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 محمد بن علي ماجيلويه رحمه الله، قال: حدثنا علي بن إبراهيم ابن هاشم، عن مختار بن محمد بن مختار الهمداني، عن الفتح بن يزيد الجرجاني عن أبي الحسن عليه السلام، قال: سألته عن أدنى المعرفة، فقال: الاقرار بأنه لا إله غيره ولا شبه له ولا نظير وأنه قديم مثبت موجود غير فقيد وأنه ليس كمثله شئ. 

1. Muhammad ibn `Ali Majilwayh (may Allah have mercy on him) said: `Ali ibn Ibrahim ibn Hashim said, on the authority of Mukhtar ibn Muhammad ibn Mukhtar al-Hamdani, on the authority of al-Fath ibn Yazid al-Jurjani that I asked Abu al-Hasan al-Kadhim (AS) about the least that is required to recognize Divine Unity. Thus, he (SA) replied, “the confirmation that there is no god other than Him. He has no peer or rival. He is Eternal without beginning. He is the Firm, the Existent, and is never Absent. There is nothing whatsoever like unto Him.”

2 - حدثنا محمد بن الحسن بن أحمد بن الوليد رضي الله عنه، قال: حدثنا سعد ابن عبد الله، عن أحمد بن محمد بن عيسى، عن الحسين بن سعيد، عن النضر بن سويد، عن عاصم بن حميد رفعه، قال: سئل علي بن الحسين عليهما السلام عن التوحيد فقال: إن الله عز وجل علم أنه يكون في آخر الزمان أقوام متعمقون فأنزل الله عز وجل (قل هو الله أحد * الله الصمد) والآيات من سورة الحديد - إلى قوله: (وهو عليم بذات الصدور)  فمن رام ما وراء هنالك هلك. 

2. Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn al-Walid (RA) said: Sa`d ibn `Abd Allah said, on the authority of Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn `Isa, on the authority of al-Husayn ibn Sa`id, on the authority of alNadr ibn Suwayd, on the authority of `Asim Humayd that `Ali ibn al-Husayn (AS) was asked about Divine Unity; hence, he said Verily, Allah, the Mighty and High, knew that there would be people in the Last Days who would think deeply; therefore, Allah, the Mighty and High, revealed: Say: He Allah is One. Allah is the Needless and the first few verses from the surah “the Iron” until He says: And He is Cognizant of what is in the hearts. Thus whosoever goes beyond that is ruined.

3 - حدثنا علي بن أحمد بن محمد بن عمران الدقاق رحمه الله، قال: حدثنا محمد بن أبي عبد الله الكوفي، قال: حدثنا محمد بن إسماعيل البرمكي. قال: حدثني الحسين بن الحسن، قال: حدثني بكر بن زياد، عن عبد العزيز بن المهتدي، قال سألت الرضا عليه السلام عن التوحيد، فقال: كل من قرأ قل هو الله أحد وآمن بها فقد عرف التوحيد، قلت: كيف يقرؤها؟ قال: كما يقرء الناس، وزاد فيه (كذلك الله ربي، كذلك الله ربي، كذلك الله ربي). 

3. `Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Imran al-Daqqaq (RA) said: Muhammad ibn Abu `Abd Allah al-Kufi said: Muhammad ibn Isam`il al-Barmaki said: al-Husayn ibn al-Hasan related to me that Bakr ibn Ziyad related tome, on the authority of `Abd al-Aziz ibn al-Muhtda that I asked al-Rida (AS) about Diving Unity; hence, he replied, “All those who read: Say: He Allah is One, and believe in it, have professed their faith in Divine Unity.” I asked, “How should one read it?” He (AS) responded, “The same way that the people read it, adding `such is my Lord’ three times.”

4 - 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 بعض أصحابنا، عن محمد بن علي الطاحي  عن طاهر بن حاتم بن ما هوية قال: كتبت إلى الطيب - يعني أبا الحسن موسى - عليه السلام: ما الذي لا تجزئ معرفة الخالق بدونه  فكتب: ليس كمثله شئ ولم يزل سميعا وعليما وبصيرا، وهو الفعال لما يريد. 

4. My father and Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn Ahmad ibn al-Walid (RA) both said: Muhammad ibn Yahya al-`Attar, and Ahmad ibn Idris both said, on the authority of Muhammad ibn Ahmad, ,on the authority of some our scholars, on the authority of Muhammad ibn `Ali al-Tahi, on the authority of Tahir ibn Hatim ibn Mahawayh that I wrote to al-Tayyib i.e. Abu al-Hasan Musa (AS): “What is the least required to recognize the Creator? Thus he (AS) wrote back: “there is nothing whatsoever like unto Him. He has always been All-Hearing, All-Knowing, All-Seeing, and He is the Mighty Doer of whatever He wills.

5 - حدثنا محمد بن علي ماجيلويه رضي الله عنه، عن عمه محمد بن أبي القاسم، عن محمد بن علي القريشي، قال: حدثنا محمد بن سنان، عن محمد بن يعلى الكوفي، عن جويبر  عن الضحاك، عن ابن عباس، قال: جاء أعرابي إلى النبي صلى الله عليه وآله فقال: يا رسول الله علمني من غرائب العلم، قال: ما صنعت في رأس العلم حتى تسأل عن غرائبه؟! قال الرجل: ما رأس العلم يا رسول الله؟ قال: معرفة الله حق معرفته، قال الأعرابي: وما معرفة الله حق معرفته؟ قال: تعرفه بلا مثل ولا شبه ولا ند وأنه واحد أحد ظاهر باطن أول آخر لا كفو له ولا نظير فذلك حق معرفته.  باب أنه عز وجل لا يعرف إلا به 

5. Muhammad ibn `Ali Majilwayh (RA) related to me, on the authority of his paternal uncle Muhammad ibn Abu al-Qasim, on the authority of Muhammad ibn Ya`li al-Kufi, on the authority of Juwaybir, on the authority of al-Dahhak, on the authority of Ibn `Abbas that A Bedouin Arab came to the Prophet (SA) and said: “O Messenger of Allah! Teach me the wonders of knowledge.” The Prophet (SA) asked, “Before you ask about the wonders of knowledge, do you know about the beginning of knowledge?” The man enquired, “What is the beginning of knowledge, O Messenger of Allah?” Hence, he (SA) replied, “Recognizing Allah the way He deserves to be recognized.” The Bedouin further asked, “And how does Allah deserve to be recognized?” He answered, You have recognized Allah as He deserves to be recognized when you recognize that nothing resembles Him, that He has no compeer, and without any equal, that He is One, Alone, Manifest, the First and the Last, without parallel and without a rival. This is how He deserves to be recognized.

Al-Tawḥīd

Book 2, Chapter 40