanatory passages, in Part I mostly from Majlisi,
the compiler of the Bihar al-anwar. Some of these commentaries are
necessary to understand the bearing of the text, but others may seem to
obscure an apparently obvious sentence. In the latter case, this is largely
because the commentators usually try to explain the text by referring to
theological and philosophical concepts familiar to their readers, but not
so to the average Westerner. However that may be, such notes illustrate
the manner in which later speculation has expanded and developed an aphoristic
mode of expression into a complex metaphysical system. A. The Prophet I. Profession of Faith Abu Abdallah (the sixth Imam) has related from his fathers that the
Prophet of God-God bless him and his household [2]
said in one of his sermons, "Praise belongs to God, who in His firstness
(awwaliyyah) was solitary and in His beginninglessness (azaliyyah)
was tremendously exalted through divinity and supremely great through His
magnificence and power. [3] He
originated that which He produced and brought into being that which He
created without a model (mithal) preceding anything that He created.
Our Lord, the eternal (al-qadim), unstitched (the heavens and the
earth) [4] through the subtlety
(lutf) of His lordship and the knowledge within His omniscience,
created all that He created through the laws of His power (qudrah),
and split (the sky) through the light of dawn. [5]
So none changes His creation, none alters His handiwork, 'none repels His
law' (XIII, 45), [6] none rejects
His command. There is no place of rest away from His call (dawah), [7]
no cessation to His dominion and no interruption of His term. He is the
truly existent (al-kaynun) from the first and the truly enduring
(al-daymum) forever. He is veiled from His creatures by His light
in the high horizon, in the towering might, and in the lofty dominion.
He is above all things and below all things. So He manifested Himself (tajalla)
to His creation without being seen, and He transcends being gazed upon.
He wanted to be distinguished by the profession of Unity (tawhid)
when He withdrew behind the veil of His light, rose high in His exaltation
and concealed Himself from His creation." [8] "He sent to them messengers so they might be His conclusive argument
against His creatures [9] and so
His messengers to them might be witnesses against them. [10]
He sent among them prophets bearing good tidings and warning, 'that whosoever
perished might perish by a clear sign, and by a clear sign he might live
who lived' (VIII, 42) and that the servants might understand of their Lord
that of which they had been ignorant, recognize Him in His Lordship after
they had denied (it) and profess His Unity in His divinity after they had
stubbornly resisted." 2. God's Attributes Ibn Abbas related that a Jew, called Na'thal, stood up before the Prophet
of God-upon whom be blessings and peace-and said, "O Muhammad, verily I
will ask thee about certain thingswhich have been repeating themselves
in my breast for some time. If thou answerest them for me I will embrace
Islam at thy hand." The Prophet said, "Ask, O Abu Ummarah" Then he said, "O Muhammad, describe for me thy Lord." He answered,"Surely the Creator cannot be described except by that with
which He has described Himself-and how should one describe that Creator
whom the senses cannot perceive, imaginations cannot attain, thoughts (khatarat)
cannot delimit and sight cannot encompass ? Greater is He than what the
depicters describe. He is distant in His nearness and near in His distance.
He fashions (kayyaf) 'howness' (kayfiyyah), so it is not
said of Him, 'How?' (kayf); He determines (ayyan) the 'where'
(ayn), so it is not said of Him, 'Where ?' (ayn). He sunders
'howness' (kayfufiyyah) and 'whereness' (aynuniyyah), so
He is "One . . . the Everlasting Refuge" (CXII 1-2), as He has described
Himself. But depicters do not attain to His description. 'He has not begotten,
and has not been begotten, and equal to Him is not any one' (CXII 3-4). Na'thal said, "Thou hast spoken the truth. O Muhammad, tell me about
thy saying, 'Surely He is One, there is none like (shabih) Him.'
Is not God one and man one? And thus His oneness (wahdaniyyah) resembles
the oneness of man." He answered, "God is one, but single in meaning (ahadi al-mana),
while man is one but dual in meaning (thanawi al-ma'na), corporeal
substance (jism) and accidents ('arad), body (badan)
and spirit (ruh). Similarity (tashbih) [11]
pertains only to the meanings." Nathal said, "Thou hast spoken the truth, O Muhammad." B. Ali (as), the First Imam I. The Transcendent Lord It was related by 'Ali ibn Musa al-Rida (the eighth Imam) from the earlier
Imams in succession that al-Husayn ibn 'Ali (the third Imam) spoke as follows:
The Commander of the Faithful-upon whom be peace-addressed the people in
the mosque at Kufa and said: "Praise belongs to God, who did not originate from anything, nor did
He bring what exists into being from anything. [12]
His beginninglessness is attested to by the temporality (huduth)
ofthings, His power by the impotence with which He has branded them, and
His everlastingness (dawam) by the annihilation (fana') which
He has forced upon them. No place is empty of Him that He might be perceived
through localization (ayniyyah), no object (shabah) is like
Him that He might be described by quality (kayfiyyah), nor is He
absent from anything that He might be known through situation (haythiyyah)." [13] "He is distinct (muba'in) in attributes from all that He has
originated, inaccessible to perception because of the changing essences
He has created (in things), [14]
and outside of all domination (tasarruf) by changing states (halat)
because of grandeur and tremendousness. Forbidden is His delimitation (tahdid)
to the penetrating acumen of sagacities, His description (takyif)
to the piercing profundities of thought and His representation (taswir)
to the searching probes of insight." "Because of His tremendousness places encompass Him not, because of
His majesty measures guage Him not, and because of His grandeur standards
judge Him not. Impossible is it for imaginations (awham) to fathom
Him, understandings (afham) to comprehend Him or minds (adhhan)
to imagine Him. Powers of reason (uqul) with lofty aspiration despair
of contriving to comprehend Him, oceans of knowledge run dry without alluding
to Him in depth, [15] and the
subtleties of disputants fall from loftiness to pettiness in describing
His power." "He is One (wahid), not in terms of number (adad); Everlasting
(da'im), without duration (amad); Standing (qa'im),
without supports (umud). He is not of a kind (jins) that
(other) kinds should be on a par with Him, nor an object that objects should
be similar to Him, nor like things that attributes should apply to Him.
Powers of reason go astray in the waves of the current of perceiving Him,
imaginations are bewildered at encompassing the mention of His beginninglessness,
understandings are held back from becoming conscious of the description
of His power, and minds are drowned in the depths of the heavens of His
kingdom (malakut)." [16] "He is Master over (giving) bounties, Inaccessible through Grandeur,
and Sovereign over all things. Time (al-dahr) makes Him not old,
nor does description encompass Him. Humbled before Him are the firmest
of obduracies in the limits of their constancy, and submitted to Him are
the most unshakeable of the cords in the extremity of their towering regions." [17] "Witness to His Lordship (rububiyyah) is the totality of kinds
(al-ajnas, i.e. kinds of creatures), to His Power their incapacity,
to His eternity (qidmah) their createdness (futur), and to
His permanence (baqa') their passing into extinction (zawal).
So they possess no place of refuge from His grasp (idrak) of them,
no exit from His encompassing (ihatah) them, no way of veiling them
selves from His enumeration (ihsa') of them and no way of avoiding
His power over them. Sufficient is the perfection of His making them [18] as
a sign (ayah), His compounding of their (natural) constitutions
as a proof, the temporal origin (huduth) of their natures as (a
reason for His) eternity, and the creation's laws governing them as a lesson. [19]
No limit is attributed to Him, no similitude struck for Him and nothing
veiled from Him. High indeed is He exalted above the striking of similitudes
and above created attributes!" "And I testify that there is no god but He, having faith in His lordship
and opposing whoso denies Him; and I testify that Muhammad is His servant
and messenger, residing in the best lodging-place, having passed from the
noblest of loins and immaculate wombs, extracted in lineage from the noblest
of mines and in origin from the most excellent of plantations, and (derived)
from the most inaccessible of summits and the most glorious roots, from
the tree from which God fashioned His prophets and chose His trusted ones: [20]
(a tree) of excellent wood, harmonious stature, lofty branches, flourishing
limbs, ripened fruit, (and) noble interior, implanted in generosity and
cultivated in a sacred precinct. There it put forth branches and fruit,
became strong and unassailable, and then made him (the prophet Muhammad)
tall and eminent, until God, the Mighty and Majestic, honored him with
the Faithful Spirit, [21] the
Illuminating Light, [22] and
the Manifest Book. [23] He subjected
to him Buraq [24] and the angels
greeted him. [25] By means of
him He terrified the devils, overthrew the idols and the gods (who were)
worshipped apart from Him. His prophet's Wont (sunnah) is integrity
(rushd), his conduct (sirah) is justice and his decision
is truth. He proclaimed that which was commanded by his Lord, [26]
and he delivered that with which he was charged [27]
until he made plain his mission through the profession of Unity and made
manifest among the creatures that there is no god but God alone and that
He has no associate; until His Oneness became pure and His lordship unmixed.
God made manifest his argument through the profession of His Unity and
He raised his degree with submission (al-islam). And God, the Mighty
and Majestic, chose for His prophet what was with Him of repose, degree
and means-upon him and upon his pure household be God's peace." 2. Via negativa 'Ali said, "Praise belongs to God, whose laudation is not rendered by
speakers, [28] whose bounties
are not counted by reckoners, [29]
and whose rightfully due (haqq) is not discharged by those who strive.
Grand aspirations perceive Him not and deep-diving perspicacities reach
Him not. His attributes (sifah) possess no determined limits (hadd
mahdud), no existing description (na't mawjud), no fixed time
(waqt madud) and no extended term (ajal mamdud). He originates
the creatures by His power, [30]
looses the winds by His mercy, [31]
and fastens the shaking of His earth with boulders." [32] "The first step in religion is knowledge (marifah) of Him. The
perfection of knowledge of Him is to confirm Him (tasdiq). The perfection
of confirming Him is to profess His unity (tawhid). The perfection
of professing His Unity is sincerity (ikhlas) towards Him. [33]
And the perfection of sincerity towards Him is to negate attributes (nafy
al-sifat) from Him, because of the testimony of every attribute that
it is not that which possesses the attribute (al-mawsuf) and the
testimony of every thing that possesses attributes that it is not the attribute." So whoso describes God-glory be to Him-has given Him a comrade (i.e.
the description). Whoso gives Him a comrade has declared Him to be two
(tathniyah). Whoso declares Him to be two has divided Him. Whoso
divides Him is ignorant of Him. (Whoso is ignorant of Him points to Him). [34]
Whoso points to Him has delimited Him. Whoso delimits Him has numbered
Him. Whoso says, 'In what is He ?', has enclosed Him. Whoso says, 'On what
is He ?', has excluded Him (from certain things)." "He is a being (ka'in) not as the result of temporal origin (hadath),
an existent (mawjud) not (having come) from nonexistence (adam).
He is with everything, not through association (muqaranah); and
He is other than everything, not through separation (muzayalah).
He is active (fa'il), not in the sense of possessing movement and
instruments. He was seeing when there was none of His creatures to be observed
by Him. He was 'alone' (mutawahhid) when there was none with whom
to be intimate and at whose loss to feel lonely." "He originated creation and gave to it its beginning without employing
deliberation, profiting from experience, occasioning movement (harakah,
i.e. in Himself), or being disrupted by the cares of the soul (hamamah
nafs). He delays things to their times, [35]
mends their discrepancies, implants (in them) their natural dispositions,
and makes these (dispositions) adhere to their objects. He has knowledge
of them before their beginning, encompasses their limits (hudud)
and their end (intiha') and knows their relationships (qara'in)
and aspects (ahna'). 3. Firm Rooting in Knowledge It was related from Abu Abdallah that when the Commander of the Faithful
was speaking from the pulpit at Kufa a man stood up and said, "O Commander
of the Faithful! Describe for us thy Lord-blessed and transcendent is He-that
our love (hubb) for Him and knowledge (marifah) of Him may
increase." The Commander of the Faithful became angry and cried out, "Assemble
for prayer!" The people gathered together until the mosque was choked with
them. Then he stood, his color changing, and he said, "Praise belongs to
God, who does not gain in plenty by withholding nor become poor through
giving, while every other giver than He diminishes. (He is) full of the
benefits of blessings and the advantages of superabundance. Through His
generosity He ensures the provision of creatures. So He smooths the path
of aspiration (talab) for those who make Him their Quest. Nor is
He more generous with what is asked of Him than with what is not asked.
Time in its march varies not for Him that (His) state should change accordingly.
If He should give to some of His servants (all of) the silver metal, ingots
of pure gold and sacks of pearls that the mountains' mines breathe [36]
and the seas' shells smile, His generosity would in nowise be affected,
nor would the expanse of that which is with Him dwindle. With Him are treasuries
of bounteous bestowal which are not exhausted by objects of request and
which come not to His attention in spite of their abundance, for He is
the Generous who is not diminished by gifts nor made niggardly by the importunity
of the importune. And 'His command, when He desires a thing, is to say
to it "Be", and it is' (XXXVI 8I)." "The angels, despite their proximity to the throne of His liberality,
the great extent of their burning love (walah) for Him, (their)
glorification of the majesty of His might, and their proximity to the unseen
of His kingdom (ghayb malakutih), are capable of knowing
only what He has taught them of His affair, although they are of the Sacred
Kingdom in terms of rank. It is because they possess knowledge of Him only
as He created them that they say, 'Glory be to Thee! We know not save what
Thou hast taught us' (II 32)." [37] "So what is thy opinion, O questioner, of Him who is thus ? Glory be
to Him, and praise belongs to Him! He has not come into being that change
or removal should be possible in Him. He is not affected in His Essence
by recurrence of states, and aeons of nights and days differ not for Him.
(It is He) who originated creation with no model (mithal) to copy
or measure (migdar) to imitate from a deity (mabud) who should
have existed before Him. Attributes encompass Him not, lest He be defined
by limits (hudud) (resulting) from their having attained Him. He
- like Him there is naught' (XLII II)-never ceases to transcend the attributes
of creatures." "Eyes are prevented from reaching Him, lest He be described through
being plainly seen (bi-l-iyan) and lest He be known among His creatures
in the Essence that none knows but He. Through His exaltation (uluww)
over things He eludes that upon which falls the conjectures of imaginers
(mutawahhimin). The inmost center (kunh) of His tremendousness
transcends the embrace of the impotent deliberation of those who meditate.
He has no similitude that what is created should resemble Him. For those
who have knowledge of Him He is forever above likenesses and opposites." "Those who ascribe rivals to God (al-adilun billah) cry lies
when they make Him similar to the like of their categories, adorn Him in
their imaginations with the adornment of creatures, divide Him with a measure
resulting from the notions of their concerns, and measure Him by the talents
of their reason's powers [38]
in terms of the creatures with their multiple faculties. For how should
the deliberations of imaginations assess Him whose measure cannot be determined,
when surely the notions of understanding have erred in conceiving of His
inmost center ? For He is greater than that the minds of men should delimit
Him through thought (tafkir) or angels should encompass Him through
estimation, despite their proximity to the kingdom of His might." "High be He exalted above having an equal (kufw) with which to
be compared, for He is the Subtle: when imaginations desire to encroach
upon Him in the depths of the unseen regions of His dominion, (when) thoughts
(fikar) free from insinuating intrusions seek to grasp knowledge
of His Essence, (when) hearts are thrown into mad confusion over Him in
trying to embrace Him through conforming to His attributes, (when) the
ways of approach of reason's powers become obscured since no attributes
attain to Him by which they might gain the knowledge of His divinity, (then)
they (imaginations, thoughts, hearts and ways of approach) are checked
in disgrace while traversing the chasms of the dark reaches of the unseen
worlds, rid (of all things) for Him-glory be to Him! They return having
been thrown back, admitting that the inmost center of His knowledge is
not reached through the deviation of straying (from the path) [39]
and that no notion of the measure of His might's majesty occurs to the
mind of meditators, by reason of His distance from being (encompassed)
within the faculties of limited beings. For He is counter to (khilaf)
His creation, and there is nothing like Him among creatures. Now a thing
is only compared with its like (adil). As for what has no like,
how should it be compared with what is other than its like (mithal)
? And He is the Beginning (al-badi) before whom was naught, and
the Last (al-akhir) after whom will be naught." "Eyes reach Him not in the splendor of His Power (jabarut). When
He obscures them with veils, eyes do not penetrate the density of the veils'
thickness, nor do they pierce the firmness pertaining to His coverings
to (reach) the 'Possessor of the Throne', [40]
in whose will affairs originate and before the majesty of whose tremendousness
the grandeur of the arrogant cringes. Necks are bowed before Him and faces
humbled in fear of Him. In the marvels (bada'i) which He creates
appear the traces (athar) of His wisdom (hikmah), and all
that is created becomes an argument (hujjah) for Him and attributed
to Him. Were it a silent creation His argument would be speaking through
it in His directing (of its affairs, tadbir)." [41] "He determines what He creates and makes firm His determining (taqdir),
places everything in its place through the subtlety of His directing, and
turns it in a direction. [42]
Then nothing of it reaches the environs of His station. [43]
It falls not short before carrying out His will and refrains not when ordered
to execute His desire. He suffers not from weariness that might touch Him, [44]
nor is He deceived by one who would transgress His command." [45] "So His creation is complete and it yields to Him in obedience. It complies
with the (appointed) time at which He brings it forth, a response resisted
by neither the dawdler's hesitation nor the lingerer's tardiness. He straightened
the crookedness of things, delineated the way-marks of their limits, reconciled
their contradictions through His power, joined the means of their conjunctions
(asbab qara'iniha), caused their various sorts to be disparate in
size, and divided them into different kinds, natural dispositions, and
appearances-marvels of creation, whose fashioning He made firm. He made
them according to His desire and [46]
brought them into existence. His knowledge put in order the kinds of their
creation and His directing achieved their fairest determination." "O questioner! Know that whoso compares our majestic Lord to the mutual
dissimilarity of the parts of His creation and to the interconnection of
their joints, hidden by the directing of His wisdom, surely he has not
fixed his inmost consciousness (ghayb damirih) upon knowledge of
Him, and his heart has not witnessed (mushahadah) the certainty
that He has no compeer. It is as if he had not heard of the followers disclaiming
the followed, saying, 'By God, we were certainly in manifest error when
we made you equal to the Lord of all beings' (XXVI, 97-8)" [47] "Whoso sets our Lord equal to something has ascribed rivals to Him,
and he who ascribes rivals to Him is a disbeliever in what His clear verses [48]
have revealed and in what the witnesses of His clear signs' arguments have
spoken. For He is God, who does not become defined within the powers of
reason that He should be qualified within the range of their thought or
be limited and turned about within the craws of the reflection of aspiring
souls. [49] He is the Producer
of the kinds of things without having been in need of reflection, or of
acting according to an innate disposition, or of experience gained through
the passing of Time's events, or of an associate to help Him in bringing
into existence the wonders of affairs. When those who ascribe rivals to
Him compare Him to creation, whose attributes are divided and limited and
whose levels possess various zones and regions-and He, the Mighty and Majestic,
is the existent through Himself, not through His instruments (adah)
- they can not have measured Him with His true measure. Thus He said, declaring
Himself incomparable with the association of compeers and rising above
the estimate of those of His disbelieving servants who measure Him within
limits, 'They measure not God with His true measure. The earth altogether
shall be His handful on the Day of Resurrection, and the heavens shall
be rolled up in His right hand. Glory be to Him! High be He exalted above
that they associate' (XXXIX, 67)." "So as for that to which the Quran directs thee concerning His attributes,
follow it, so that a link may be established between thee and knowledge
(ma'rifah) of Him. Take it as an example, and seek illumination
by the light of its guidance; surely it is a blessing and a wisdom given
to thee, so take what has been given thee an be among the thankful. [50]
But as for that to which Satan directs thee, that which is not made encumbent
upon thee in the Quran and no trace (athar) concerning which exists
in the Wont of the Prophet and the Imams of guidance, leave its knowledge
to God, the Mighty and Majestic. Surely that is the limit of God's claim
(haqq) against thee." "Know that 'those firmly rooted in knowledge' [51]
are they whom God has freed from the need to assault the closed doors beyond
which are the unseen things (al-ghuyub), so they cling to the acknowledgement
(iqrar) of all of the veiled unseen of which they know not the interpretation,
and they say, 'We have faith in it; all is from our Lord.' (III 7). So
God praised their avowal of incapacity to grasp what they comprehend not
in knowledge, and He called their abandonment of the desire to penetrate
into that whose examination is not required of them 'firm-rootedness'.
So limit thyself to that (same attitude) and measure not the Mightiness
of God-Glory be to Him-according to the measure of thy reason's power,
thus becoming of those who perish." 4. The Fairest of Creators It has been related that Ali-upon whom be peace-delivered the following
sermon at Kufa. He was standing on a stone that had been set up for him
by Ja'dah ibn Hubayrah al-Makhzumi. [52]
He wore an outer garment of wool. His sword belt and his shoes were made
of fiber. His forehead was like the knee of a camel. [53]
He said, "Praise belongs to God, unto whom are the homecomings of creation
and the issues of the affair. [54]
We praise Him for His mighty goodness, His radiant proof (burhan)
and the profusion of His bounty and gracious giving; a praise which might
render Him His rightfully due, accomplish His thanks, bring (us) near to
His reward and cause the fairest of His increase. [55]
We pray to Him for succour, [56]
the prayer of one hoping for His bounty, anticipating His benefit, having
confidence in Him to avert (evil), acknowledging His blessings and submitting
to Him in deed and word. We believe in Him with the faith (iman)
of one who hopes for Him with certainty, turns to Him as a believer, humbles
himself before Him in submission, sincerely professes His Unity (akhlas
muwahhidan), magnifies Him in glorification and seeks refuge in Him,
desiring and striving (raghiban mujtahidan)." "'He has not been begotten' (CXII 3) - glory be to Him that He should
share in Might, and 'He has not begotten' (CXII 3) that He should bequeath
and perish. Time (waqt) precedes Him not, nor duration, and increase
and decrease seize Him not by turns." "Nay, He appears to the powers of reason by the marks He has shown us
of (His) perfect directing and certain decree. So of the witnesses of His
creation is the creation of the heavens without pillars, [57]
standing without supports. He called them and they answered, obeying, submissive,
without hesitation or delay. [58]
Had it not been for their acknowledging (iqrar) Him in lordship
and their willing submission (to Him), He would not have appointed them
the locus of His Throne, nor the dwelling place for His angels, nor the
place of ascent of good words and the righteous deed of His creation. [59]
He appointed their stars waymarks by which the bewildered traveler is guided
in the divergent paths of the lands. The thickness of the dark night's
curtain prevents not the shining of their light, and the garments of the
black night's blackness cannot push back the brilliance of the light of
the moon that spreads in the heavens." "So glory be to Him, from whom is not hidden the blackness of a gloomy
dusk or still night in the hollows of lands low, nor in the peaks of neighboring
mountains; [60] (nor) that with
which the thunder reverberates in the horizon of heaven; (nor) that from
which the lightning of the clouds vanishes; [61]
(nor) the leaf which falls, removed from its place of falling by the gales
caused by the stars (al-anwa') [62]
and the pouring down of the rain. He knows the place where the raindrop
falls and where it takes its rest, the route by which the tiny ant draws
and drags (on the ground), what is sufficient food for a gnat [63]
and what the female bears within her womb." [64] "Praise belongs to God, the Existent (al-ka'in) before there
was a Pedestal (kursi), or Throne (arsh), or heaven, or earth,
or jinn, or man. He is not perceived by imagination (wahm) or measured
by understanding (fahm). Petitioners busy Him not and giving diminishes
Him not. He is not observed by eyes, nor delimited by location ("where",
ayn), nor described by pairs. [66]
He creates not through application' [67]
is perceived not by the senses and is compared not with man." "He it is who spoke to Moses directly [68]
and showed him one of His mighty signs' [69]
without members (jawarih), instruments (adawat), speech or
throat. [70] Nay, if thou speakest
truly, O thou who affectest to describe thy Lord, then describe Gabriel,
Michael and the hosts of the angels brought nigh, bowing in the sacred
chambers (hujarat al-quds), their intellects in adoring perplexity
to delimit the 'Fairest of Creators'. [71]
Surely only those are perceived through attributes who possess forms and
instruments and who end in annihilation when they reach the limit of their
term. There is no god but He. He illumines with His Light every darkness
and He darkens with His Darkness every light." 5. Oneness It has been related that on the day of the Battle of the Camel [72]
a bedouin came before the Commander of the Faithful and said, "O Commander
of the Faithful! Sayest thou that God is one ?" The people attacked him
and said, "O bedouin! Doest thou not see how the Commander of the Faithful's
heart is divided (with cares) ?" The Commander of the Faithful said, "Leave him, for surely what the
bedouin wishes (i.e., knowledge of God) is what we wish for the people."
Then he said, "O bedouin! To say that God is one (wahid) has four
(possible) meanings, two of which are not permissible concerning God, the
Mighty and Majestic, and two of which are established concerning Him." "As for the two which are not permissible concerning Him, (the first
is) the saying of him who says 'one' and has in mind the category of numbers.
Now this is not permissible, for that which has no second does not enter
into the category of numbers. Hast thou not seen that he who says that
He is 'the third of three' [73]
is of the unbelievers ? And (the second is like) the saying of him who
says (concerning a man), 'He is one of mankind', meaning that he is one
kind within the species. [74]
This is not permissible because it is a comparison, and our Lord is greater
than that and high above it. " "As for the two meanings which are established concerning Him, (the
first is) the saying of him who says, 'He is one, there is no likeness
(shabah) unto Him among things.' Such is our Lord. And (the second
is) the saying of him who says, 'Surely He, the Mighty and Majestic, is
single in meaning (ahadi al - mana), intending by that that He is
not divided by existence, the power of reason, or imagination. [75]
Such is our Lord, the Mighty and Majestic." [76] 6. Discernment In another sermon Ali'-upon whom be peace-said, "What points to Him
(daliluh) is His signs (ayat); [77]
to perceive Him (wujuduh) is to affirm Him (ithbatuh); [78]
to know Him is to profess His unity; and professing His Unity is to distinguish
Him (tamyiz) from His creation. The standard (hukm) for distinguishing
is separation (baynunah) in attribute, not separation in terms of
distance (uzlah). Surely He is a creating Lord (rabb khaliq),
neither possessing a Lord nor created. Whatever can be conceived of is
different from Him." "Then after that he said, "Whoso is known in himself (bi-nafsihi)
is not a god: this is the guide to that which points to Him (al-dalil
alayh) and this it is which leads to knowledge of Him." 7. The Vision of the Heart Abu Abdallah related as follows: the Commander of the Faithful was speaking
from the pulpit at Kufa when a man called Dhi'lib stood up before him.
He was sharp-tongued, eloquent and courageous. He said, "O Commander of
the Faithful! Hast thou seen thy Lord ?" He said, "Woe unto thee, O Dhi'lib! I would not be worshipping a lord
whom I have not seen." He said, "O Commander of the Faithful! How didst thou see Him ?" He answered, "O Dhilib! Eyes see Him not through sight's observation,
but hearts see Him through the verities of faith (haqaiq al-iman).
Woe to thee, O Dhilib! Verily, my Lord is subtle in subtlety (latif
al-latafah), but He is not described by subtleness (lutf); tremendous
in tremendousness (azim al-azamah), but not described by tremendousness
(izam); grand in grandeur (kabir al-kibriya'), but not described
by grandness (kibr); and majestic in majesty (jalil al-jalalah),
but not described by greatness (ghilaz). Before all things He was;
it is not said that anything was before Him. After all things He will be;
it is not said that He possesses an 'after'. He willed (all) things, not
through resolution (himmah). He is all-perceiving (darrak),
not through any artifice (khadiah). He is in all things, but not
mixed (muta-mazij) with them, nor separate (ba'in) from them.
He is Outward (zahir), not according to the explanation of being
immediate (to the senses: mubasharah); Manifest (mutajallin),
not through the appearance of a vision (of Him: istihlal ru'yah);
Separate, not through distance (masafah); Near (qarib), not
through approach (mudanah); Subtle, not through corporealization
(tajassum); Existent (mawfud), not after nonexistence (adam);
Active (fa'il) not through coercion (idtirar); Determining
(muqaddir), not through movement (harakah); Desiring (murid),
not through resolution (hamamah); Hearing (sami), not through
means (alah); and Seeing (basir), not through organs (adah). [80] Spaces (amakin) encompass Him not, times (awqat) accompany
Him not, attributes (sifat) delimit Him not and slumbers (sinat)
seize Him not. [81] By His giving sense (tashir) to sense organs (mashair)
it is known that He has no sense organs. [82]
By His giving substance (tajhir) to substances (jawahir)
it is known that He has no substance. [83]
By His causing opposition (mudaddah) among things it is known that
He has no opposite (didd). [84]
By His causing affiliation (muqaranah) among affairs it is known
that He has no affiliate (qarin). He opposed darkness to light,
obscurity to clarity, moisture to solidity, [85]
and heat to cold. He joins together those things which are hostile to one
another, and separates those which are near. They prove (the existence
of) their Separator (mufarriq) by their separation and their Joiner
(mu'allif ) by their junction. This is (the meaning of) His words-He
is the Mighty and Majestic- 'And of everything created We two kinds; haply
you will remember' (LI 49)." "So through them He separated 'before' and 'after' that it might be
known that He has no before and after. They testify with their temperaments
(ghara'iz) that He who gave them temperaments has no temperament.
They announce through their subjection to time (tawqit) that He
who has subjected them to time is not subject to it Himself." "He veiled some of them from others so that it might be known that there
is no veil between Him and His creation other than His creation. He was
a Lord when there was none over whom He was Lord (marbub); a God
when there was none for whom to be a God (ma'luh); a Knower (alim)
when there was nothing to be known (malum); and a Hearer when there
was nothing to be heard (masmu)." Then Ali composed the following verses extemporaneously: "My Lord is ever known by praise, my Lord is ever described by generosity." "He was, when there was no light by which to seek illumination, and
no darkness bent over the horizons." "So our Lord is counter to creatures, all of them, and to all that is
described in imaginations." "Whoso desires Him portrayed through comparison returns beleagured,
shackled by his incapacity," "And in the Ascending Stairways the wave of His power casts a wave which
blinds the eye of the spirit." [86] "So abandon the quarreler in religion lost in the depths, for in him
doubt has corrupted his view." "And become the companion of that reliable one who is the beloved of
his Master and surrounded by the favors of his Protector: Smiling, he became
in the earth the waymark of guidance (dalil al-huda) and in Heaven
the adorned and acknowledged." After this Dhi'lib fell to the ground in a faint. When he recovered
he said, "I have never heard such words. I will not return to any of that
(which I believed before). C. al-Baqir, the Fifth Imam The Incomparable Lord Abu Basir has related that a man came to Abu Ja'far (the fifth Imam)
and said to him, "O Abu Ja'far, tell me about thy Lord! When was He ?" He said, "Woe unto thee! Surely it is said of a thing that was not,
and then was, 'When was it ?' But my Lord-blessed is He and high exalted
- was ever-living without 'how' and had no 'was'. His Being (kawn)
had no 'how', nor had it any 'where'. He was not in anything, nor was He
on anything. He did not bring into existence a place (makan) for
His Being (kan). He increased not in strength after bringing things
into being, nor was He weak before bringing things into being. And He was
not lonely (mustawhish) before creating things. He resembles nothing
brought into being. He was not devoid of power over the dominion before
its production that He should be devoid of the dominion [87]
after its passing. He remains Living without (created) life, a powerful
King before He produces anything (over which to rule) and an all-compelling
King (malik jabbar) after He produces the universe (al-kawn).
His Being has no 'how', nor has it any 'where', nor has it any limit. He
is not known through anything resembling Him. He ages not through the duration
of His subsistence. He is thunderstruck by nothing. Nothing causes Him
to fear. And all things are thunderstruck by fear of Him." [88] "He is Living without temporal life, without a being (kawn) described
by attributes, without a state which can be defined (kayf mahdud),
without a trace which can be followed, and without a place adjacent to
anything. Nay, He is a Living One who knows, a King who ever is. His are
the power and the dominion. He produces what He wills through His will
(mashiyyah). He is neither limited nor divided into parts, and He
perishes not. He was the First, without 'how', and He will be the Last,
without 'where'. And 'All things perish, except His Face' (XXVIII, 88).
'His are the creation and the command. Blessed be God, the Lord of all
beings!'" (VII, 54). "Woe upon thee, O questioner! As for my Lord, truly imaginations envelop
Him not, uncertainties touch Him not, He is oppressed by none, none is
adjacent to Him, phenomena touch Him not, He is questioned not as to anything
He does, [89] He comes not upon
anything, [90] 'Slumber seizes
Him not, neither sleep' (II, 255). 'To Him belongs all that is in the heavens
and the earth and all that is between them, and all that is underneath
t he soil'" (XX, 6). D. Ja'far al Sadiq, the Sixth Imam I. Seeing God Abu Basir has related that he said to Abu Abdallah-upon whom be peace
"Tell me about God, the Mighty and Majestic Will believers see Him on the
Day of Resurrection ?" He answered, "Yes, and they have already seen Him before the Day of
Resurrection." Abu Basir asked, "When ?" The Imam answered, "When He said to them, 'Am I not your Lord?' They
said: 'Yea, verily' (VII, I72)." [91]
Then he was quiet for a time. Then he said, "Truly the believers see him
in this world before the Day of Resurrection. Doest thou not see Him now
?" Abu Basir then said to him, "That I might be made thy sacrifice I Shall
I relate this (to others) from thee ?" He answered, "No, for if thou relatest it, a denier ignorant of the
meaning of what thou sayest will deny it. Then he will suppose that it
is comparison and unbelief (kufr). But seeing with the heart (al-ru'yah
b-il-qalb) is not like seeing with the eyes (al- ru'yah bi-l-ayn).
High be God exalted above what the comparers (mushabbihun) and heretics
(mulhidun) describe!." 2. The name that can be named ... It has been related that Abu Abdallah said, "The name of God is other
than God, and everything that can be called by the name of a 'thing' (shay') [92]
is created, except God. Therefore all that tongues express or is worked
by hands [93] is created. God
is the goal of him who sets Him as his goal, but the determined goal (al-mughayya,
i.e., in the mind of man) is other than the (real) goal. [94]
The goal possesses attributes (mawsuf), and all that possesses attributes
has been fashioned (masnu). But the Fashioner (sani) of things
does not possess the attributes of any stated limit (hadd musamma).
He has not come into being that His Being (kaynunah) should be known
through fashioning (sun) (carried out) by other than He. [95]
He does not terminate at a limit unless it be other than He. Whoso understands
this principle (hukm) will never fall into error. It is the unadulterated
profession of Unity (al-tawhid al-khalis), so believe in it, confirm
it, and understand it well, with God's permission the Mighty and Majestic." "Whoso maintains that he knows God by means of a veil (hijab)
or a form (surah) or a likeness (mithal) is an associator
(mushrik), for the veil, the likeness and the form are other than
He. He is utterly and only One. So how should he who maintains that he
knows Him by means of other than Him be professing Unity ? Surely He alone
knows God who knows Him by means of God (billah). Therefore, whoso
knows Him not by means of Him knows Him not. On the contrary, he only knows
other than Him. There is nothing between the Creator and the created. [96]
God is the Creator of things, but not from something. He is named by His
names, so He is other than His names, and His names are other than He. [97]
The described (al-mawsuf) is other than the describer (al-wasif)." Then whoso maintains that he has faith in that which he does not know
has gone astray from knowledge (marifah). [98]
A created thing (makhluq) perceives nothing unless by means of God:
the knowledge of God is perceived only by means of God. But God is empty
of His creatures and His creatures are empty of Him. [99]
When He desires a thing, it is as He desires, by His command (amr)
and without speech (nutq). His servants have no refuge from that
which He decrees (ma qada), and they have no argument against that
which is His pleasure. They have no power to act or to deal with that which
is brought about in their bodies, created (by God), except by means of
their Lord. So whoso maintains that he is able to perform an act which
God, the Mighty and Majestic, does not desire, has maintained that his
will (iradah) prevails over the Will of God. 'Blessed be God' the
Lord of all beings!" (VII 54) E. Musa, the Seventh Imam God's Might and Majesty It has been related that the righteous servant, Musa ibn Ja'far, said,
"Surely God - there is no god but He - was the Living without 'how' (kayf)
or 'where' (ayn). He was not in anything, nor was He on anything.
He did not create a place (makan) for His grandeur (makan). [100]
He increased not in might after bringing things into being. Nothing brought
into being resembles Him. He was not devoid of power over the dominion
before its production, nor will He be devoid of power (over it) after its
passing." [101] "He - the Mighty and Majestic - is a Living God without temporal life,
King before He produces anything, Master after its production (insha').
God has no limits (hadd). He is not known through something resembling
Him. He ages not through subsistence (baqa'). He is struck not by
fear of anything, and by fright before Him all things are thunderstruck. [102]
So God is Living without temporal life, without a being described by attributes,
without a state which can be defined, without a designated location or
fixed place. Nay, He is Living in Himself, a Master whose power does not
remove. He produced what He wills when He wills through His will and His
power. He was First, without 'how', and will be Last, without 'where'.
And 'All things perish, except His face' (XXVIII, 88). 'His are the creation
and the command. Blessed be God, the Lord of all beings.' (VII, 54)." F. Ali al-Rida, the Eighth Imam I. Profession of Unity It has been related that when al-Ma'mun [103]
desired to install al-Rida (as his successor), he collected together Banu
Hashim [104] and said to them,
"Verily I desire to install al-Rida in this affair after me." Banu Hashim envied al-Rida and said, "Thou appointest an ignorant man
who possesses not the insight to direct the caliphate. Therefore send for
him. He will come to us and thou wilt see how his ignorance decides thee
against him. So he sent for him and he came. Banu Hashim said to him, O
Abu-l-Hasan! Ascend the pulpit and display for us a sigh whereby we may
worship God." So he ascended the pulpit and sat for a long time, his head bowed in
silence. Then he trembled a great trembling and stood up straight, praised
and lauded God, and asked His blessing for His prophet and his household.
Then he said, " The first element in the worship of God is knowledge of
Him, the root (asl) of knowledge of Him is to profess His Unity
(tawhid), and the correct way (nizam) to profess the Unity
of God is to negate attributes from Him For the powers of reason testify
that every attribute and everything possessing an attribute (mawsuf
) is created. Everything possessing an attribute testifies that it
has a Creator which is neither attribute nor possesses an attribute. Every
attribute and everything possessing an attribute testify to connection
(iqtiran, between the attribute and that to which it is attributed).
Connection testifies to temporality (hadath). And temporality testifies
that it accepts not the Beginningless, which accepts not the temporal." So it is not God whose Essence is known through comparison. It is not
His Unity that is professed by someone who attempts to fathom Him. It is
not His reality (haqiqah) that is attained by someone who strikes
a similitude for Him. It is not He who is confirmed (tasdiq) by
him who professes an end for Him. It is not He to whom repairs he who points
to Him. It is not He who is meant by him who compares Him (to something).
It is not to Him that he who divides Him into parts humbles himself. And
it is not He who is desired by him who conceives of Him in his imagination." "Everything that can be known in itself (bi-nafsihi) is fashioned
(masnu). [105] All that
stands apart from Him is an effect (malul). God is inferred from
what He fashions (sun'), the knowledge of Him is made fast by the
powers of reason, and the argument (hujjah) for Him is established
by (man's) primordial nature (al-fitrah)." "God's creating of the creatures is a veil between Him and them. His
separation (mubayanah) from them is that He is disengaged from their
localization (ayniyyah). [106]
That He is their origin (ibtida') is proof for them that He has
no origin, for none that has an origin can originate others. That He has
created them possessing means (of accomplishing things) is proof that He
has no means (adah), for means are witness to the poverty of those
who use them." "So His names are an expression (tabir), His acts (afal)
are (a way) to make (Him) understood (tafhim), and His Essence is
Reality (haqiqah). [107]
His inmost center (kunh) separates (tafriq) Him from creation,
and His otherness (ghuyur) limits (tahdid) what is other
than He. Therefore ignorant of God is he who asks for Him to be described!
Transgressing against Him is he who seeks to encompass Him! Mistaken is
he who imagines to have fathomed Him!" "Whoso says 'how ?' has compared Him (to something). Whoso says 'why
?' has professed for Him a cause (talil). Whoso says 'when?' has
determined Him in time (tawqit). Whoso says 'in what ?' has enclosed
Him (tadmin). Whoso says 'to what ?' has professed for Him a limit
(tanhiyah). Whoso says 'until what ?' has given Him an end (taghiyah).
Whoso gives Him an end has associated an end with Him. Whoso associates
an end with Him has divided Him. Whoso divides Him has described Him. Whoso
describes Him has deviated from the straight path (ilhad) concerning
Him." [108] God does not change with the changes undergone by creation, just as
He does not become limited by delimiting (tahdid) that which is
limited (al-mahdud). He is One (ahad), not according to the
explanation offered by number (tawil adad); Outward, not according
to the explanation of being immediate (to the senses); [109]
Manifest, not through the appearance of a vision (of Him); Inward (batin),
not through separation (muzayalah); Apart (muba'in), not
through distance; Near, not through approach; Subtle, not through corporealization;
Existent, not after nonexistence; Active, not through coercion; Determining,
not through the activity of thought (jawl fikrah); Directing (mudabbir),
not through movement; Desiring, not through resolution; Willing (sha'),
not through directing attention (himmah); [110]
Grasping (mudrik), not through touch (majassah); Hearing,
not through means; and Seeing, not through organs." "Times accompany Him not, places enclose Him not, slumber seizes Him
not, attributes delimit Him not, and instruments (adawat) are of
no use to Him. His being (kawn) precedes times (al-awqat),
His existence (wujud) non-existence and His beginninglessness (azal)
beginning (al-ibtida')." "By His giving sense to the sense organs it is known that He has no
sense organs. By His giving substance to substances it is known that He
has no substance. By His causing opposition among things it is known that
He has no opposite. By His causing affiliation among affairs it is known
that He has no affiliate. He opposed darkness to light, obscurity to clarity,
moisture to solidity, and heat to cold. He joins together those things
which are hostile to one another and separates those which are near. They
prove (the existence of) their Separator by their separation and their
Joiner by their junction. That is (the meaning of) His words-He is the
Mighty and Majestic-'And of everything created We two kinds; haply you
will remember'. "(LI 49). "So through them He separated 'before' and 'after' that it might be
known that He has no before and after. They testify with their temperaments
that He who gave them temperaments has no temperament. They prove by their
disparity (tafawut) that He who made them disparate has no disparity.
They announce through their subjection to time that He who subjected them
to time is not subject to it Himself." "He veiled some of them from others so that it might be known that there
is no veil between Him and them other than them. His is the meaning of
lordship (al-rububiyyah) when there was none over whom He was Lord,
the reality of godhood (al-ilahiyyah) when there was nothing for
whom He was God, the meaning of Knower when there was nothing to be known,
the meaning of Creator (khaliq) when there was nothing created (makhluq)
and the import of hearing when there was nothing to be heard. It is not
because He created that He deserves the meaning (of the term) 'Creator'
and not because He brought the creatures into being that the meaning of
'making' is derived." "How (should it not be so) ? For mudh ('ever since') conceals
Him not, qad ('already') [111]
brings Him not near, la'alla ('perhaps') veils Him not, mata
('when ?') limits Him not in time, hin ('at the time of') contains
Him not, and ma ('with') brings Him not into association. [112]
Instruments (adawat) limit only themselves and means (alah) allude
only unto their own like. [113]
Their activities are found only in things. [114]
Mudh withholds things from being eternal (qidmah), qad
shields them from beginninglessness, and law la ('if only') wards
off perfection (al-takmilah). [115]
Things become separate and prove (the existence of) their Separator. They
become distinguished and prove their Distinguisher (muba'in). Through
them their Maker manifests Himself to the powers of reason. Through (these
powers) [116] He becomes veiled
to sight, to them imaginations appeal for a decision, [117]
in them is substantiated (only) other than Him, from them is suspended
the proof and through them He makes known to them the acknowledgement (al-iqrar)." [118] "Confirmation (tasdiq) of God is made fast by the powers of reason,
and faith (iman) in Him reaches perfection through acknowledgment.
There is no religiosity (diyanah) except after knowledge (marifah),
no knowledge except through sincerity (ikhlas) and no sincerity
along with comparison. [119]
There is no negation (nafy) of comparison if there is affirmation
(ithbat) of attributes." [120] "So nothing in creation is found in its Creator. All that is possible
in it is impossible in its Maker. Movement (harakah) and stillness
(sukun) do not affect Him. How should that which He effects (in
others) have effect upon Him, or that which He has originated recur for
Him ? Then His Essence would be disparate, His inmost center divided, His
signification (mana) prevented from eternity. How would the Creator
have a meaning different from the created ?" "If something from behind limited Him, then something in front would
limit Him. If perfection (tamam) were seeking Him imperfection would
be upon Him. How should that which does not transcend (imtina) temporality
be worthy of (the Name 'Beginningless' ? How should that which does not
transcend being produced (insha') produce the things (of the world)
? There the would have arisen in Him a sign of having been made (al-masnu)
and He would become a proof (dalil) after having been the proven
(madlul alayh)." [121] "There is no argument in absurd opinions (such as the above), no answer
when it (absurdity) is asked about, no glorification of Him in its meaning.
Nor is there any in distinguishing Him from creation, unless it be that
the Eternal accepts not to be made two, nor the Beginningless to have a
beginning." "There is no god but God, the All-high, the Tremendous. They have cried
lies who ascribe equals to God! They have gone astray into far error and
suffered a manifest loss! And God bless Muhammad and his household, the
pure." 2. The Veil It was related from Muhammad ibn 'Abdallah al-Khurasani, the servant
of al-Rida-upon whom be peace-that a man from among the unbelievers (zanadiqah) [125]
entered the presence of the Imam, with whom was a group of people. Abu-l-Hasan
(the Imam) said to him, "Dost thou see that if the correct view is your
view-and it is not your view-then are we not equal ? All that we have prayed,
fasted, given of the alms and declared of our convictions will not harm
us." The unbeliever remained silent. Then Abu-l-Hasan said, "If the correct
view is our view-and it is our view-then have not you perished and we gained
salvation ?" He said, "God's mercy be upon thee. Then let me know, how is He and
where is He ?" Abu-l-Hasan answered, "Woe upon thee, surely the opinion thou hast adopted
is mistaken!. He determined the 'where', and He was, when there was no
where; and He fashioned the 'how', and He was, when there was no 'how'.
So He is not known through 'howness' or 'whereness' or through any form
of sense perception, nor can He be gauged by anything." The man said, "So then surely He is nothing (la shay') if He
cannot be perceived by any of the senses." Abu-l-Hasan said, "Woe upon thee! When thy senses fail to perceive Him,
thou deniest His lordship. But when our senses fail to perceive Him, we
know for certain that He is our Lord and that He is something different
from other things (shay' bi-khilaf al-asha). [126] The man said, "Then tell me, when was He ?" Abu-l-Hasan said, "Tell when He was not, and then I will tell you when
He was." [127] The man said, "Then what is the proof of Him ?" Abu-l-Hasan said, "Surely when I contemplate my body and it is impossible
for me to increase or decrease its breadth and height, or to keep unpleasant
things away from it or draw benefits to it, then I know that this structure
has a maker and I acknowledge (iqrar) Him-even though that which
I had seen of the rotation of the celestial sphere through His power; the
producing of clouds; [128]
the turning about of the winds; [129]
the procession of the sun, the moon and the stars; and others of His wondrous
and perfectly created signs (ayat), had (already) made me know that
(all) this has a Determiner (muqaddir) and Producer (munshi')." The man said, "Then why has He veiled Himself (from men) ?" Abu-l-Hasan replied, " Surely the veil is upon creatures because of
the abundance of their sins. As for Him, no secret is hidden from Him during
the day or the night." [130] The man said, "Then why does the sense of sight perceive Him not ?" Abu-l-Hasan answered, "Because of the difference between Him and His
creatures, who are perceived by the vision of the eyes, whether their own
or others. Then He is greater than that sight should perceive Him, imagination
encompass Him, or the power of reason delineate Him." The man said, "Then define His limits (hadd) for me." He answered, "He has no limits." The man asked, "Why ?" He answered, "Because every limited thing (makdud) ends at a
limit. If limitation (tahdid) is possible, then increase is possible.
If increase is possible; then decrease is possible. So He is unlimited.
He neither increases nor decreases. Nor is He capable of being divided
or imagined." The man said, "Then tell me about your saying that He is Subtle, Hearing,
Seeing, Knowing and Wise. [131]
Can He be the Hearing without ears, the Seeing without eyes, the Subtle
without working with the hands and the Wise without workmanship (sanah)
?" [132] Abu-l-Hasan said, "Surely a person among us is subtle in accordance
with (his) skill in workmanship. Hast thou not seen the man who undertakes
a task and is subtle in his handling of it, so that it is said, 'How subtle
is so and so!' Then how should it not be said of the Majestic Creator that
He is Subtle, when He creates a subtle and majestic [133]
creation, places in its living creatures their souls, creates every kind
different in form from its own kind, and none resembles another ? Each
possesses in the composition of its form a subtlety from the Subtle and
Aware Creator." "Then we looked upon the trees and their bearing of delicate things,
whether edible or inedible, and we said at that, 'Surely our Creator is
Subtle, (but) not like the subtlety of His creatures in their workmanship.'
And we said, 'Surely He is Hearing, for no hidden from Him are the sounds
of His creatures between the Throne and the earth, from a mote to what
is larger than it, and in the land and the sea. And their words are not
confused by Him.' At that we said, 'Surely He is Hearing, but not through
ears.'" "Then we said, 'Surely He is Seeing, but not through eyes, for He sees
the trace of a black speck on a dark night on a black stone. [134]
He sees the tracks of an ant on a pitch-black night. He sees what is harmful
for it and what beneficial, and the result of its cohabitation, and its
young and descendents.' And at that we said, 'Surely He is Seeing, but
not like the sight of His creatures." "The man did not leave until he had embraced Islam. The Imam said other
things as well. Notes: [1] The Prophet said, "The number
of paths to God is equal to the number of human souls." [2] Throughout these texts, as in
all traditional Muslim writings, whenever the name of the Prophet or a
pronoun referring to him is mentioned, phrases like "Upon whom be blessings
and peace" are added. In the same way for the Imams "Upon whom be peace"
is added. For the most part these phrases have been dropped in translation. [3] According to Majlisi the meaning
is that God's exaltation, magnificence and divinity are not dependent upon
creation, but existed before it (p. 288). i.e., although these terms logically
imply duality (exalted in relation to the debased, divine in relation to
creatures, etc.), they express qualities which God possessed in His eternal
nature "before" any creature existed. The same can be said about His solitariness. [4] Cf. Quran XXI, 30: "The heavens
and the earth were a mass all sewn up, and then we unstitched them." [5] Reference to Quran VI, 97: "He
splits the sky into dawn". [6] Chapter and verse of Quranic
quotations will be indicated in the text in this manner. I have relied
largely on the Arberry and Pickthall translations. [7] Cf. for example Quran XIV, 44:
"And warn mankind of the day when the chastisement comes on them, and those
who did evil shall say, 'Our Lord, defer us to a near term, and we will
answer Thy call, and follow the Messengers'." [8] Majlisi offers several explanations
for this passage, and he comments as follows on the interpretation followed
here: "He wished that creatures profess His Unity alone, without associating
any others with Him. For if He were apparent to minds and the senses, He
would be associated with possible beings in unreal unity (al-wahdat
al-i'tibariyyah). Then the unity which pertained to Him would not belong
to Him alone" (p. 289). [9] Cf. Quran IV, I65: "Messengers
bearing good tidings, and warning, so that mankind might have no argument
against God, after the Messengers"; and VI, I50: "To God belongs the argument
conclusive." [10] Cf for example, Quran XXII,
78: "That the Messenger might be a witness against you .... " [11] "Similarity" or "comparison"
(tashbih) becomes an important technical term in Islamic theology
and Sufism. It indicates the belief that God's attributes can be likened
to those of man and the creatures. Hence scholars have often translated
the term as "anthropomorphism". It is contrasted with "incomparability"
(tanwih), the belief that God's attributes are in no way similar
to those of the creatures. As pointed out in the introduction, the Imams
emphasize the latter position throughout these texts, without failing to
make use of the former to explain their points. In later theology and Sufism,
attempts are often made to strike a balance between the two positions by
maintaining that God is neither completely similar to His creatures nor
totally incomparable, or that He is both similar and incomparable at the
same time. For example, Ibn al-'Arabi attempts to strike this balance in
the third chapter of his celebrated Fusus al Hikam. See W. Chittick,
"Ibn 'Arabi's own Summary of the Fusus: 'The Imprint of the Bezels
of Wisdom'," Sophia Perennis, vol. I, no. 2, Autumn I975,
pp. I08-II0 [12] As pointed out by Majlisi
(pp. 223-4), this is "a rejection of the views of those who say that every
temporal being (hadith) must come from a (pre- existing) matter
(maddah)." [13] The words ayniyyah,
kayfiyyah and haythiyyah could be translated more literally
as "whereness", "howness" and "whereasness" (cf. above, p.26, and bdow,
p. 49). Majlisi explains the meaning as follows: "In other words, He is
not localized in any one place that He should be in that place without
being in another, as is the case with things qualified by localization
(mutamakkinat). So He cannot be perceived like something possessing
location and place. The relation of a disengaged reality (mudarrad)
to all places is equal. No place is empty of Him in respect of the fact
He encompasses them in knowledge, in terms of causality, and because He
preserves and sustains them "There is no object like Him existing either externally (fi'-l-kharij)
or mentally (fi'-l-adhhan), that He might be described as possessing
any of the various qualities relating to corporeality and possibility.
It is also possible that by 'quality is meant 'cognitive form' (al-surat
al-ilmiyyah). "And He is not absent from anything, that is, . . . in respect of knowledge,
that one might thus conclude that He possesses aspect (hayth) and
place (makan). As for things qualified by place, it is in their
nature to be absent from (other) things and not to encompass them in knowledge.
This sentence is as if to emphasize the former statement. It is also possible
that 'aspect' here refers to time . . ." (p. 224). [14] "The changing essences of
things make Him inaccessible to minds . . . either because, if the mind
could perceive Him, He would be-like possible beings-a locus for changing
attributes, and thus He would be in need of a maker; or because reason
tells us that the Maker must be different in attribute from the made, so
He cannot be perceived as are created things . . ." (Majlisi, p. 225). [15] Cf. Quran XVIII, II0: "Say,
'If the sea were ink for the Words of my Lord, the sea would be spent before
the Words of my Lord are spent, though We brought replenishment the like
of it." [16] It will not have passed unnoticed
that the transcendence of the divine Essence is emphasized here by the
fact that man is dumbfounded even by the lower reaches of God's theophanies.
The powers of man's reason are stopped by the waves, they do not reach
the current itself. The mere mention of God's eternity bewilders the imagination,
etc. [17] According to Majlisi the reference
is to the "cords" (asbab) or degrees of "Pharoah said, 'Haman, build
for me a tower, that haply so I may reach the cords, the cords of the heavens,
and look upon Moses' 'God' " (XL, 361). [18] The same words, itqan al-sun',
are used together once in the Quran: "God's handiwork, who has made everything
perfectly" (XXVII, 88). [19] The fact that the creation
displays the signs and portents of God is of course emphasized throughout
the Quran and all of Islam and is the basis of all Islamic cosmology. For
the Muslim, moreover, it is the very order and regularity of the universe
and nature's laws which prove God. See S. H. Nasr, Science and Civilization
in Islam, Cambridge (Mass.), 1968. [20] According to Majlisi by "tree"
is meant first the Abrahamic line of prophecy, then the tribe and family
of the Prophet-the Quraysh and Banu Hashim (p. 227). The descriptions following
all refer to the tree of prophecy and the prophets who grew from it. [21] I.e., Gabriel, the angel of
revelation. Cf. Quran XXVI, I92-3: "Truly it is the revelation of the Lord
of all beings, brought down by the Faithful Spirit . . ." [22] I.e., revelation. [23] The Quran. [24] The "steed" which carried
the Prophet to Heaven on his night journey (mir'aj). [25] I.e., during the Prophets
mir'aj. [26] Cf. Quran XV, 94: "So proclaim
that which thou art commanded, and withdraw from the idolators." [27] Cf. Quran V, 67: "0 Messenger,
deliver what which has been sent down to thee from thy Lord . . ." [28] According to a hadith
of the Prophet, "I cannot enumerate all of Thy praises: Thou art as Thou
hast praised Thyself". [29] Cf. Quran XIV, 34 and XVI,
I8. [30] Cf. Quran XVII, 5I: "Then
they will say, 'Who will bring us back?' Say: 'He who originated you the
first time'." [31] Cf. Quran XXX, 46: "And of
His signs is that He looses the winds, bearing good tidings and that He
may let you taste of His mercy", and other similar verses. [32] Cf Quran XVI, I5: "And He
cast on the earth firm mountains, lest it shake with you"; also XXI, 3I
and XXXI, I0 [33] The editor comments as follows
in a footnote: "The perfection of professing His Unity is to maintain that
He is not forced to act as He does and is devoid of all faults, to declare
Him to be above the blemishes of incapacity and imperfection, and to profess
that He is pure of what pertains to and impinges upon possible beings,
such as corporeality, composition, and other negative (salh) attributes"
(p. 25I). Sincerity is to profess the Unity of God in a perfect manner,
so that eventually at the end of the path of spiritual realization and
perfection (al-tariqah), all stains of contingency are removed both
from the knowledge and the being of the believer. [34] This sentence does not occur
in the Bihar al-anwar, but it does occur in the same passage in
the Nahj al-balaghah and seems necessary from the context. [35] I.e., to their "appointed
terms" to we Quranic language (III, I45, etc.). The text of the Nahj
al-balaghah reads "ahal" for "ajjal', which would change
the translation to the following: "He transforms things at their (proper)
times." [36] "The relation (of this image)
to the saying that minerals are generated from the vapors of the earth
is obvious" (Majlisi, p. 278). [37] On the Islamic teaching that
the angels, though of luminous substance, are "peripheral" beings since
they know only some of God's Names, while man is "central" since he knows
all of His Names, see F. Schuon, The Transcendent Unity of Religions,
London, I953, pp.70-72. [38] "Reason's powers" is a translation
of 'uqul, plural of 'aql. A more awkward but perhaps more
exact translation would be "reasons". Many scholars translate the word
'aql as "intellect" or "intelligence". Certainly all of these translations
are possible, since the various meanings are all contained in the one Arabic
word-if indeed the reader will concede that there is more than one basic
meaning, for in modern thought the distinction between the reason (ratio)
and the intellect (intellectus) has largely been ignored. However that may be, the Arabic word 'aql may be said to possess
at least two significations according to various contexts. It may signify
the Universal Intellect, which is equivalent to the Greatest Spirit and
the Muhammadan Light. It is God's first creation and possesses true and
detailed knowledge of all things, including God Himself. It may also signify
the "reason", which is the reflection of the Universal Intellect upon the
human plane. But in ordinary men the reason is cut off from the Intellect.
Only the prophets and saints may be said to have actualized their "intellects"
to various degrees. In other words, they F.ave realized an inward identity
with the Universal Intellect. But in these texts, the Imams usually speak of 'aql as cut off
from its luminous and spiritual source. It limits and constricts the infinite
Truth in keeping with its root meaning ('aqala = to tie, to bind).
Hence I translate the word as "reason" or "power of reason". When the Imams
speak of the actualization of the intellect within man, they refer to the
"heart' (qalb). The reason cannot understand God, but, as we shall
see below, the heart may see Him. Most Sufis follow this terminology, such
as the members of Ibn al-'Arabi's school (see my forthcoming study of Sadr
al-Din al-Qunawi). But all are aware of the 'aql's dual nature.
Thus Rumi: "The particular intellect ('aql-i juzwi-reason) has disgraced
the Intellect" (Mathnawi, V, 463). Nevertheless, the Imams do not ignore the positive role that 'aql-and
here perhaps "intelligence" would be the best translation-can and does
play in religion, in keeping with Islam's fundamental emphasis upon knowledge
(see F. Rosenthal, Knowledge Triumphant, Leiden, I970). The first
book of the section on usul from al-Kulayni's al-Kafi is
entitled the "Book of 'Aql." It contains Such hadiths as
the following: "The intelligence is that through which man worships the
All-Merciful and gains Paradise" (Imam Ja'far). "The sincere friend of
every man is his intelligence, while his enemy is his ignorance" (Imam
'Ali al-Rida). "He who possesses intelligence possesses religion, and he
who possesses religion enters the Garden" (Imam Ja'far). "In the reckoning
on the Day of Resurrection God will only scrutinize His servants to the
extent He has given them intelligence in the world" (Imam Musa). The first
selection from Imam 'Ali Rida below (pp. 44-48) refers in several places
to the positive function of the 'aql. The two roles of the 'aql to which the Imams allude, positive
and negative, derive from the principle enunciated by the Prophet in the
hadith: "Meditate upon God's bounties, but not upon His Essence."
The 'aql must be able to see that the world by its very nature manifests
a Reality beyond it. A healthy intelligence, one which on the human plane
reflects the First Intellect directly, will naturally see the signs of
God in all things. But as soon as the 'aql tries to understand the
very Essence of God, it oversteps its boundaries and goes astray. [39] Majlisi interprets the "deviation
of straying" to mean the "reason, whose nature is deviation and straying"
(p. 28I). [40] This divine Name occurs several
times in the Quran, such as XL, I5. [41]As the Quran often affirms,
both explicitly and implicitly, "He directs the affair" (XIII, 2, etc.). [42] Cf. Quran II, I48: "Every
man has his direction to which he turns." Majlisi cites the ,hadith,
"All are eased to what has been created for them", which in turn recalls
Quran LXXX, I9-2I: "He created him (man), and determined him, then the
way eased for him . . .". [43] Both the editor in a footnote,
pointing to the printed edition of al-Tawhid, and Majlisi in his
commentary, basing himself on a similar passage in the Nahj al-balaghah,
suggest that the correct reading is hudud for mahdud. The
translation has been made accordingly. [44] Cf. Quran L, 38: "We created
the heavens and the earth, and what between them is, in six days, and no
weariness touched us." [45] The commentator points out
that mukabadah occurs in place of mukayadah in some manuscripts,
which would change the translation of the last clause to the following:
"or from hardship from one who would transgress His command" (p.280). [46] According to a footnote to
the text another manuscript reads "when He" for "and". [47] These are the words of the
people who were led astray by the followers of Iblis disputing with them
in hell. The verse continues: "It was naught but the sinners that led us
astray; so we have no intercessors, no loyal friend. O that we might return
again, and be among the believers!" [48] Passages of the Quran known
as "clear" (muhkam) are those about whose meaning there can be no
question. They are contrasted with other passages known as "ambiguous"
(mutashabih), which are open to various interpretations, even in
the outward and literal meaning of the text. [49] The commentator remarks: "The
subtlety of the comparison of reflection, or the mind, where reflection
takes place, to a bird's craw will not be lost on the reader" (p. 284). [50] Cf. Q= II, 23: "And remember
God's blessing upon you, and the Book and the Wisdom He has sent down on
you . . ."; and II, 269: "Whoso is given the Wisdom, has been given much
good." [51] A term appearing twice in
the Q= (III, 7 and IV, I62). In Sufism and Shi'ism it is usually taken
to refer to those who, due to their elevated spiritual station, are qualified
to speak of the divine mysteries. [52] The son of 'Ali's sister,
Umm Hani bint Abi Talib. For the scant bibliographical references see Bihar
al-anwar, vol. 4, p.3I3 and the Lughat-namah of Dihkhuda (Tehran,
1325/1946 onward). [53] A reference to much prostration
in prayer. Cf. Q= XLVIII, 29: "Their mark is on their face, the trace of
prostration." [54] The Quran emphasises that
"To God is the homecoming" (XXXV, I8; cf. also II, 285; III, 28, etc).
Likewise, "Unto God belongs the issue of all affairs" is a Quranic expression
(XXII, 4I; XXXI, 22). [55] Cf. Quran XLII, 26: "And He
answers those who believe and do righteous deeds, and gives them increase
of His bounty." [56] Reference to Quran I, 4: "To
Thee alone we pray for succour." [57] "God is He who raised up the
heavens without pillars you can see. . ." (Quran XIII, 2; cf. XXXI, I0). [58] A reference to their creation:
"The only words We say to a thing, when We desire it, is that We say to
it 'Be', and it is" (Q= XVI, 40). [59] A reference to Q= XXXV, I0:
"To Him good words go up, and the righteous deed-He uplifts it." [60] Literally, "the neighboring
dark-reds", i.e., as explained by Muhammad 'Abduh in his commentary on
the Nahj al-balaghah (vol. II, p. I26), a reference to the mountains
in terms of their color from afar. [61] Majlisi remarks, "If you say,
'He-glory be to Him - knows what the lighting illumines and what it does
not illumine, so why should the Imam specify what the lighting vanishes
from?' I would answer, 'Because His knowledge of what is not illumined
is stranger and more wonderful. Since, as for what is illumined by the
lighting, it is possible that anyone of correct vision would also know
it" (p. 3I6). [62] A reference to ancient Arabian
beliefs concerning the influence of the moon in its various mansions on
the weather. See the article "Anwa' " in the Encyclopaedia of
Islam (new edition), vol. I, pp. 523-4. [63] Cf. Q= II, 26: "God is not
ashamed to strike a similitude even of a gnat". [64] "God knows what every female
bears" (Quran XIII, 8). [65] Since He already knows their
needs, or since He is the "All-Hearing" in His Essence. [66] Majlisi comments: He is not
described by pairs, "i.e. by likes, or by opposites; or by the attributes
of pairs; or there is no composition in Him as the result of the marriage
of any two things . . ." (p. 3I6). [67] 'Ilaj. If He did, it
would suggest that there is something upon which He works or to which He
applies Himself. Rather, "He but says to it 'Be', and it is" (Quran II,
II7; III, 47, etc.). [68] See Quran IV, I64. [69] Cf. Quran XX, 23. [70] Literally, "uvulae", lahawat. [71] A divine Name occurring in
Quran XXIII, I4 and XXXVII, I25. [72] The famous Battle of the Camel
occurred in the year 36/656 between the followers of 'Ali and those of
Talhah and Zubayr. See the Encyclopaedia of Islam (new edition),
"Djamal", vol. II, pp. 4I4-I6. [73] This is a reference to the
Quranic verse, "They are unbelievers who say, 'God is the Third of Three'
" (V, 73). Concerning the providential Quranic "misunderstanding" of the
Christian Trinity, see F. Schuon, The Transcendent Unity of Religions,
pp. 40 ff. [74] The first kind of "unity"
that is rejected is numerical unity, or the idea that when we say "He is
one God", we mean something similar to what we mean when we say, 'This
is one walnut", i.e., that there may also be two Gods, three Gods, etc.
The second "unity" refers to similarity in kind or species, as when we
say, "this is one cat", meaning that there are also other kinds of cats.
In the words of Majlisi, "When it is said in this sense of a Byzantine
that he is one of mankind, it is meant that his kind is one of the kinds
of men or is a kind among other kinds" (p. 207). This is tashbih
because we are comparing God to whatever we say He is one of. Since He
is one of that kind, He has to be similar to others of that kind. [75] As Majlisi points out, the
first of the acceptable meanings of divine Unity is that He is one in the
sense that He has no second, associate or partner. Only He truly is. And
the second is that He has no parts in any sense whatsoever (p. 207). [76] The discrepancies between
the present translation of this passage and that found in Shi'ite Islam,
p. 127, are due to the fact that in Shi'ite Islam the passage has
been translated from 'Allamah Tabataba'i's Persian translation, which includes
his commentary. [77] God's signs are displayed
through the whole of creation, as indicated in many passages of the Quran,
as for example, in the verse "In the alternation of night and day, and
what God has created in the heavens and the earth-surely there are signs
for a godfearing people" (X, 6). [78] The translation of this sentence
follows the first interpretation offered by the commentator. According
to the second, which seems less likely in the context, wujud would
mean "existence" as it usually does in current usage, and the meaning would
be: "His existence (being manifestly evident) necessitates affirming Him
(i.e. attesting to Him)". [79] The editor notes that in the
printed edition of al-Tawhid the text reads, "So it is not said
that anything is after Him." [80] As in many similar sayings
of the Imams, the purpose of this passage is to affirm both God's "similarity"
to creatures and His "incomparability" with them by stating that His attributes
must not be understood in the usual sense of the words. Normally if we
say "outward", we mean that which is immediately perceptible to the senses,
but God's "outwardness" is of a different kind. Majlisi comments in detail
upon this passage. Here we can quote his remarks on some of the less obvious
clauses: "Inward, i.e. not in terms of spatial distance, in the sense that
He would move from one place to another in order to become hidden, or that
He would enter into creatures' inner parts in order to know them. Rather, in His inmost center He is hidden from the powers of man's reason,
and He knows his inner parts and his secrets.... His nearness is not the
spatial nearness acquired by approaching things, but derives from knowledge,
His causal relationship to the creatures, His originating growth and development
within them, and His mercy (which encompasses them). He is Subtle not by
being a body with a delicate constitution, small volume, strange and wondrous
structure, or in that He is colorless, but by creating subtle things and
knowing them; or by His incorporeality and 'disengagement (tajarrud).
'Not through coercion', that is, He is free and not forced in His activity
.... 'Not through the activity of thought': in other words, when He determines
things He does not need the flow or activity of thought' (pp. 236-7). [81] Reference to Quran II, 255. [82] Majlisi comments: "When He
creates sense organs and bestows them upon the creatures, it is known that
He has no sense organs. This is either because of what has already been
said about the fact that He does not possess the attributes of creatures;
or because, when we see that He has bestowed sense organs, we become aware
that we need them in order to perceive. Then we conclude that He transcends
them, since it is impossible for Him to be in need of anything. It may
also be because the reason judges that He differs from His creatures in
attributes" (pp. 237-8). Majlisi also quotes (pp. 238-g) a long philosophical
and metaphysical discussion of this sentence by Ibn Maytham, one of the
commentators of the Nahj al-balaghah. [83] "In other words, since their
realities have become actualized and their quiddities have been brought
into existence, it is known that they are possible beings. Now every possible
being needs an origin. The Origin of origins will not be one of these realities
(which have become externally actualized)" (Majlisi, p. 239). [84] "When we see that He created
opposites and that they need a particular situation or position to manifest
themselves, we realize that He is not opposite to anything, for to need
something contradicts the Necessity (wujub) of Being. Or the meaning
is that when we see that earth one of two opposite things prevents, repels
and negates the existence of the other, we realize that He transcends that.
Or we see that opposition occurs through delimitation by certain limits
which are unable to embrace other limits, as for example (in the case of)
different colors or qualities, while He transcends all limits. In the same
way, how should the Creator oppose His creatures, or He who causes to issue
forth (al-fa'id) oppose that which is issued forth (al-mafid)?
Or if we understand opposite to mean that which is equal in strength, this
would necessitate another Necessary Being, the impossibility of which has
already been proven" (Majlisi, p. 239). [85] In a footnote the editor mentions
that some copies of 'Uyun akhbar al-Rida, one of the sources of
this passage, read al-jaff (dryness) for al-jasu (solidity). [86] The Ascending Stairways (al-ma'arij)
are mentioned in the Quran, LXX, 3. The meaning would seem to be that at
death, if the spirit of one who has compared things to his Lord tries to
ascend towards Him, it is blinded by His power. Compare Rumi: "Make it
thy habit to behold the Light without the glass, in order that when the
glass is shattered there may not be blindness (in thee)" (Mathnawi,
V, 99I). [87] The text reads "it" for "dominion",
but in order to avoid ambiguity the noun has been repeated. In Arabic the
masculine pronoun cannot refer to the feminine "power", although if one
were to follow the similar sentence in the hadith related from the
Seventh Imam below, "power" would be the logical choice as antecedent.
The meaning is that before the production of the world God had power over
it, and after its end He will still possess it. Whether or not it exists
in external form is irrelevant. [88] Cf. Quran LII, 45: "Then leave
them, till they encounter their day wherein they shall be thunderstruck
. . .". [89] Cf. Quran XXI, 23: "He shall
not be questioned as to what He does, but they shall be questiooned." [90] La yaqa' 'ala shay'.
The meaning is not completely clear. The editor points out in a footnote
(p. 300) that in the Usul min al-kafi the text of this hadith
reads yandam for yaqa' i.e., "He becomes remorseful at nothing." [91] This verse is in reference
to the covenant made between God and man before the creation of the world.
See S. H. Nasr, Ideals and Realities of Islam, London, I966, pp.
25-7. [92] God is often referred to as
a "thing" (shay') in the, hadith literature, as well as in theology
and philosophy, since the meaning of the word "thing" in Arabic is not
limited to external, concrete existents. Rather, it signifies reality,
entity or quiddity, at whatever level of existence, from the most sublime
to the most concrete. [93] Majlisi interprets this to
mean the "script written by hands" (p. I62). I.e., neither the spoken nor
the written name is the Named. [94] The meaning of this sentence
is obscure in the Arabic and Majlisi offers at least eight possible readings
(pp. I62-3), some of which are very close to one another, and the most
likely of which has been followed here. The present interpretation is also
that offered by the editor of al-Tawhid, p. 58. [95] Majlisi comments that this
sentence has been interpreted to mean that "God has not come into being.
If He had, He would have been originated by another, and His Being as well
as the attributes of His origination would be known by means of the fashioning
of His maker, just as effects are known by their causes." But, he adds,
"In my view perhaps the meaning is that He has not been fashioned and that
therefore He cannot be known by comparing Him to something else which has
been fashioned" (p. I63). According to this interpretation, the sentence
should be translated as follows: "He has not come into being that His Being
should be known through something else which has been fashioned." [96] Majlisi comments: "Between
the Creator and His creatures there is no common matter (maddah)
or reality (haqiqah) which might allow them to attain to knowledge
of Him; rather, He produced them from nothing that was" (p. I65). This
passage may also be interpreted to mean, in accordance with the beginning
of the paragraph, "There is nothing to act as a veil between the Creator
and His creatures." [97] This passage is related up
to this point in the Usul min al-kafi. The Tehran edition of I388/I968-9,
published with a Persian translation and notes by one of the well-known
contemporary 'ulama', Ayatallah Muhammad Baqir Kamara'i, contains
the following commentary (vol. I, pp. 207-8): "The Names of God are His
theophanies (jilwah-ha) which cast a ray of light upon man's reason
(khirad). Because they become connected to human reason, limit,
end and definition (ghayah, nihayah, hadd) apply to
them. The limit of each being lies where it is connected to another being.
The theophanies of God's act (fi'l) and fashioning (san'ah)
which are His creation, become limited in the framework of possible beings
(mumkinat) There the ray of light which brings about creation comes
to its limit. Thus it is said, 'the existence of a man', or 'of a tree',
'of an angel', 'of the earth', 'of heaven', etc. "The theophanies of God's attributes (sifat), which are the principle
(mabda') of the theophanies of (His) act, are given limits by the
functioning of the reason, and thus it is said, God's 'knowledge', 'power',
and 'life'. In this way the Names become distinct from the divine Essence,
and even the all-inclusive (jami') Name of God, which is 'Allah',
is separated from the Essence. The reality of God is other than all of
these." [98] Ma'rifah within the
essentially gnostic perspective of Islam is the goal of religious endeavour.
See F. Schuon, Understanding Islam, London, I962, chapter I. As
explained in the following footnote, the meaning of this sentence is that
man has faith not in something which he himself does not know, but in that
upon which all of his knowledge is based and which is in fact the object
of all knowledge. To the extent he has knowledge, he has knowledge of God,
albeit imperfectly, since there is no other knowledge. [99] In an unpublished work entitled
Risalat al-walayah (Treatise on sanctity), 'Allamah Tabataba'i comments
on the section of this passage beginning with the words "Whoso maintains
that he knows God by means of a veil": "Allusion is made here to the fact
that it is logically impossible for the knowledge of something other than
God to make necessary the knowledge of God Himself. Because of God's transcendence,
it cannot be said that knowledge (of Him) is the very same as the thing
known, as has already been explained (earlier m the treatise). "It is impossible that knowledge of one thing should be knowledge of
another thing different from it: otherwise the two different things would
be the same, which contradicts the premise. So the fact that knowledge
of one thing renders the knowledge of another thing necessary requires
some sort of unification (ittihad) between the two things. But since they
have been postulated as two things, there must be in addition to an aspect
of unification, an aspect of disparity. Thus each of them is compounded
of two aspects. Whereas God-glory be to Him-is one and simple in essence:
He is not compounded of anything in a manner which would allow Him to be
known by other than Him. This point is indicated by the Imam's saying,
'There is nothing between the Creator and the created,' etc., as well as
by his words, 'Then he who maintains that he has faith in that which he
does not know has gone astray from knowledge', etc., which is derived from
his previous saying, i.e., 'Surely he alone knows God who knows Him by
means of God,' etc. His words, 'A created thing perceives nothing unless
it be by means of God', serve as its proof, for everything is known by
means of God, who is 'the Light of the heavens and the earth' (Quran XXIV,
35), so how should things be known by means of other than Him? For He supports
every individual being (dhat), and He is without supports in His
very Essence (dhat). At the same time, knowledge of that which in
its very essence is dependent ensues from knowledge of the Independent
Being which supports it, for the fact that knowledge takes form necessarily
requires independence in the case of that which is known. Thus knowledge
of what is dependent is a consequence of (knowledge of) the Independent
which accompanies it. Such is the reality. And since it might be imagined that this doctrine is incarnation (hulul)
or unification (ittihad)-high be God exalted above these-the Imam
follows his words by saying, 'God is empty of His creatures and His creatures
are empty of Him', etc. Saying that the created being's perception of something
is by means of God does not negate the beginning of the passage ('Whoso
asserts. . .'), which denies that the knowledge of God should require knowledge
of other than Him, for the knowledge which is spoken of at the beginning
is acquired (husuli) i.e., rational), and that u the end is 'presential'
(huduri) i.e., direct and divinely dispensed knowledge or gnosis)."
Folio 26 obverse-reverse (Photocopies of this work are in the possession
of a number of 'Allamah Tabataba'i's disciples and students, and it is
hoped that some day it will be published). [100] In al-Tawhid the
editor explains that here the second makan is equivalent to makanah
or azamah. He comments, "He did not create a place for His station
and grandeur because places encompass Him not" (p. I4I). Majlisi prefers
the reading kan for makan as found in some manuscripts and
also in the ,hadith from the fifth Imam translated above. The meaning
would then be as translated there, i.e., "He did not bring into existence
a place for His Being." [101] "Master of the dominion"
(malik al-mulk) is a divine name, occurring in Quran III, 26. Cf.
Quran III, I89: "To God belongs the dominion of the heavens and the earth:
and God is powerful over everything" and many similar verses. [102] Cf. Quran, LII, 45. [103]The famous Abbasid caliph,
son of Harun al-Rashid. On his decision to appoint Imam al-Rida as his
successor, see Shi'ite Islam. [104] In general Banu Hashim
("The sons of Hashim") have been understood to be the descendents of Hashim
ibn 'Abd Manaf, the great grandfather of the Prophet and also the ancestor
of 'Ali and al-'Abbas, half-brother of the Prophet's father, from whom
is taken the name of the Abbasid caliphate. During the Abbasid period the
term refers to the family of the Prophet, but more specifically, as here,
to the Abbasid family itself. See B. Lewis, "Hashimiyyah", The
Encyclopedia of Islam (new edition), vol. III, p. 265. [105] Majlisi offers four possible
explanations for this sentence, the simplest of which is as follows: "Everything
whose existence can be known immediately through the senses without inference
from its effects is fashioned (since it is a part of the created world)"
(p. 233). [106] Men are not separated from
God because they are in one place and He in another, but because He is
free of place and localization, whereas they are entrapped within it (Majlisi,
p. 233). [107] Majlisi comments: " 'His
names are an expression', or they are not His very Essence and Attributes,
rather they are means of expressing and speaking of them. 'And His acts
are to make understood', so that men will come to know Him through them
and they will infer His existence, knowledge, power, wisdom and mercy.
'And His Essence is Reality', or a hidden, transcendent reality not reached
by the powers of the creatures' reason" (p. 234). [108] Majlisi offers several
interpretations for this passage. According to the one which is largely
followed here, "To associate an end with Him . . . means to come to the
conclusion that He undergoes annihilation along with the creatures, so
that it would be correct to say, 'His end is before, or after, the end
of so and so.' This is the same as to say that He participates wholly in
the nature of creatures and therefore has parts. Whoso says this has described
Him as possessing possibility, incapacity and the other defects of possible
beings. And whoso judges such has deviated concerning the divine Essence"
(p. 2,5). [109] From this sentence begins
a long section which corresponds almost exactly with the hadith
quoted from Imam 'Ali above (pp. 38 ff). For this reason the original Arabic
terms have not been repeated. It might be tempting to take this correspondence
as proof that the attribution of these words to 'Ali al-Rida or to 'Ali
is incorrect. But one must remember that it is quite common for the Imams
to quote their father and grandfather, all the way back to the Prophet.
We have seen examples of this already in the chain of authority of a number
of hadiths translated above. Moreover, in the middle of a discourse
there is no particular reason for the Imam to stop and point out exactly
whom he is quoting, just as is the case with quotations from the Quran,
especially since most of his followers would know perfectly well. The traditional
explanation for the repetition is summed up by Shaykh al-Saduq (al-Tawhid,
p. 309; see also Majlisi, p. 306): "In the hadith of 'Ali there
are certain words which Imam Rida mentioned in his sermon. This is a confirmation
of what we have always said concerning the Imams, upon whom be peace: the
knowledge of each of them is derived from his father right back to the
Prophet." [110] This and the previous phrase
are essentially the same in meaning. Normally, when man wills or desires
to do something, he has a particular idea or goal and then exerts himself
to achieve it, employing resolution and diligence. But as for God, "His
command, when He desires a thing, is to say to it 'Be', and it is" (Quran
XXXVI, 82). [111] Qad often cannot
be translated by a separate word in English. It indicates the termination
of action at the moment of speaking and therefore as Majlisi notes, quoting
the classical grammarians, serves "to approximate the past to the present"
(p. 242). [112] Majlisi explains that none
of these words can refer to God since each of them implies temporal or
other limitation, while God transcends time and knows all things in eternity.
Thus, "ever since" indicates a point of beginning in time, and if it applied
to God it would indicate that what was before that point was concealed
from Him. He can have no doubt concerning the future, so "perhaps" cannot
apply to Him, etc. (pp. 24I-2). [113] Majlisi remarks that "instruments
and means . . . or physical organs and corporeal faculties . . . allude
to the existence of corporeality like themselves . . . And it is not improbable
that by 'instruments' are meant the words which are negated from Him in
the previous section and that this passage is meant to be an explanation
of that" (p. 242). [114] "The activities and the
results of these instruments and means are found in creatures, not in God"
(Majlisi, p. 242). [115] "The fact that the words
mudh, qad and lawla are attributed to instruments
indicate that the latter are neither beginningless, nor eternal, nor perfect.
Therefore instruments could not delimit or allude to Him because, by reason
of their temporality and imperfection, they are far from being commensurate
with (God,) the Perfect, Absolute and Eternal in His Essence... (This is)
because mudh refers to beginning in time . . . gad approximates
the past to the present . . . and law la is employed to speak of what would
have been good . . . (for example), 'How good it would have been if only
it had been such and such' . . . and thus it points to imperfection in
the situation and deters from absolute perfection" (Majlisi, p. 243). Majlisi
also points out two alternative readings for this passage which need not
concern us here. [116] The text reads "through
them", and in a long passage (pp. 242-3) Majlisi demonstrates that the
pronoun should refer to "powers of reason" rather than to "instruments",
although in a similar passage in the Nahj al-balaghah it refers
to the latter. [117] "He becomes veiled to sight
through the powers of reason because it is the powers of reason which judge
that the vision of Him. is impossible, and it is to the powers of reason
that imaginations appeal when they differ among themselves" (Majlisi, p.
244). [118] "From the powers of reason
the proof of things is derived, and through these powers God makes known
to the reason, or to its possessor, the acknowledgment of Him" (Majlisi,
p. 244). [119] 'Sincerity' is to make
the knowledge of Him pure from all that is not appropriate to His sacred
Essence, i.e., materiality, accidentality, extraneous attributes (al-sifat
al-za'idah) and temporal phenomena. To say that he means 'sincerity
in devotion' would be artificial and forced (takalluf)" (Majlisi,
p. 244). In the Quran the chapter called "Sincerity" (al-ikhlas)
is also called "The Profession of Unity" (al-tawhid), and the meaning
of sincerity in Islam is tied to the correct profession of divine Unity
in terms of the negation of all "Associationism" (shirk). The meaning
of sincerity is discussed most profoundly perhaps in Sufi writings, where
it means complete negation of self. See F. Schuon, Understanding Islam,
pp. I40, I55-6. [120] "I.e., whoso affirms that
He possesses extraneous attributes does not negate an understanding of
Him in terms of comparison" (Majlisi, p. 244). [I2I] That is, if these temporal events and changes referred to Him
they would indicate that He had been created, and He would then be proof
of another Creator, just as possible beings are proof of the Necessary
Being (Majlisi, p. 246). [122] There is no substance to
the absurd arguments that would prove Him temporal and possessed of extraneous
attributes, and no answer to such arguments precisely because of their
self-evident absurdity. By saying such things one does not glorify Him,
rather one attributes to Him imperfection (Majlisi, p. 246). [123] According to Majlisi this
means that there is nothing wrong with distinguishing Him from creation,
unless we consider a perfection-His lying above duality and beginning-to
be a fault. He cites the following line of poetry as an example of this
type of expression: "They have no fault except that their swords/ Are dented
from slashing the enemy forces". I.e., their only "fault" is a perfection
(p. 246). Another possible interpretation of this passage, which however is made
doubtful by the context and structure of this and other sayings of the
Imams, is to say that there is always something provisional about distinguishing
God from creation, for this implies some sort of fundamental duality, which
precisely-as asserted by the Shahadah, la ilaha illallah-God
transcends. The world cannot exist "independently" of God, otherwise it
would be another deity. If God is one, then ultimately the world cannot
be other than He. Certainly He is other than the world, however, as this
and all the other ,hadiths cited from the Bihar al-anwar
emphasize so strongly. See F. Schuon, Understanding Islam, pp. I7-I8
and I25-6. [124] Cf. such Quranic passages
as the following: "Whoso associates with God anything, has gone astray
into far error . . . Whoso takes Satan to him for a friend, instead of
God, has surely suffered a manifest loss" (IV, II6-9). [125] The zanadiqah (sing.:
zindiq) are identified specifically in Islamic history with the
Manichaeans, but the word is also used more generally, as here, to mean
umbeliever and heretic. [126] Concerning the use of the
term "thing" to refer to God, see above, note 92. [127] Majlisi comments on the
unbeliever's question and the Imam's answer as follows (p. 38): "The apparent
meaning is that he is asking about the beginning of God's being and existence.
But it is also possible that the question concerns the principle of time
for His existence. According to the first (possibility), the gist of his
answer is that beginning in time pertains to that which is temporal, to
that which had been nonexistent and then became existent. But as for God,
nonexistence is impossible (so He cannot have a beginning in time). "According to the second (possibility), the meaning is that the existent
in time would be so through transformation in essence and attributes, for
time is the relationship of the changing (al-mutaghayyir) to the
changing. So in one moment of time it has a state which it does not have
in another. But God transcends change in essence and attributes." [128] Cf. Quran XIII, I2. [129] Cf. Quran II, I64. [130] I.e., He is not veiled,
for He sees all things. It is men who have veiled themselves from Him. [131] These are all divine names
which occur in the Quran. It should be noted, however, that the name latif
("Subtle") is particularly difficult to render into English in a manner
which would do justice to its various shades of meaning, as will be apparent
from the passage. Nevertheless it seemed better to maintain the one word
in English than to try to change it according to context and lose the point
which the Imam wishes to make. In another, hadith Imam Rida explains
the meaning of the divine name al-latif as follows: God is "Latif,
not because of being scanty, slender or small, but because of penetrating
into things and being impossible of comprehension .... God is too subtle
to be grasped within a definition or limited by a description, whereas,
'subtlety' for us is in smallness of size and quantity" (al-Tawhid,
p. I89). [132] "Wisdom" (al-hikmah)
is defined as "knowledge which puts everything in its place", and therefore
implies application and "workmanship". [133] Here subtle and majestic,
latif and jalil, are meant to be two contrasting attributes,
referring to the very small and the very large, etc. [134] Cf. Quran VI, 59: "With
Him are the keys of the Unseen; none knows them but He. He knows what is
in land and sea; not a leaf falls, but He knows it. Not a gram in the earth's
shadows, not a thing, fresh or withered, but it is in a Book Manifest." |