Chapter on Motion and Change
H 325, Ch. 19, h 1
Muhammad ibn abu Abdallah has narrated from Muhammad ibn
Ismail al-Barmaki from Ali ibn Abbass al-Kharazini from al-Hassan ibn Rashid
from Yaqub ibn Jafar al-Jafari, from abu Ibrahim (a.s.) Who has said the
following.
"A people was mentioned, before the Imam (a.s.), who believed that Allah, the Most
Holy, the Most High, comes down to the sky above the earth." The Imam (a.s.) said,
"Allah does not come down and He does not need to come down. His sight for near and
far is the same. Near does not become far for Him and far does not become near for Him. He
does not become needy for any thing but all things need Him and He is generous. There is
no Lord except Him. He is Most Majestic and All-wise. The statement that says Allah, the
Most Holy, the Most High, comes down to the sky over the earth can only come from those
who consider Him to decrease or increase (in size). Besides, all moving objects need
something to move it or move because of it. Whoever thinks of Allah as such has caused his
own destruction. Be very careful about the attributes of Allah to have a belief about them
that would limit Him through increase or reduction, moving or being moved, removal or His
coming down, standing up or sitting down. Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High, is far from
being described by those who would like to describe Him or being characterized by those
who do so or pictured in imagination. Have trust in Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most
Merciful Who sees you when you get up and when you change positions during
prostration."
H 326, Ch. 19, h 2
It is narrated from him (the narrator of the above Hadith), in a
marfu manner, from al-Hassan ibn Rashid from Yaqub ibn Jafar from abu
Ibrahim (a.s.) who has said the following.
"I do not say that he is standing so I would remove Him from His place. I do not
limit Him in a place. I do not limit Him by His moving in something with key elements of
the body or body parts. I do not limit Him by ascribing the movements of mouth or tongue.
The truth is what Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High, has said, Be and it comes
into existence through His will without any planning in a soul. He is Self-sufficient and
all alone. He does not need any partner who would speak of His kingdom or open the doors
of His knowledge."
H 327, Ch. 19, h 3
It is narrated from him (the narrator of the above Hadith) from
Muhammad ibn abu Abdallah from Muhammad ibn Ismail from Dawud ibn
Abdallah from Amr ibn Muhammad from Isa ibn Yunus who has said the
following.
"Ibn abu al-Awja said to Imam abu Abdallah (a.s.) in one of their
conversations, You spoke of Allah and referred to an unseen." The Imam
(a.s.) said, "What you said is not proper. How would He be unseen when He is present
with His creatures and is closer to them than their jugular vein. He hears their speeches,
sees their persons and knows their secrets." Ibn abu al-Awja then said,
"Is He everywhere? If He is in the heavens, how can He, at the same time, be on earth
and when He would be on earth then how can He be in the heavens at the same time.?"
The Imam (a.s.) said, "You spoke only of a creature that with changing place any
other place becomes occupied with it and another place is vacated from him and does not
know what has happened to the place where he used to be. Allahs position is great.
He is the king Who has full account of all things. No place is without Him and He does not
occupy any place. He is nearer to one place than the other place."
H 328, Ch. 19, h 4
Ali ibn Muhammad has narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad from Muhammad ibn
Isa who has said the following.
"I wrote to Imam abu al-Hassan, Ali ibn Muhammad (a.s.) to clarify a question. May
Allah take my soul in your service, O my master, it is narrated to us that Allah is in one
place and not in another place on Arsh, (the Throne) resting. He comes down to the
sky above the earth every night during the last half of the night. It is narrated that He
comes down at the ninth evening of the month of Dhul Hajj and then He returns back to His
place. Certain individuals among your friends have said that if He would be found in
certain places and not in other places the air must have come in contact with Him and
would surround Him because air is a thin form of body that surrounds everything
proportionate to its size. How then the air would surround Allah, the Most Holy and the
Most High, According to this assumption? The Imam replied in writing, "He has the
knowledge of this. He is the best One in having the true measurements of all things. You
must, However, note that His being in the sky over the earth is just as He on the Throne.
All things to Him are the same in the matters of His knowledge and power, domination and
control."
Muhammad ibn Jafar al-Kufi has narrated from Muhammad ibn Isa a similar Hadith
About the words of Allah
"There is not a single place wherein any secret counsel can take place between any three people without God being the fourth, . . ." (58:7).
H 329, Ch. 19, h 5
It is narrated from him (the narrator of the above Haddith) from a
group of our people from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Khalid from yaqub ibn yazid from ibn
abu Umayr from ibn Udhaynah from Imam abu Abdallah (a.s.) who has said
the following.
It is about the words of Allah "There is not a single place wherein any secret
counsel can take place between any three people without God being the fourth, nor five
people without His being the sixth. . ." (58:7). "He is One, the One only in His
Own-self. He is different from His creatures and as such He has said about His Own-Self.
He has control over all things through His presence, control and power. Nothing as small
as an atom in the heavens or earth is absent from Him, not even things smaller or bigger.
It is all through His control and knowledge not by His-self. It is because the places are
limited by the four boundaries. If it would be by His-self it would limit Him."
About the words of Allah
The Beneficent God is dominant over the Throne (of the realm) (20:5)
H 330, Ch. 19, h 6
Ali ibn Muhammad and Muhammad ibn al-Hassan have narrated from Sahl ibn
Ziyad from al-Hassan ibn Musa al-Khashshab from a few of his people from Imam abu
Abdallah (a.s.) who (the narrator) has said the following.
"A person asked the Imam about the words of Allah, "The Beneficent God is
dominant over the Throne (of the realm) (20:5)" The Imam said, "Allah
established His control over all things. No one thing is closer to Him than any other
thing."
H 331, Ch. 19, h 7
Sahl through the same chain of narrators has narrated from al-Hassan
ibn Mahbub from Maridin the following.
"A person asked Imam abu Abdallah about the words of Allah, "The
Beneficent God is dominant over the Throne (of the realm) (20:5)." The Imam said,
"He established His control in all things.
H 332, Ch. 19, h 8
Ali ibn Muhammad has narrated from Muhammad ibn Yahya from Muhammad ibn
al-Husayn from Safwan ibn Yahya from Abd al-Rahman ibn al-Hajjaj from Imam abu
Abdallah (a.s.) the following about the words of Allah.
"The Beneficent God is dominant over the Throne (of the realm)." (20:5) "No
single thing is closer to Him than any other thing. The far is not far for Him and
the close is not closer to Him. All are the same to Him."
H 333, Ch. 19, h 9
It is narrated from him (narrator of previous Hadith) from
Muhammad ibn Yahya from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Isa from al-Husayn ibn Said
from al-Nadr ibn Suwayd from Asim ibn Humayd from abu Basir from Imam abu
Abdallah (a.s.) who has said the following.
"Whoever may think that Allah is from things or in the things or on the things he has
become an atheist." I asked the Imam (a.s.), "Please explain to me." The
Imam said, "I intend thereby His being contained, held or being preceded." In
another Hadith it said, "Whoever would believe that Allah is from things he
has considered Him as created. Whoever would think that He is in things he has considered
Him as surrounded. Whoever thinks that He is on things he has considered Him as being
carried."
About the words of Allah
"It is God who is the Lord of the heavens and is the Lord on earth. He is All-wise and All-knowing." (43:84)
H 334, Ch. 19, h 10
Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from ibn abu Umayr
from Hisham ibn al-Hakam who has said the following.
"Abu Shakir al-Daysani said, In the Quran there is a verse that says what we
say. I asked, "What is that?" He replied, " It is God who is the Lord
of the heavens and is the Lord on earth. He is All-wise and All-knowing (43:84)." I
did not know the answer? During Hajj I mentioned it to Imam abu Abdallah who said
this. "This is the statement of a wicked atheist. When you go back say to him,
What is your name in Basra? He will say so and so. Ask, "What is your name in
al-Kufah? He will say so and so. Say in the same way is our Lord in the heavens. He is the
king in the heavens and the Lord on earth. He is the Lord in oceans and on land and in all
places. "The narrator has said, "I came back, went to abu Shakir and explained
to him the answer. He said, "This (answer) is brought from al- Hijaz."