6. Wahab ibn Wahab al-Qurashi related I heard al-Sadiq عليه السلام saying that a delegation from Palestine came to al-Baqir عليه السلام and enquired about issues so he answered them. Then they asked him about the Needless [alSamad]; hence, he said: The meaning of the Needless [al-Samad] is found in the five letters of the word itself: Alif means to ascertain His Essence [inniyyat], as in the Word of the Mighty and High: Allah bears witness that there is no god but He,1 which means that he is not subject to sensory perception. The lam stands for divinity [ilahiyyah] and means that He, and only He, is Allah. The Alif and Lam are not pronounced by the tongue, and are not heard in listening; however, they appear in writing, demonstrating that His Divinity is a Secret of His Benevolence. The senses do not perceive them. They are not perceived in the words of the speaker, and they are not heard by ears of the listener. This is because the meaning of the word God [ilah] is: the One whose Essence and Nature cannot be perceived by the imagination or the senses. On the contrary, their [alif, lam] appearance in writing is an indication that Allah, Glory be to Him, manifested His Lordship through the creation of subtle spirits and unsubtle bodies. When a servant looks at himself, he does not see his spirit in the same way that the lam does not become evident, and is not perceived y any of the five sense. However, when he looks at the written form, what is hidden and elegant becomes evident to him. Thus, whenever a servant ponders the Essence of the Maker [al-bari’] and His Nature, he is overwhelmed and amazed, as his thoughts cannot grasp the concept of God, because He, the Mighty and High, is the Creator of Concepts. When he looks at the creation, however, he is forced to acknowledge that the Mighty and High is the creator and Composer of both spirits and bodies. As for the sad, it symbolizes that He, the Mighty and High, is al-Sadiq, the Truthful. His Words are the Truth. His Speech is the Truth. He calls upon His Servants to follow the truth, and He has promised in truth the place of Truth. The mim symbolizes His Kingdom [mulk], and that He is the Righteous King who surrenders not, and whose Kingdom never declines. And the dal symbolizes the eternity [dawam] of His Kingdom and that He, the Mighty and High, is Eternal. Exalted be He, the Mighty and High, from being created or from declining. He originated the Universe, and created all beings. He عليه السلام then added, If I had found a bearer for my knowledge, bestowed upon me by Allah, the Mighty and High, I would have certainly spread Divine Unity, Islam, Faith, Religion, and Islamic law on the basis of the word `the Needless’ [al-Samad]. And how could it be possible for me to find someone to carry my knowl3edge, when even my grandfather, the Commander of the Faithful عليه السلام did not find any bearer for his knowledge, causing him to sigh deeply, and proclaim the following from the pulpit: Ask me before you lose me, for verily I am full of knowledge. Alas I cannot find any hone who can bear it. Beware! I am the Proof of Allah upon you. Hence, do not support the people with whom Allah is angry. Do not support people who have no hope in the Hereafter just like the unbelievers are hopeless like the dead. Then al-Baqir عليه السلام added: Praise be to Allah who granted us favor, and success in serving Him, the Unique, on who all depend, who begets not, nor is He begotten, and none is like Him. He kept us away from worshipping idols. Everlasting praise be to Him, and permanent thanks be to Him. The interpretation of His Word, the Mighty and High: He begets not, nor is He begotten, is as follows: He, the Mighty and High, has not given birth to have a son as an heir, nor is He begotten so that He would have a father who would share His Lordship and Kingdom; and none is like Him, so that another would assist Him in His Rule.