Foreword

Reward for the Monotheists and Gnostics

Divine Unity and‬‬ Negation of Anthropomorphism

The Definition of One, Divine Unity, and the Believer in Divine Unity

The Commentary of Chapter 112 the Unity [al-Tawhid]

The Meaning of Divine Unity and Divine Justice

The Mighty and High is Devoid of both Body and Image

The Blessed and Exalted is a Thing

What is Related Regarding the Vision

Omnipotence

Knowledge

Attributes of Essence and Attributes of Actions

The Commentary of verse 88 of Chapter 28 the Narrative [al-Qasas] Everything is perishable but He.

The Commentary of Verse 75 of Chapter 38 Sad O Iblis! What prevented you that you should do obeisance to him whom I created with My Two Hands?

The Commentary of Verse 42 of Chapter 68 Qalam - On the Day when there shall be a severe affliction, and they shall be called upon to make obeisance

The Commentary of Verse 35 of Chapter 24 the Light [al-Nur]

The Commentary of Verse 67 of Chapter 9 the Repentance [al-Tawbah] They have forsaken Allah, so He has forsaken them.

The Commentary of Verse 67 of Chapter 39 the Companies [al-Zumar] And the whole Earth shall be in His Grip on the Day of Resurrection and the Heavens rolled up in his Right Hand.

The Commentary of Verse 15 of Chapter 83 the Defrauders [al-Mutaffifin] Nay! Most surely they shall on that day be debarred from their Lord.

The Commentary of Verse 22 of Chapter 89 the Daybreak [al-Fajr] And your Lord comes and (also) the angels in ranks.

The Commentary of Verse 210 of Chapter 2 the Cow [al-Baqarah] They do not wait aught but that Allah should come to them in the shadow of clouds along with the angels.

Meaning of Scoffing, Mockery, Planning and Deception of Allah

The Meaning of Allah’s Side

The Meaning of the Waistband

Meaning of the Eye, the Ear, and the Tongue of Allah

The Meaning of Allah’s Hand is Tied Up

The Meaning of His Pleasure and His Anger

The Meaning of Allah’s Breathing of Spirit And I breathed into him of My Sprit.

Negation of Space, Time, Stillness, Motion, Descending, Ascending, and Transference from Allah

The Names of Allah, the Exalted,‬‬ and the Difference between their Meanings and the Meaning of the‬‬ Names of Creation

What is the Qur’an?

The Meaning of “In the Name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful”

The Explanation of‬‬ the Letters of the Alphabet.

The Explanation of the Letters of the Alphabet According to Their Numerical Value

The Explanation of the Words of the Calls to Prayer

The Commentary of Guidance, Misguidance, Direction, and Forsaking is from Allah, the Exalted

The Refutation of the Dualists & the Atheists

There is no‬‬ god but the One God

The‬‬ Remembrance of Allah’s Greatness, Mighty be His Glory

The Subtlety of Allah, the Blessed, the Exalted

The Least Required for Recognizing Diving Unity

He, the Mighty and High, in not Recognized, Except by Himself.

The Assertion of the Emergence of the Universe

The Tradition of Dhi`lib.

The Tradition of Subakht, the Jewish Man

The Meaning of “Glory be to Allah” [Subhan Allah]

The Meaning of Allah is the Greatest [Allahu Akbar]

The Meaning of the First and the Last

the Most Compassionate is Firm on the Empyrean.

His Empyrean was on the Water

The Empyrean and Its‬‬ Description

The Empyrean was Created in Quarters

The Meaning of `His Knowledge Extend over the Heavens and the Earth’

Allah made the Nature of the Creation upon Divine Unity

The Appearance [Al-Bada’]

The Will and the Intent

Capability

The Trial and the Test

Privilege and Adversity

The Negation of Determinism and Relinquishment

Predestination, Divine Decree, Trials, Means of Sustenance Rates, and Restricted Powers

Children and Allah’s Justice Concerning Them

Allah only does what is best for His servants

Command, Prohibition, Promise and Threat

Recognition, Explanation, Evidence, and Guidance

A Session of al-Ridha (AS‬‬) with Theologians from Among the Rhetoricians and Various‬‬ Religions about Unity in the presence of al-Ma`mun

A Session of al-Ridha (AS) with Sulayman al-Marwazi, the Theologian of Khurasan, in‬‬ the Presece of al-Ma`mun concerning the Subject of Divine Unity.

The Prohibition of Discussing, Debating, and Arguing about Allah

1 - حدثنا علي بن أحمد بن محمد بن عمران الدقاق رحمه الله: قال: حدثنا محمد بن أبي عبد الله الكوفي، قال: حدثنا موسى بن عمران، عن عمه الحسين بن يزيد النوفلي، عن سليمان بن سفيان، قال: حدثني أبو علي القصاب، قال: كنت عند أبي عبد الله عليه السلام: فقلت: الحمد لله منتهى علمه، فقال: لا تقل ذلك، فإنه ليس لعلمه منتهى. 

1. `Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn `Imran al-Daqqaq (RA) said: Muhammad ibn Abu `Abd Allah al-Kufi said: Musa ibn `Imran, on the authority of his paternal uncle al-Husayn ibn Yazid al-Nawfali, on the authority of Sulayman ibn Sufyan said: Abu `Ali al-Qassab related to me that I was in the present of Abu `Abd Allah al-Sadiq (AS), so I said: “All praise be to Allah whose Knowledge has ended.” He (AS) consequently replied: “Do not say that for, verily, there is no end to His Knowledge.”

2 - أبي ومحمد بن الحسن بن أحمد بن الوليد رحمهما الله، قالا: حدثنا محمد بن يحيى العطار، وأحمد بن إدريس جميعا، عن محمد بن أحمد، عن علي بن إسماعيل، عن صفوان بن يحيى، عن الكاهلي، قال: كتبت إلى أبي الحسن عليه السلام في دعاء: (الحمد لله منتهى علمه) فكتب إلي: لا تقولن منتهى علمه، ولكن قل: منتهى رضاه. 

2. My father and Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn Ahmad al-Walid (RA) both that Muhammad ibn Yahya al-`Attar and Ahmad ibn Idris both, on the authority of Muhammad ibn Ahmad, on the authority of `Ali ibn Isma`il, on the authority of Safwan ibn Yahya, on the authority of al-Khaili that I wrote to Abu al-Hasan al-Rida (AS) regarding a supplication: “All praise be to Allah whose Knowledge has ended.” Hence, he replied to me: “Do not say that `His Knowledge ended;’ however, you can say that `His Pleasure has ended.’”

3 - حدثنا علي بن أحمد بن محمد بن عمران الدقاق رحمه الله قال: حدثنا محمد بن جعفر الأسدي، قال: حدثني موسى بن عمران، عن الحسين بن يزيد، عن محمد بن أبي عمير، عن هشام بن الحكم، عن أبي عبد الله عليه السلام قال: العلم هو من كماله . 

3. `Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad `Imran al-Daqqaq (RA) said: Muhammad ibn Ja`far al-Asadi said: Musa ibn `Imran, on the authority of al-Husayn ibn Yazid, on the authority of Muhammad ibn Abu `Umayr, on the authority of Hisham ibn al-Hakam that Abu `Abd Allah al-Sadiq (AS) said: “The Knowledge (of Allah) is part of His Perfection.”

4 - أبي رحمه الله قال: حدثنا سعد بن عبد الله، عن إبراهيم بن هاشم، عن ابن أبي عمير، عن أبي الحسن الصيرفي، عن بكار الواسطي، عن أبي حمزة الثمالي عن حمران بن أعين، عن أبي جعفر عليه السلام في العلم، قال: هو كيدك منك . قال محمد بن علي مؤلف هذا الكتاب: يعني أن العلم ليس هو غيره وأنه من صفات ذاته لأن الله عز وجل ذات علامة سميعة بصيرة، وإنما نريد بوصفنا إياه بالعلم نفي الجهل عنه، ولا نقول: إن العلم غيره لأنا متى قلنا، ذلك ثم قلنا: إن الله لم يزل عالما أثبتنا معه شيئا قديما لم يزل، تعالى الله عن ذلك علوا كبيرا: 

4. My father (RA) that Sa`d ibn `Abd Allah, on the authority of Ibrahim ibn Hashim, on the authority of Ibn Abu `Umayr, on the authority of Abu al-Hasan al-Sayrafi, on the authority of Bakkar al-Wasiti, on the authority of Abu Hamzah al-Thumali, on the authority of Humran ibn A`yun, that Abu Ja`far al-Baqir (AS) said the following concerning knowledge; “It is like your hand is from you.” Muhammad ibn `Ali, the Compiler of this book says: This (tradition) means that the knowledge of Allah is not other than Him, and is part of His Essential attributes, because Allah, the Mighty and High, is AllKnowing, All-Hearing, and All-Seeing. On the contrary, our intent in attributing Him with knowledge is to negate ignorance from Him. We do not say: “Knowledge is separate from Him” since “Allah has always been Omniscient.” If we said that His Knowledge is separate from Him, we would be saying that something eternal has always existed alongside Him. Exalted is Allah, the Elevated and Great, from such things!

5 - أبي رحمه الله، قال: حدثنا سعد بن عبد الله، عن إبراهيم بن هاشم، عن ابن أبي عمير، عن منصور بن حازم، عن أبي عبد الله عليه السلام، قال: قلت له: أرأيت ما كان وما هو كائن إلى يوم القيامة أليس كان في علم الله؟ قال: فقال: بلى قبل أن يخلق السماوات والأرض. 

5. My father (RA) that Sa`d ibn `Abd Allah, on the authority of Ibrahim ibn Hisham, on the authority of Ibn Abu `Umayr, on the authority of Mansur ibn Hazim, that I asked Abu `Abd Allah al-Sadiq (AS) “Do you know everything that has happened and everything that will happen until the Day of Judgement? Is it not part of Allah’s knowledge?” He (AS) answered: “It is certainly part of Allah’s Knowledge. He knew everything before He created the Heavens and the Earth.”

6 - حدثنا الحسين بن أحمد بن إدريس رحمه الله، عن أبيه، عن محمد بن أحمد ابن يحيى بن عمران الأشعري، عن علي بن إسماعيل، وإبراهيم بن هاشم جميعا، عن صفوان بن يحيى، عن منصور بن حازم، قال: سألته - يعني أبا عبد الله عليه السلام - هل يكون اليوم شئ لم يكن في علم الله عز وجل؟ قال: لا، بل كان في علمه قبل أن ينشئ السماوات والأرض. 

6. Al-Husayn ibn Ahmad ibn Idris (RA), on the authority of his father, on the authority of Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Yahya ibn `Imran al-Ash`ari, on the authority of `Ali ibn Ismai`il and Ibrahim ibn Hashim both, on the authority of Safwan ibn Yahya, on the authority of Mansur ibn Hazim that I asked Abu `Abd Allah al-Sadiq (AS): “Is there anything that exists today that was not in the Knowledge of Allah, the Mighty and High?” He (AS) replied: “No, His Knowledge encompassed everything even before He raised the Heavens and the Earth.”

7 - حدثنا الحسن بن أحمد بن إدريس رضي الله عنه، قال حدثني أبي، قال: حدثنا إبراهيم بن هاشم، عن محمد بن إسماعيل بن بزيع، عن يونس، عن أبي الحسن (١) عن جابر، قال: قال أبو جعفر عليه السلام: إن الله تباركت أسماؤه وتعالى في علو كنهه أحد، توحد بالتوحيد في توحيده، ثم أجراه على خلقه، فهو أحد، صمد، ملك قدوس، يعبده كل شئ ويصمد إليه، فوق الذي عسينا أن نبلغ ربنا، وسع ربنا كل شئ علما. 

7. Al-Hasan ibn Ahmad ibn Idris (RA) said: My father related to me that Ibrahim ibn Hashim, on the authority of Muhammad ibn Isma`il ibn Bazigh, on the authority of Yunus, on the authority of Abu alHasan, on the authority of Jabir that Abu Ja`far al-Baqir (AS) said: Verily, Allah, the One – may His Names be Blessed and Exalted in His Elevated Essence – united everything in His Unity, then applied it to His Creation. Therefore, He is Alone, the Needless, the Master, and the glorified. Everything serves Him, and everything depends upon Him. Our Lord is beyond our grasp, and our Lord’s Knowledge encompasses everything.

8 - حدثنا عبد الله بن محمد بن عبد الوهاب، قال: حدثنا أحمد بن الفضل ابن المغيرة، قال: حدثنا أبو نصر منصور بن عبد الله بن إبراهيم الإصفهاني، قال: حدثنا علي بن عبد الله، قال: حدثنا الحسين بن بشار، عن أبي الحسن علي بن موسى الرضا عليهما السلام، قال: سألته أيعلم الله الشئ الذي لم يكن أن لو كان كيف كان يكون (٢) أو لا يعلم إلا ما يكون؟ فقال: إن الله تعالى هو العالم بالأشياء قبل كون الأشياء، قال الله عز وجل: ﴿إنا كنا نستنسخ ما كنتم تعملون﴾ (٣) وقال لأهل النار: ﴿ولو ردوا لعادوا لما نهوا عنه وإنهم لكاذبون﴾  فقد علم الله عز وجل أنه لو ردهم لعادوا لما نهوا عنه، وقال للملائكة لما قالوا: (أتجعل فيها من يفسد فيها وسيفك الدماء ونحن نسبح بحمدك ونقدس لك قال إني أعلم ما لا تعلمون)  فلم يزل الله عز وجل علمه سابقا للأشياء قديما قبل أن يخلقها، فتبارك ربنا تعالى علوا كبيرا خلق الأشياء وعلمه بها سابق لها كما شاء، كذلك لم يزل ربنا عليما سميعا بصيرا. 

8. `Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn `Abd al-Walid said: Ahmad ibn al-Fadl ibn al-Mughirah said: Abu Nasr Mansur ibn `Abd Allah ibn Ibrahim al-Isfahani said: `Ali ibn `Abd Allah said: al-Husayn ibn Bashshar, that I asked Abu al-Hasan `Ali ibn Musa al-Rida (AS): “Does Allah know the things which have not occurred that if they did occur how would they be or He does not?” He (AS) said: Verily, Allah, the Exalted be He, is aware of all things even before they come into existence. Allah, the Mighty and High, says: Surely, We wrote what you did,1 and He says to the people going to the Hell: And if they were sent back, they would certainly go back to that which they are forbidden, and most surely the are liars.2 Hence, Allah the Mighty and High, knew that if He sent them back, they would certainly go back to what they were forbidden. And he said to the angels when they said: What! Wilt Thou place in it such as shall make mischief in it and shed blood, and we celebrate Thy praise and extol Thy holiness? He said: Surely, I know what you do not know.3 Therefore, the Knowledge of Allah, the Mighty and High, is eternal, and embraces all things even before they are created. Blessed be our Lord, the Exalted, the Elevated, and the Great, who created things and had knowledge of them prior to their creation. Verily, our Lord has always been All-Knowing, All-Hearing, and All-Seeing.

9 - وبهذا الإسناد عن علي بن عبد الله، قال: حدثنا صفوان بن يحيى، عن عبد الله ابن مسكان، قال: سألت أبا عبد الله عليه السلام عن الله تبارك وتعالى أكان يعلم المكان قبل أن يخلق المكان. أم علمه عندما خلقه وبعد ما خلقه؟ فقال: تعالى الله، بل لم يزل عالما بالمكان قبل تكوينه كعلمه به بعد ما كونه، وكذلك علمه بجميع الأشياء كعلمه بالمكان. قال مصنف هذا الكتاب رضي الله عنه: من الدليل على أن الله تبارك وتعالى عالم أن الأفعال المختلفة التقدير، المتضادة التدبير، المتفاوتة الصنعة لا تقع على ما ينبغي أن يكون عليه من الحكمة ممن لا يعلمها، ولا يستمر على منهاج منتظم ممن يجهلها، ألا ترى أنه لا يصوغ قرطا يحكم صنعته ويضع كلا من دقيقه وجليله موضعه من لا يعرف الصياغة، ولا أن ينتظم كتابة يتبع كل حرف منها ما قبله من لا يعلم الكتابة، والعالم ألطف صنعة وأبدع تقريرا مما وصفناه، فوقوعه من غير عالم بكيفيته قبل وجوده أبعد وأشد استحالة. وتصديق ذلك: 

9. An the same chain of narrators that on the authority of `Ali ibn `Abd Allah that Safwan ibn Yahya, on the authority of `Abd Allah ibn Muskan that I asked Abu `Abd Allah al-Sadiq (AS) about Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He: “Did He have knowledge of location before He created location? Or did He come to know if it when He was creating it or after He had created it?” So he (AS) replied: “Exalted is Allah! Verily, he knew about space before He created space in the same fashion that He knew about if after He brought it into being. His Knowledge of space is the same as His Knowledge of all things.” The Compiler of this book, may Allah be pleased with him, says: Another proof that Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He, is Omniscient, is that action, planning, and work, can only be orchestrated by intelligence and not from ignorance, since it most surely requires wisdom. Not only can action, planning, and work not originate from ignorance, they cannot continue to operate without intelligence. Do you not see that one who does not know the art of goldsmithing cannot make an earring, even while placing every tiny essential piece in its position? Neither it is possible for someone who does not know how to write to write a book in which every word is in accordance with the previous. The All-Knowing is More Magnificent in work, and more amazing in establishment, than what we have described. Hence, it is certainly impossible for creation to have originated from a non-knower. The confirmation of this is (to be found in the following tradition):

10 - ما حدثنا به عبد الواحد بن محمد بن عبدوس العطار رحمه الله، قال: حدثنا علي بن محمد بن قتيبة النيسابوري، عن الفضل بن شاذان، قال: سمعت الرضا علي بن موسى عليهما السلام، يقول في دعائه: سبحان من خلق الخلق بقدرته، وأتقن ما خلق بحكمته، ووضع كل شئ منه موضعه بعلمه، سبحان من يعلم خائنة الأعين وما تخفي الصدور، وليس كمثله شئ وهو السميع البصير. 

10. What `Abd al-Walid ibn Muhammad ibn `Abdus al-`Attar (RA) said: `Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Qutaybah al-Naysaburi, on the authority of al-Fadl ibn Shadhan, he said: I heard Al-Rida `Ali ibn Musa (a.s) say in his supplications: Glory be to Him who created the creation by His Power, ascertained what He created by His Wisdom, and placed everything in its place through His Knowledge. Glorified be He who knows stealthy looks, and who knows what breasts conceal. There is nothing like Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.

11 - أبي رحمه الله قال: حدثنا سعد بن عبد الله، عن إبراهيم بن هاشم، عن ابن أبي عمير، عن هشام بن الحكم، عن منصور الصيقل، عن أبي عبد الله عليه السلام قال: إن الله علم لا جهل فيه، حياة لا موت فيه، نور لا ظلمة فيه.

11. My father (RA) reported that Sa`d ibn `Abd Allah, on the authority of Ibrahim ibn Hashim, on the authority of Ibn `Umayr, on the authority of Hisham ibn al-Hakam, on the authority of Mansur alSayqal that Abu `Abd Allah al-Sadiq (AS) said: “Verily, Allah is Knowledge as there is no ignorance in Him. Allah is Life as there is no death in Him. And Allah is Light as there is no darkness in Him.”

12 - حدثنا محمد بن الحسن بن أحمد بن الوليد رحمه الله، قال: حدثنا محمد بن الحسن الصفار، عن محمد بن عيسى بن عبيد، عن يونس بن عبد الرحمن، قال: قلت لأبي الحسن الرضا عليه السلام: روينا أن الله علم لا جهل فيه، حياة لا موت فيه، نور لا ظلمة فيه، قال: كذلك هو. 

12. Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn Ahmad ibn al-Walid (RA) said: Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Saffar, on the authority of Muhammad ibn `Isa ibn `Ubayd, on the authority of Yunus ibn `Abd al-Rahman that I said to Abu al-Hasan al-Rida (AS): “It has been related to us that Allah is Knowledge as there is no ignorance in Him. Allah is life as there is no death in Him. And Allah is Light as there is no darkness in Him.” He (AS) replied: “That is exactly how He is.”

13 - حدثنا محمد بن الحسن بن أحمد بن الوليد رحمه الله. قال: حدثنا محمد بن الحسن الصفار، عن محمد بن عيسى، عن ابن أبي عمير، عن هشام بن الحكم، عن عيسى ابن أبي منصور، عن جابر الجعفي، عن أبي جعفر عليه السلام قال: سمعته يقول: إن الله نور لا ظلمة فيه، وعلم لا جهل فيه، وحياة لا موت فيه. 

13. Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn Ahmad ibn al-Walid (RA) said: Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Saffar, on the authority of Muhammad ibn `Isa, on the authority of Ibn Abu `Umayr, on the authority of Hisham ibn al-Hakam, on the `Isa ibn Abu Mansur, on the authority of Jabir al-Ju`fi, that Abu Ja`far al-Baqir (AS) said: “Verily, Allah is Light as there is no darkness in Him, Allah is Knowledge as there is no ignorance in Him. And Allah is Life as there is no death in Him.”

14 - حدثنا محمد بن موسى بن المتوكل رحمه الله، قال: حدثنا عبد الله بن جعفر الحميري: عن أحمد بن محمد، عن الحسن بن محبوب، عن ابن سنان، عن جعفر ابن محمد، عن أبيه عليهما السلام، قال: إن الله تعالى علما خاصا، وعلما عاما، فأما العلم الخاص فالعلم الذي لم يطلع عليه ملائكته المقربين وأنبياءه المرسلين، وأما علمه العام فإنه علمه الذي أطلع عليه ملائكته المقربين وأنبياءه المرسلين، وقد وقع إلينا من رسول الله صلى الله عليه وآله. 

14. Muhammad ibn Musa ibn al-Mutawakkil (RA) said: `Abd Allah ibn Ja`far al-Himyari, on the authority of Ahmand ibn Muhammad, on the authority of al-Hasan ibn Mahbub, on the authority of Ibn Sinan, on the authority of Ja`far ibn Muhammad (AS), that His father, Muhammad al-Baqir (AS), said: Verily, for Allah, Exalted be He, there is specific knowledge, and there is common knowledge. As for the specific knowledge, it is the knowledge of which even the Closest Angels and Messengers (AS) are not informed. And as for the common knowledge, it is the knowledge that His Closest Angels and Messengers know, and which has reached us from the Messengers of Allah.”

15 - حدثنا علي بن أحمد بن محمد بن عمران الدقاق رحمه الله، قال: حدثنا محمد بن جعفر الأسدي، عن موسى بن عمران، عن الحسين بن يزيد، عن زيد بن المعدل النميري وعبد الله بن سنان، عن جابر، عن أبي جعفر عليه السلام قال: إن الله لعلما لا يعلمه غيره، وعلما يعلمه ملائكته المقربون وأنبياؤه المرسلون، ونحن نعلمه. 

15. `Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn `Imran al-Daqqaq (RA) said: Muhammad ibn Ja`far al-Asadi, on the authority of Musa ibn `Imran, on the authority of al-Husayn ibn Yazid, on the authority of Zayd ibn al-Ma`dil al-Numayri and `Abd Allah ibn Sinan, on the authority of Jabir, that Abu Ja`far al-Baqir (AS) said: “Verily, there is knowledge known to Allah alone, and verily there is knowledge which is known to His Closest Angels and Messengers. We also know it.”

16 - وبهذا الإسناد عن الحسين بن يزيد، عن يحيى بن أبي يحيى، عن عبد الله ابن الصامت، عن عبد الأعلى، عن العبد الصالح موسى بن جعفر عليهما السلام، قال: علم الله لا يوصف منه بأين، ولا يوصف العلم من الله بكيف، ولا يفرد العلم من الله، ولا يبان الله منه، وليس بين الله وبين علمه حد . باب صفات الذات وصفات الأفعال 

16. And the same chain of narrators that on the authority of al-Husayn ibn Yazid, on the authority of Yahya ibn Abu Yahya, on the authority of `Abd Allah ibn al-Samit, on the authority of `Abd al-A`la, on the authority of al-`Abd al-Salih that Musa ibn Ja`far (AS) said: The Knowledge of Allah cannot be described in terms of `where,’ nor can the Knowledge of Allah be described in terms of `how.’ Knowledge cannot be separated from Allah, nor can Allah be separated from Knowledge. There is no boundary between Allah and His Knowledge.

Al-Tawḥīd

Book 2, Chapter 10