The Debate is being resumed
The session returned. It was attended by al-M'mu`n, the eminent religious scholars, and high ranking commanders. Then the Ima`m turned to 'Umra`n and said to him: "'Umra`n, question me."
Q13: "Master, will you tell me about Allah, the Great and Almighty? Does He exist in His reality or in description?"
Ans. 13: "Verily, Allah is the Originator, the One, the First Being. He has always been One. There is nothing with Him. He is single without a second with Him. He is neither known (i.e. in His reality) nor unknown nor clear nor ambiguous nor remembered nor forgotten nor a thing to which the title of a thing is applied nor from a time He was nor to a time He will be nor on a thing He stood nor on a thing He stands nor on a thing He depends nor in a thing He is hidden. All that was before the creation.
1 As for the whole you have applied to Him, it was attributes which appeared later, and translation through which understands he who understands.
"Know that the meaning of origination (
ibdad'), will, and intention is one, but their titles are three. The first was His origination (
ibada'), His will, and His intention which He made the origin of all things, evidence for all perceived things, separator for all vague things. All things were separated by these words, such as the name of right and wrong, action, done, meaning other than meaning. All affairs gathered on them. When He originated the words, He did not make meaning for them other than themselves. They came to an end and had no existence, for they were originated with an origination.
"The light in this place, which is the light of the heavens and the earth, is the first action of Allah. As for the letters, they are the done (thing) which the speech concerns. All the acts of worship were from Allah, the Great and Almighty. He taught them to His creatures. They are thirty-three letters. Twenty-eight letters of them indicates the letters of Arabic. Twenty-two of the twenty-eight letters shows the letters of Assyrian and Hebrew. Five letters of them were changed
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1. In a copy. "Before His creating the creatures"
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(and are) in the rest of the languages of non-Arabs in the regions. These five letters were derived from the twenty-five letters, so the letters became thirty-three. As for the five different (letters), it is not permissible to mention them more than what we have mentioned. Then He made the letters after He had counted them and numbered them firmly. So His sign was like these words of Him, the Exalted:
'Be and it is.' Make, be from it, and the made be from it. So the first creature of Allah, the Great and Almighty, was the origination which had neither weight nor movement nor hearing nor color nor sense; the second creature was the letters which had neither weight nor color. They were heard and described; (none) looked at them. As for the third creature, it was all the kinds which were sensed, touched, with taste, and seen. As for Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, was before the letters which indicate nothing other than themselves." Al-Ma'mu`n admired (this answer) and did not understand most meanings of these deep words which we will leave without any explanation, for it takes us a long time to explain them. Then he asked the Ima`m: "How they (i.e. the letters) indicate nothing other than themselves?"
The Imam answered him and explained the matter for him, saying: "Surely, Allah, the Blessed and Most High, never gathered a thing from them for another meaning. When He created from them four or five or six words or more than that or less than that, He created them for a certain meaning, and they were not for anything except for an originated meaning, which was nothing before that (time).
Q14: "How can we come to know of that?"
Ans. 14: "As for the way and explaining knowledge, it is (as follows): You mention the letters when you want nothing other than themselves. You mention them one by one when you say:
Alif, ba', ta' tha', jeem, ha', kha', until you finish them. You will find no meaning other than themselves. When you gather them and make from them letters and make from them the name and adjective for a certain meaning, you will not seek the meaning of what you have meant. They are proof of their meanings and the cause of the thing described by them. Did you understand them?"
"Yes," was the answer.
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The Imam continued his speech about explaining the meanings of the letters when they were put together, saying: "Know that it (the letter) is not an adjective of that which is not described nor a bound of that which is not bounded. As for the attributes and the names, they indicate perfection and existence, not an example of encompassment, as the bounds, which are squaring, making triangle, and making hexagon. That is because Allah, the Great and Almighty, is known by the attributes and the names, not by limits, such as length, width, littleness, muchness, color, weight, and the like. Nothing of these limits is applied to Allah, that His creatures may know Him through knowing themselves, according to the necessity which we have mentioned.
"However, Allah, the Great and Almighty, is indicated by His attributes, known by His names, and His creatures are proofs of Him, that the willing seeker concerning that may be in no need of the vision of an eye nor hearing of an ear nor touching of the palm of hand nor encompassment of a heart. If His attributes, great be His laudation, do not indicate Him; His names do not summon to Him; the knowledge of the creatures does not perceive His core; the creatures will worship His names and His attributes, not His core. If this is such, then the one god will be other than Allah, for his attributes and his names are other than him. Did you understand, 'Umran?"
"Yes, master, increase me," replied 'Umra`n.
The Imam continued his interesting speech after he had gained mastery over those who attended the session. He said: "Beware of the statement of the ignorant from among the of blindness and error who claim that Allah, the Great and All-holy, exists in the hereafter for reckoning concerning reward and punishment, and He is not in the world for the acts of obedience and hope. If Allah, the Great and Almighty, has defects in this world, he will never be in the next. However, the people have gone astray, become blind, and deaf toward the truth while they do not know. That is according to the words of Him, the Great and Almighty:
And whoever is blind in (the world), he
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shall also be blind in the hereafter and more erring from the way.
1 I mean that he is blind toward the existing realities. Those who have intellects know that the proof of what is there (in the next world) is not but through what is here (in the world). He who takes the knowledge of that (world) according to his own view, seeks its existence and perceiving it through his own soul, and not through other than it, increases himself nothing of the knowledge of that (world) but fairness, for Allah, the Great and Almighty, has placed the knowledge of that (world) with special group of people who think, know, and understand."
Q15: "Master, tell me about origination: Is it creation or other than creation?"
Shaykh al-Ja'fari commented on this question, saying: "This is also one of the questions which have tired the minds and reasons of mankind, for it is (the question) which has brought about the disunity of the different ways and sects. Some of them say: Origination such as materials, images, reasons, souls, and the like is absolutely impossible whether it is from the Necessary Being or from the possible being. Others have absolutely regarded it as possible. Others have confined the possibility of origination to Allah, the Exalted, in general, namely that He, the Exalted, is powerful to originate any being He wills without any material before it, and change befalls it. They have also said: 'It (origination) requires His absolute power and the ability of the object. Yet others follow other ways.
2"
Ans. 15: "Rather it (origination) is still creation and is not perceived through stillness. It becomes creation for it is something originated. It is Allah who originates it and it becomes His creature. Allah, the Great and Almighty, creates it, and there is no third (thing) between them, and no third (thing) is other than them. So what Allah, the Great and Almighty, creates is His creature. Perhaps, the creatures is still, moving, different, harmonious, known, and ambiguous. All the bounded things are the creatures of Allah, the Great and Almighty.
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1. Qura'an, 17, 27.
2. Tuhaf al-Uqul, p. 527.
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Know that all the things which the senses find for you are meanings perceived by the senses, and every sense demonstrates what Allah, the Great and Almighty, has placed in its perception, and the heart understands all of that. Know that the One who is standing without any ordination or bounds created creatures ordained by bounds and ordination, and what He creates is two creatures: the ordination and the ordained. In each of them there is neither color nor weight nor taste. He makes one of them perceive the other and makes them perceive in their nature. He does not create a single thing standing in its nature without other than it which He wills to be proof of His selfness and His existence, so Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, is Single and One; there is no second with Him in order to make Him stand, to support Him and to hide Him. The creatures hold each other through the permission and will of Allah, the Exalted. Men have differed over this subject to the extent that they have gone astray, become perplexed, and sought salvation from darkness with darkness through their describing Allah, the Exalted, with their own qualities, so they have become very far away from the truth. If they describe Allah, the Great and Almighty, with His own attributes, and describe the creatures with their own qualities, they will profess understanding and certainty, and will not defer over (Him). When they seek that toward which they are perplexed, they become confused.
Allah guides whomever He wills to the straight path."
Q16: "I witness that He is just as you have described. However, I have another question."
"Question whatever you desire."
"I want to question you about the All-wise (Allah): In which thing is He? Does anything encompass Him? Does He change from state to state? Is He in need of a thing?"
Ans. 16: "I will tell you, 'Umra`n, so understand Whom you have questioned about. He is the most ambiguous matter which the creatures face. As for those whose reasons are different and whose clemency is distant, they do not recognize (Him). As for those who are just and have reasons, they are able to recognize (Him). As for the first (thing) of that: If the creation of what He creates is out of His need of
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it, it is permissible for one to say: He changes according to what He creates because of His need of that. However, He, the Great and Almighty, does not create anything out of need, and He is still firm, not in a thing nor on a thing, but it is the creatures which hold each other, enter in one another, and come forth from each other. As for Allah, the Great and All-holy, He holds the whole of that through His power. He does not enter a thing and comes out of it. The preservation of it does not tire Him, nor is He incapable of holding it. None of the creatures knows how that is except Allah, the Great and Almighty, His messengers whom He informed of it, the people of His secrets, those who keep His command, and His guardians who undertake His Law. Rather His command is like the twinkling of an eye. If He wills a thing, He only says to it:
Be, so there it is, in accordance with His desire and will. Nothing is nearer to Him than a thing; nothing is farther from Him than a thing. Did you understand, 'Umran?"
"Yes, master," replied 'Umra`n.
Whatever knowledge is given to man, he is incapable of understanding his own soul and his wonderful small systems, so how can he recognize or encompass the Almighty Creator, the Originator of the worlds and Giver of life. Ibn Abu` al-Haddïd says:
Intellect has become perplexed concerning You, O Wonder of the universe!
Whenever my mind comes a span of the hand nearer to You, it becomes a mile far.
You have perplexed the possessors of reason and confused brain.
Surely, the human brain is limited, so how can it recognize the reality of Allah, the Exalted. Yes, we have recognized Him and believed in Him through His creatures, for every atom in this universe displays the existence of the Almighty Creator, Who knows all things in the heaven and the earth.
Al-Sabi'i becomes Muslim
'Umran al-Sabi'i acknowledged the many scientific abilities of the Ima`m, peace be on him, such as his definite answers to the most difficult philosophical questions, which none was able to answer
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except the testamentary trustees of the prophets whom Allah endowed with knowledge and sound judgment. Accordingly, he embraced Islam and began saying: "I witness that Allah, the Most High, is as you have described, and witness that Mohammed, may Allah bless him and his family, is His Servants sent with guidance and the religion of the truth."
Then he prostrated himself in prayer before Allah and submitted to Him. The religious scholars and the theologians admired the Ima`m's knowledge and talents, hence they told the people about his excellence and abundant knowledge. As for al-Ma'mu`n, he drowned in pain, harbored malice against the Ima`m, envied him, and then left the session.
Mohammed Fears for the Imam
Mohammed b. Ja'far, the Ima`m's uncle, feared al-Ma'mu`n for the safety of the Ima`m. He attended the session and saw the Ima`m's domination over 'Umran al-Sabi'i, who was an excellent philosopher of the time, so he summoned al-Hasan b. Mohammed al-Nawfali, the Imam's companion, and said to him: "Have you not seen what your companion (the Imam) brought?" "No, by Allah," said al-Nawfali, "I think that 'Ali b. Musa al-Rida` has never gone into anything, and we do not know him through it. He always speak about theology in Medina and the theologians gather before him."
Then al-Nawfali informed him of the Ima`m's knowledge and excellence, saying: "The pilgrims come to him and ask him about the lawful and the unlawful, and he answers them. Perhaps he goes into theology when someone comes to him and debates with him."
However, Mohammed expressed his fear of al-M'mu`n for his nephew, saying: "I fear that this man (i.e. al-Ma'mu`n) will envy him, give him poison (to drink), and creates an affliction against him. So advise him to refrain from these things."
As for al-Nawfali, he had good opinion of al-Ma'mu`n, did not fear him for the Ima`m, so he said to Mohammed: "The Ima`m (i.e. al-Ma'mu`n) wants nothing except to examine him, that he may know whether he (the Ima`m) has something of the knowledge of his fathers."
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Mohammed was not satisfied with al-Nawfali's statement, for he thought that al-Ma'mu`n was wicked, so he said to al-Nawfali: "Say to him (al-Rida`): Your uncle dislikes this chapter (of theology) and asks you to refrain from these things for several reasons...."
The Ima`m's uncle was right in his intuition, for he knew that the 'Abbasid family harbored malice against the members of the House (
ahl al-Bayt), peace be on them, and showed enmity toward them. Moreover, ('Umran) al-Sabi'i's questions and his adopting Islam at the hand of the Ima`m moved the spites of al-Ma'mu`n and he assassinated him, as we will see in the chapters that follow.
Al-Nawfali related to the Ima`m, peace be on him, Mohammed's words, and he thanked him for them and prayed for him.
The Imam honors 'Umran
Through his debates, the Imam made 'Umran adopt Islam. (This was a great achievement), for the latter was the most prominent scholar of his time. The Imam sent for him. When he came, the Ima`m , welcomed and received him with honor. Then he gave him garments and ten thousand dirhams. 'Umra`n was pleased with that, so he prayed for the Ima`m and thanked him for that, saying: "May I be your ransom, you have followed the deeds of your grandfather, the Commander of the faithful."
'Umra`n came frequently to the Ima`m and made used of his abundant knowledge. After that, as the historians say, he became a summoner to Islam. The theologians from among the possessors of statements and innovations came to him and asked him about the most important questions. He answered their questions to the extent that he made them avoid him. Al-Ma'mun gave him ten thousand dirhams and, in addition, al-Fadl gave him some money. Then the appointed him as a governor over the charities of Balkh, and he did right things.
1
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1. Uyyun Akhbar al-Rida, vol. 1, pp. 168-178. Reports simolar to his have been mentioned by al-Tabrasi in (his book) al-Ihtijaj, al-Majlisi in al-Bihar, and al-Hasan b. Shu'ba in Tuhaf al-Uqul.
