Book 3, Chapter #12


Chapter On Attribute Of Essence (Sifat al-DhDhat) Of Allah

Ḥadīth #4

:293

4ـ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ سَعْدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الله عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ أَيُّوبَ بْنِ نُوحٍ أَنَّهُ كَتَبَ إِلَى أَبِي الْحَسَنِ (a.s) يَسْأَلُهُ عَنِ الله عَزَّ وَجَلَّ أَكَانَ يَعْلَمُ الاشْيَاءَ قَبْلَ أَنْ خَلَقَ الاشْيَاءَ وَكَوَّنَهَا أَوْ لَمْ يَعْلَمْ ذَلِكَ حَتَّى خَلَقَهَا وَأَرَادَ خَلْقَهَا وَتَكْوِينَهَا فَعَلِمَ مَا خَلَقَ عِنْدَ مَا خَلَقَ وَمَا كَوَّنَ عِنْدَ مَا كَوَّنَ فَوَقَّعَ بِخَطِّهِ لَمْ يَزَلِ الله عَالِماً بِالاشْيَاءِ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَخْلُقَ الاشْيَاءَ كَعِلْمِهِ بِالاشْيَاءِ بَعْدَ مَا خَلَقَ الاشْيَاءَ.

4. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Sa‘d ibn ‘Abdallah from Muhammad ibn ‘Isa that Ayyub ibn Nuh wrote to Abu al-Hasan (al-Hadi) asking about Allah (swt): "Did He know things before creating and forming them, or did He not know them until He created and intended to create and form them, so He knew what He created when He created it and what He formed when He formed it?". He wrote in his own hand: "Allah has always known things before creating them, just as He knows them after creating them."