Submission of Intellect and its Excellence

Sign of Perfection of Intellect

Merit of Knowledge and the Scholar and the Obligation of Knowledge

Reward of the Scholar and the Seeker of Knowledge

Attributes of the Scholar

Asking the Scholar and Discussing with Him

Prohibition on Speaking without Knowledge and Ruling based on Opinion

Accountability of the Scholar and its Severity

Miscellaneous from the Book of Intellect and Knowledge‎

Transmitting the Narration Non-Verbatim

Prohibition of Blind Following

Regarding Innovation and Analogical Reasoning

Ruling of Everything is in the Book and the Sunna

Prohibition on Debate and Argumentation

Some of the Reasons for Differences in the Narrations

Fitting Response Appropriate to the Understanding of the Questioner and the Addressee

No Excuse for the Ignorant One who Falls Short

Narration that Contradicts the Qur’an

Prohibition of Giving Fatwa without Knowledge and Evidence

Everything has a Ruling in the Book and the Sunna

Permanence of the Halal and the Haram unto the Day of Judgment

What Can be Used to Infer some General Principles

Authoritativeness of the Book and the Sunna

Principle of Precaution

Authoritativeness of the Solitary Report of a Truthful Narrator

Principle of “Whomsoever it reaches …”

Necessity of Comparing the Hadith with the Qur’an

Judging Conflict between Narrations

Reasons for Differences between Narrations

Invalidation of Analogical Reasoning

Primary Doubts

Principle of Continuity

Legal Injunctions are Predicated on Pubescence

Principle of ’No Harm’

Ijtihad

Lapsing of both Injunctive and Declaratory Rulings in Cases of Necessity

Some Rulings which are Time-Bound

Precedence is Given to what has been Established by the Qur’an over the Sunna

One of the Reasons for Differences between Narrations

Principle of Impartiality

What has been Lifted from the Umma

Aban b. Taghlib

Ibrahim b. Abi Mahmud

Ibrahim b. Abda

Ahmad b. Hammad al-Marwazi and his son Muhammad

Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Abi Nasr al-Bazanti

Usama b. Zayd

Ishaq b. Ammar

Ismail b. Ja`far and Abdallah b. Sharik

Bazi`, al-Sarri, Bashshar and Bayan

Bukayr

al-Hakam, Salama, Kathir, Salim and Abu al-Miqdam

Abu Sasan, Ammar, Shatira and Abu Amra

Jabir b. Abdallah al-Ansari and Jabir b. Yazid al-Ju`fi

al-Ash`ath, Jarir and Simak

Ja`far b. Isa, Salih and Abu al-Asad

al-Harith b. al-Mughira

Hariz and Hudhayfa

Hasan al-Muthalath

Abu Ali b. Rashid and Ali b. al-Husayn b. Abd Rabbi

al-Hasan and al-Husayn the two sons of Zurara

al-Husayn b. Qayama

al-Husayn b. Mihran

al-Hakam b. Utayba

Hammad b. Isa

Humran b. A`yan

Hamza b. Bazi`

Hayyan al-Sarraj

Khuzayma b. Thabit

Khayran al-Khadim

Dawud b. Farqad and Harun b. Sa`d

Dharih b. Muhammad al-Muharibi

al-Rayyan b. al-Salt

Zurara b. A`yan

Zakariyya b. Sabur

Ziyad b. Marwan al-Qandi

Ziyad b. al-Mundhir Abu al-Jarud

Zayd b. Ali

Salim b. Mukram

Sukayn al-Nakhai

Simak b. Kharasha

Sahl b. Hunayf

Salih b. Muhammad b. Sahl

Sa`sa`a b. Suhan

Safwan b. Mihran al-Jammal

Safwan b. Yahya

Dhurays b. Abd al-Malik

A`sim b. Umar al-Bajali and Ka`b al-Ahbar

`Amir b. Wathila

`Abbad al-Basri

Abd al-Hamid b. Salim and Muhammad b. Ismail b. Bazi`

Abd al-Khaliq b. Abd Rabbi

Abdallah b. Abi Ya`fur

Abdallah b. al-Imam al-Sadiq

Abdallah b. Jundab

Abdallah b. al-Hasan b. al-Hasan al-Mujtaba

Abdallah b. Saba

Abdallah b. Shubruma

Abdallah b. Ajlan and Muyassir b. Abd al-Aziz

Abdallah b. Umayr al-Laythi

[350/1] الكافي: علي بن إبراهيم، عن محمد بن عيسى بن عبيد، عن حماد، عن حريز، عن محمد بن مسلم، عن أبي جعفر عليه السلام أنه قال في صفة القديم: إنه واحد صمد أحدي المعنى ليس بمعاني كثيرة مختلفة، قال: قلت: جعلت فداك يزعم قوم من أهل العراق أنه يسمع بغير الذي يبصر ويبصر بغير الذي يسمع، قال: فقال: كذبوا وألحدوا وشبهوا تعالى الله عن ذلك، إنه سميع بصير يسمع بما يبصر ويبصر بما يسمع، قال: قلت: يزعمون أنه بصير على ما يعقلونه، قال: فقال: تعالى الله إنما يعقل ما كان بصفة المخلوق وليس الله كذلك

1. [1/350] al-Kafi: Ali b. Ibrahim from Muhammad b. Isa b. Ubayd from Hammad from Hariz from Muhammad b. Muslim from Abi Ja’far عليه السلام that he (the Imam) said in describing The Eternal: He is Unique. Besought (of all). One in meaning not in multiple divergent meanings. I said: May I be made your ransom - a group from the people of Iraq claim that He hears with other than that which He sees by, and He sees with other than that which He hears by. He (the Imam) said: They have lied, deviated and likened (Allah to His creation) - Far elevated is Allah from that. He is Hearing, Seeing. He hears with what He sees by and sees with what He hears by. I said: They claim that He sees using that which they understand i.e. eyes. He said: Elevated is Allah. Only that which has the attribute of the created can be understood and Allah is not like that.   

[351/2] الكافي: محمد بن يحيى العطار، عن أحمد بن محمد بن عيسى الاشعري، عن الحسين ابن سعيد الاهوازي، عن النضر بن سويد، عن عاصم بن حميد، عن أبي عبدالله عليه السلام قال: قلت: لم يزل الله مريدا؟ قال: إن المريد لا يكون إلا لمراد معه، لم يزل الله عالما قادرا ثم أراد

2. [2/351] al-Kafi: Muhammad b. Yahya al-Attar from Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Isa al-Ash’ari from al-Husayn b. Sai’d al-Ahwazi from al-Nadhr b. Suwayd from A’sim b. Humayd from Abi Abdillah (as). He (A’sim) said: I said: Allah never stopped willing? He said: The one who wills cannot be (considered as such) except that what is willed is (present) with Him. (Instead say:) Allah never stopped being knowledgeable and powerful and then He willed.  

[352/3] الكافي: أحمد بن إدريس، عن محمد بن عبدالجبار، عن صفوان بن يحيى قال: قلت لابي الحسن عليه السلام: أخبرني عن الارادة من الله ومن الخلق؟ قال: فقال: الارادة من الخلق الضمير وما يبدو لهم بعد ذلك من الفعل وأما من الله تعالى فإرادته إحداثه لا غير ذلك لانه لا يروي ولا يهم ولا يتفكر، وهذه الصفات منفية عنه وهي صفات الخلق، فإرادة الله الفعل، لا غير ذلك يقول له كن فيكون بلا لفظ ولا نطق بلسان ولا همة ولا تفكر ولا كيف لذلك، كما أنه لا كيف له

3. [3/352] al-Kafi: Ahmad b. Idris from Muhammad b. Abd al-Jabbar from Safwan b. Yahya who said: I said to Abi al-Hasan عليه السلام: Inform me about the Will of Allah and that of the creatures (are they the same)? He said: The Will of the creatures is a conception (thought in the heart) and then what they see fit to put into action, as for Allah the Elevated then His willing is to originate (bring into existence), nothing other than that, for He does not deliberate (consider), does not desire, does not ponder, these attributes are negated for Him, they are the attributes of the creation. The will of Allah is His act, nothing other than that. He says to it ‘be’ and it ‘is’ without wording or intoning by the tongue, without desiring or pondering. There is no ‘how’ to that just as there is no ‘how’ to Him.       

[353/4] الكافي: عدة من أصحابنا، عن أحمد بن محمد بن خالد، عن أبيه، عن ابن أبي عمير، عن ابن اذينة، عن محمد بن مسلم، عن أبي عبدالله عليه السلام قال: المشيئة محدثة

4. [4/353] al-Kafi: A number of our companions from Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Khalid from his father from Ibn Abi Umayr from Ibn Udhayna from Muhammad b. Muslim from Abi Abdillah عليه السلام who said: The Will (of God) is originated (temporal i.e. came into existence).

[354/5] التوحيد: ابن الوليد، عن الصفار، عن اليقطيني، عن الجعفري قال: قال الرضا عليه السلام: المشيئة من صفات الافعال فمن زعم أن الله لم يزل مريدا شائيا فليس بموحد

5. [5/354] al-Tawhid: Ibn al-Walid from al-Saffar from al-Yaqtini from al-Ja’fari who said: al-Ridha عليه السلام said: The Will is from the attributes of actions. So whoever asserts that Allah never stopped willing and intending is not a monotheist.     

[355/6] الكافي: علي بن إبراهيم، عن أبيه، عن ابن أبي عمير، عن عمر بن اذينة، عن أبي عبدالله عليه السلام قال: خلق الله المشيئة بنفسها ثم خلق الاشياء بالمشيئة

6. [6/355] al-Kafi: Ali b. Ibrahim from his father from Ibn Abi Umayr from Ibn Udhayna from Abi Abdillah عليه السلام who said: Allah created the Will on its own (by itself). Then He created the things through (the intermediacy of) the Will.

[356/7] التوحيد: ابن الوليد، عن الصفار وسعد معا، عن ابن عيسى، عن أبيه، والحسين ابن سعيد، ومحمد البرقي، عن ابن أبي عمير، عن هشام بن سالم قال: دخلت على أبي عبد الله عليه السلام فقال لي: أتنعت الله؟ قلت: نعم، قال: هات. فقلت: هو السميع البصير. قال: هذه صفة يشترك فيها المخلوقون. قلت: فكيف ننعته؟ فقال: هو نور لاظلمة فيه، وحياة لاموت فيه، وعلم لاجهل فيه، وحق لا باطل فيه، فخرجت من عنده وأنا أعلم الناس بالتوحيد

7. [7/356] al-Tawhid: Ibn al-Walid from al-Saffar and Sa’d together from Ibn Isa from his father and al-Husayn b. Sai’d and Muhammad al-Barqi from Ibn Abi Umayr from Hisham b. Salim who said: I entered upon Abi Abdillah عليه السلام. He said to me: Can you describe Allah? I said: Yes. He said: Bring it (the description) forth. I said: He is The Seeing, The Hearing. He said: This is an attribute which He shares with His creation. I said: So how do we describe Him? He (the Imam) said: He is Light (with) no darkness in Him. Life (with) no death in Him. Knowledge (with) no ignorance in Him. Truth (with) no falsehood in Him. (Hisham says:) Thus I came out from him (the Imam) being the most knowledgeable of people in Tawhid.      

[357/8] الكافي: أحمد بن إدريس، عن محمد بن عبدالجبار، عن صفوان بن يحيى، عن فضيل ابن عثمان، عن ابن أبي يعفور قال: سألت أبا عبدالله عليه السلام عن قول الله عزوجل: هُوَ الْأَوَّلُ وَالْآخِرُ وقلت: أما الاول فقد عرفناه وأما الآخر فبين لنا تفسيره فقال: إنه ليس شئ إلا يبيد أو يتغير، أو يدخله التغير والزوال، أو ينتقل من لون إلى لون، ومن هيئة إلى هيئة، ومن صفة إلى صفة، ومن زيادة إلى نقصان، ومن نقصان إلى زيادة إلا رب العالمين فإنه لم يزل ولا يزال بحالة واحدة، هو الاول قبل كل شئ وهو الآخر على ما لم يزل، ولا تختلف عليه الصفات والاسماء كما تختلف على غيره، مثل الانسان الذي يكون ترابا مرة، ومرة لحما ودما، ومرة رفاتا و رميما، وكالبسر الذي يكون مرة بلحا، ومرة بسرا، ومرة رطبا، ومرة تمرا، فتتبدل عليه الاسماء والصفات والله عزوجل بخلاف ذلك

8. [8/357] al-Kafi: Ahmad b. Idris from Muhammad b. Abd al-Jabbar from Safwan b. Yahya from Fudhayl b. Uthman from Ibn Abi Ya’fur who said: I asked Aba Abdillah عليه السلام about the words of Allah Mighty and Majestic: “He is the First and the Last” (57:3) - I said: As for the ‘First’ we know it but interpret for us the ‘Last’. He said: There is nothing (in existence) except it perishes or changes. Or Change and extinction affect it. Or it transforms from colour to colour, from shape to shape, from attribute to attribute, from increase to decrease, and from decrease to increase, except the Lord of the Worlds, for He never stopped and will never stop being in the same state. He is the First before everything and He is the Last - as He has never stopped (being). Different names and attributes do not apply to Him (at different times) as they do to other than Him. Like a human who is at one point clay, at another point flesh and blood, and lastly remains and decay. Or like the dates which are at one point green-in-colour and incipient (Balah), at another point coloured but not ripe (Busr), at another point fresh and ripe (Rutab), and lastly dry (Tamr). Thus different names and attributes are applied to it - while Allah Mighty and Majestic is opposite to that. 

[358/9] التوحيد: الهمداني، عن علي، عن أبيه، عن الهروي، عن علي بن موسى الرضا، عن أبيه، عن آبائه، عن علي عليهم السلام قال: قال رسول الله صلى الله عليه واله: إن لله عزوجل تسعة و تسعين اسما، من دعا الله بها استجاب له، ومن أحصاها دخل الجنة

9. [9/358] al-Tawhid: al-Hamdani from Ali from his father from al-Harawi from Ali b. Musa al-Ridha from his father from his forefathers from Ali عليهم السلام who said: The Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه واله said: Allah Mighty and Majestic has ninety-nine names. Whoever asks Allah through them is answered. Whoever enumerates them enters paradise.    

Muʿjam al-Aḥādīth al-Muʿtabara

Book 4, Chapter 6