Al-Kāfi - Volume 8


Book 1, Chapter 591

'If you try to count the bounties Allah..." (16:18)
1 Ḥadīth

عَلِيُّ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ بَعْضِ أَصْحَابِهِ رَفَعَهُ قَالَ كَانَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ الْحُسَيْنِ (عليه السلام) إِذَا قَرَأَ هَذِهِ الْآيَةَ وَ إِنْ تَعُدُّوا نِعْمَةَ اللَّهِ لا تُحْصُوها يَقُولُ سُبْحَانَ مَنْ لَمْ يَجْعَلْ فِي أَحَدٍ مِنْ مَعْرِفَةِ نِعَمِهِ إِلَّا الْمَعْرِفَةَ بِالتَّقْصِيرِ عَنْ مَعْرِفَتِهَا كَمَا لَمْ يَجْعَلْ فِي أَحَدٍ مِنْ مَعْرِفَةِ إِدْرَاكِهِ أَكْثَرَ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ أَنَّهُ لَا يُدْرِكُهُ فَشَكَرَ جَلَّ وَ عَزَّ مَعْرِفَةَ الْعَارِفِينَ بِالتَّقْصِيرِ عَنْ مَعْرِفَةِ شُكْرِهِ فَجَعَلَ مَعْرِفَتَهُمْ بِالتَّقْصِيرِ شُكْراً كَمَا عَلِمَ عِلْمَ الْعَالِمِينَ أَنَّهُمْ لَا يُدْرِكُونَهُ فَجَعَلَهُ إِيمَاناً عِلْماً مِنْهُ أَنَّهُ قَدُّ وُسْعِ الْعِبَادِ فَلَا يَتَجَاوَزُ ذَلِكَ فَإِنَّ شَيْئاً مِنْ خَلْقِهِ لَا يَبْلُغُ مَدَى عِبَادَتِهِ وَ كَيْفَ يُبْلَغُ مَدَى عِبَادَتِهِ مَنْ لَا مَدَى لَهُ وَ لَا كَيْفَ تَعَالَى اللَّهُ عَنْ ذَلِكَ عُلُوّاً كَبِيراً.


592. Ali Bin Muhammad, from one of his companions, with an unbroken chain, said: ‘Whenever Ali (a.s) Bin Al-Husayn (a.s) used to recite this Verse: “[16:18] And if you would count Allah’s favours, you will not be able to number them”, he (a.s) would say: ‘Glory be to the One Who (azwj) never Made it to be in anyone the recognition of His (azwj) Favours except for the recognition falling short of (Al-Taqseer) recognising, just as He (azwj) has never Made it to be in anyone the recognition of being aware of Him (azwj) more than the knowledge that He (azwj) cannot be perceived. So gratitude be to the Majestic and Mighty for the recognition of the recognisers by their reduced recognition as appreciation, so He (azwj) Made their reduced recognition as an expression of gratitude, just as He (azwj) Knows that the knowledge of the knowledgeable people would not be able to perceived Him (azwj), so He (azwj) made Belief as knowledge from it, so they cannot exceed that. So no one from His (azwj) creatures can reach the limit of worshipping Him (azwj), and how can one reach the limit of worship of the One Who (azwj) has no Limits for Him (azwj), impossible! Allah (azwj) is Higher than that, Exalted and Great’.