6. `Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn `Imran al-Daqqaq said: Muhammad ibn Abu `Abd Allah said, on the authority of Muhammad ibn Isma`il, on the authority of some of our scholars, on the authority of Bkar ibn Salih, on the authority of `Ali ibn al-Hasan ibn Muhammad, on the authority of Khalid ibn Yazid, on the authority of `Abd al-A`la that Abu `Abd Allah al-Sadiq said: Allah’s name is other than Him. The identifier is other than the identified, and is thus created, with the exception of Allah. Anything which is uttered by tongues or written by hands is created. Allah is the destination of all those who seek to reach Him. The aimer is other than the aimed. The aimed is described, and everything which is described is created. The Creator of All Things is not described with the limit of the named. He is not formed so that His Form could be compared to the created. Anything which is intended is other than Him. He is never disregarded by whoever understands this conclusion and that is pure Tawhid. Thus, listen to Allah, accept Him, and try to understand Him with His permission. Whoever claims that he has recognized Allah through concealing or revealing an image or the like, is a polytheist, because anything concealed or revealed is other than Him. Verily, He is One United Being. Therefore, how can one profess a belief in Divine Unity when one recognizes Him by other than Him? Only he has recognized Allah who recognizes Him by Allah (Himself). Thus, whoever does not recognize Him by Himself‬‬ ‫‪has not recognized Him, and certainly has recognized other than Him. There is nothing‬‬ ‫‪between the Creator and the created. Therefore, Allah is the creator of all things and is‬‬ ‫‪not from a thing. He is named by His Names and, hence, He is other than His Names,‬‬ ‫‪and the names are other than Him.‬‬ ‫‪ 7. `Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn `Imran al-Daqqaq said: Muhammad ibn Abu `Abd‬‬ ‫‪Allah al-Kufi said: Muhammad ibn Bishr related to me, on the authority of Abu Hashim alJa`fari that‬‬ I was with Abu Ja`far the Second , when a man asked him, “Inform me about the Lord, the Blessed and Exalted. There are names and attributes for Him in His Book. Are those His Only Names and attributes?” Consequently, Abu Ja`far replied, Verily, there are two interpretations to your question. If you are referring to quantity, then Exalted is Allah from such limitations. However, if you wanted to know whether these attributes and names have always existed, then there are two possibilities. Either they have always been part of His Knowledge, and He has always deserved them, and this is true. However, if you want to now whether the image of these attributes and names, their alphabets, and their form, have always been there, then may Allah save me from the claim that something has existed alongside Him. In fact, Allah existed when no creation existed. Then He created the names as a means for His Creation to beseech Him and serve Him. They are the means through which He is remembered. Allah was there when no remembrance existed. The One who is Remembered is Allah, the Eternal, who has always existed. The Names and Attributes are creation of meanings. What is meant by them is that Allah is not subject to agreement or disagreement, since only one with parts disagrees or agrees. Hence, it is not said: Allah agreed, nor that Allah is more or less. However, He is Eternal in His Essence, because whatever is other than One has parts, and Allah is the One without Parts. He cannot be imagines as less, nor can he be imagines as more. Anything composed of parts, and which can be conceived as less or conceived as more, was created by a Creator Thus, when you say that “Verily, Allah is Omnipotent” you are affirming that nothing incapacitates Him. Therefore, you have negate the word: ”incapable,” and applied it to other than Him. Likewise, by your use of the word: “AllKnowing” you have indeed negated ignorance and related ignorance to other than Him. When Allah causes all things to perish, He will cause images and alphabets to perish. Nevertheless, He, who has always been All-Knowing, will never expire or decline. The man asked, “How can our Lord be called the All-Hearing?” He answered, That is because nothing which is understood by means of hearing is hidden form Him. We do not claim that He hears through ears. Likewise, when we call Him All-Seeing, we say so because nothing visual is hidden from Him: be it colors, people, or other objects. We do not claim that He sees through eyes. We call Him the Subtle One due to His knowledge of subtle things like the mosquito, and for His Knowledge of creatures which are even smaller than that. We call Him the subtle One because of His Knowledge of the place of their division, their thoughts, their needs, their reproductive cycle, their affection for offspring, their means of communication, their bringing of food and drink to their offspring in the mountains, deserts, valleys, and wastelands (of the worlds). We come to know that the Creator of these things is the Subtle One without quality. Verily, quality applies only to the created. Our Lord is called the Powerful One, but not with the same type of power found among created beings. If His Power were like the power found among created beings, then He would be compared to His Creation, and He would be susceptible to both increase and decrease and could not be Eternal. Whatever is not eternal is powerless. Thus, our Lord, the Blessed and Exalted, has no compeer [shibh], no opponent, no equal, no quality, no end, and no regions. The mind is incapable of conceiving Him, the imagination is incapable of limiting Him, and the conscience is incapable of placing conditions on Him. He is Higher than the implements of His Creation and characteristics of His Creatures. Exalted is He, the Elevated and Great, from such things!