14. Abu al-Hasan `Ali ibn `Abd Allah ibn Ahmad al-Aswari said: Makki ibn Ahmad ibn Sa`dawayh al-Burdha`I that Isma`il ibn Muhammad ibn al-Fadl ibn Muhammad ibn alMusayyib al-Bayaqi reported to us that My grandfather related to me that Ibn Abu Uways said: Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Dawud ibn Qays al-San`ani related to me that Aflah ibn Kathir related to me, on the authority of Ibn Jurayj, on the authority of `Amr ibn Shu`ayb, on the authority of his father that

Jibra’il descended to the Prophet from heaven, smiling and rejoicing, and greeted him with the words: “Peace be with you, O Muhammad!” He replied, “And peace be with you, O Jibra’il!” Then he said: “Verily, Allah has sent a gift to you.” Hence, he asked, “What is that gift, O Jibra’il?” He answered, “Words from the Treasures of the Throne. Allah honors you by them.” The Prophet enquired, “What are they, O Jibra’il?” He said: Say: O One who reveals beauty, and hides ugliness! O One who does not punish the offender, and who does not ear the veil (from sins)! O Most Great in pardoning! O Best of the Overlookers! O All-Embracing in Forgiveness! O One who Opens His Hands in Mercy! O Hearer of all Whispers! O One whom all complaints are made! (O Last Resort of the Fallen!). O Noble One! O Possessor of Great Favor! O One who Blessed before anyone deserves it! O our Lord! O our Master! O our Guardian! O Goal of our Desires! I beseech You, O Allah, not to make me ugly by means of the Fire. The Messenger of Allah asked, “O Jibra’il! What are the virtues of these words?” Jibra’il replied, So great! So great! The virtues of these words are impossible to describe. Even if the angels from the seven heavens and the seven earths joined together to describe the virtues of these words until the Day of Judgment, they would not be able to describe even a thousandth part of them. Therefore, when a man says: “O One who reveals beauty, and hides ugliness,” Allah covers him up with His Mercy in this world, and makes him beautiful in the Hereafter. Allah covers his defects with a thousand veils in this world, and the Hereafter. When he says: “O One who does not punish the offender, and does not tear the veil (from sins),” Allah will not hold him accountable on the Day of Judgment, and on the Day all Veils are Torn, He will not tear his veil. And when he says: “O Most Great in Pardoning,” Allah will forgive his sins even if they are as much as the foam from the sea. When he says: “O Best of the Overlookers,” Allah will forgive him even sins such as theft, drinking wine, worldly frights, and other major sins. And when he says: “O All-Embracing in Forgiveness,” Allah, the Mighty and High, will open seventy gates of Mercy to him in a way that he will be overwhelmed by Allah, the Mighty and High’s Mercy till he parts this world. When he says: “O One who Opens His Hands in Mercy,” Allah opens His Hands of Mercy to him. And when he says: “O Hearer of all Whispers, O One to who all Complaints are made,” Allah will bestow upon him the reward of every afflicted, unaffiliated, sick, blind, destitute, and poor person till the Day of Judgment. When he says: “O Noble One,” Allah will make him noble like the prophets. When he says: “O Possessor of Great Favor,” Allah will bestow upon him His Protection, and the protection of the created on the Day of Judgment. And when he says: “O One who gives blessings before anyone deserves it,” Allah will grant him rewards equal to the number of those who thanked Him for His Blessings. When he says: “O our Lord, O our Master,” Allah will say: “My angels! Bear witness that I forgave him, and I will give him rewards similar to the numbers of those who are in Paradise, and Hell, the seven heavens and the seven earths, the sun, the moon, the stars, rain drops, creatures, mountains, pebbles, soil, and other than these, as well as the Empyrean and the Throne. And when he says: “O our Guardian,” Allah will fill his heart with faith. When he says: “O Goal of our Desires,” Allah will fulfill his desire, and give him the reward equal to the reward of all the creatures on the Day of Judgment. And when he says: “I beseech You, O Allah, not to make my being ugly by means of Fire,” the Supreme, may His glory be glorified, will say: My Servant has asked Me to free him from Fire. O My angels! Bear witness that I set him, his parents, his brothers, his sisters, his household, his children, and his neighbors free from the Fire, and accepted his intercession for a thousand others who deserved punishment by fire, and saved them from it. O Muhammad! Teach this supplication to the pious, and do not teach it to the hypocrites. For it is supplication which will be granted to the ones that pronounce it, by the will of Allah. This is the supplication of the inhabitants of the Flourishing House [al-Bayt alMa’mur], when they circumambulate it. The Compiler of this book says: The proof that Allah – the Exalted, the Mighty, and the Most High – is All-Knowing, Ever-Living, and All-Powerful in and of Himself – not by knowledge, power, and life, that is other than Him – is that if He were All-Knowing by means of knowledge, then His Knowledge could only be two things: eternal or created. If His Knowledge is created then He, glorified be His Praise, was without knowledge before it creation. This is an imperfect attribute, and every imperfection is caused, as we explained previously. If His Knowledge is eternal, then it becomes necessary for other than Allah, the Mighty and High, to be eternal. This is infidelity by consensus. The same argument can be applied to the AllPowerful and His Omnipotence and the Ever-Living and His Life. The proof that He, the Exalted, has always been All-Powerful, All-Knowing and Ever-Living is that it has been proved that He is All-Knowing, All-Powerful, and Ever-Living, in and of Himself. Hence, it is correct by evidence that He, the Mighty and High, is Eternal. Therefore, He has always been All-Knowing as Knowledge is part of His Essence, Which has always been. This indicates that He has always been All-Powerful, and Ever-Living.