٣٤ - أخبرني أبو العباس الفضل بن الفضل بن العباس الكندي فيما أجازه لي بهمدان سنة أربع وخمسين وثلاثمائة، قال: حدثنا محمد بن سهل يعني العطار البغدادي لفظا من كتابه سنة خمس وثلاثمائة، قال: حدثنا عبد الله بن محمد البلوي قال: حدثني عمارة بن زيد، قال: حدثني عبد الله بن العلاء  قال: حدثني صالح بن سبيع، عن عمرو بن محمد بن صعصعة بن صوحان  قال: حدثني أبي عن أبي المعتمر مسلم بن أوس، قال: حضرت مجلس علي عليه السلام في جامع الكوفة فقام إليه رجل مصفر اللون - كأنه من متهودة اليمن - فقال: يا أمير المؤمنين صف لنا خالقك وانعته لنا كأنا نراه وننظر إليه، فسبح علي عليه السلام ربه وعظمه عز وجل وقال: الحمد لله الذي هو أول بلا بدئ مما  ولا باطن فيما، ولا يزال مهما  ولا ممازج مع ما، ولا خيال وهما  ليس بشبح فيرى، ولا بجسم فيتجزأ، ولا بذي غاية فيتناهى، ولا بمحدث فيبصر، ولا بمستتر فيكشف، ولا بذي حجب فيحوى  كان ولا أماكن تحمله أكنافها، ولا حملة ترفعه بقوتها، ولا كان بعد أن لم يكن، بل حارث الأوهام أن تكيف المكيف للأشياء ومن لم يزل بلا مكان، ولا يزول باختلاف الأزمان، ولا ينقلب شأنا بعد شأن ، البعيد من حدس القلوب  المتعالي عن الأشياء والضروب، والوتر، علام الغيوب، فمعاني الخلق عنه منفية، وسرائرهم عليه غير خفية، المعروف بغير كيفية، لا يدرك بالحواس، ولا يقاس بالناس، ولا تدركه الأبصار، ولا تحيط به الأفكار، ولا تقدره العقول، ولا تقع عليه الأوهام، فكل ما قدره عقل أو عرف له مثل فهو محدود، وكيف يوصف بالأشباح، و ينعت بالألسن الفصاح؟ من لم يحلل في الأشياء فيقال هو فيها كائن، ولم ينأ عنها فيقال هو عنها بائن، ولم يخل منها فيقال أين، ولم يقرب منها بالالتزاق، ولم يبعد عنها بالافتراق، بل هو في الأشياء بلا كيفية، وهو أقرب إلينا من حبل الوريد، وأبعد من الشبه من كل بعيد  لم يخلق الأشياء من أصول أزلية، ولا من أوائل كانت قبله بدية  بل خلق ما خلق، وأتقن خلقه، وصور ما صور، فأحسن صورته، فسبحان من توحد في علوه، فليس لشئ منه امتناع، ولا له بطاعة أحد من خلقه انتفاع، إجابته للداعين سريعة، والملائكة له في السماوات والأرض مطيعة، كلم موسى تكليما بلا جوارح وأدوات ولا شفة ولا لهوات  سبحانه و تعالى عن الصفات، فمن زعم أن إله الخلق محدود فقد جهل الخالق المعبود - و الخطبة طويلة أخذنا منها موضع الحاجة -. 
34. Abu al-`Abbas al-Fadl ibn al-Fadl ibn al`Abbas al-Kindi related to me in which he has permitted me [ajaza] in Hamdan in the year 354 AH that Muhammad ibn Sahl that is al-`Attar al-Baghdadi said word for word from his book in the year 305 AH that `Abd Allah ibn Muhammad al-Balawi said: `Umarah ibn Zayd related to me on the authority of `Amar ibn Muhammad ibn Sa`sa`ah ibn Sawhan that My father related to me on the authority of Abu alMu`tamar Muslim ibn Aws who said I attended a gather of `Ali  in the Mosque of al-Kufah. There a man stood up whose color was pale, as if he was a Yemeni Jew, and said: “O Commander of the Faithful! Describe your Creator, and praise Him for us such that we may see Him.” Hence, `Ali  praised his Lord, and exalted His Greatness, the Mighty and High, in the following words: All praise be to Allah, who is the First not from something, nor hidden in something, and who does not vanish nor unite with something. He is not an imaginary delusion. He is neither a shape that He may be watched, not a body so He may have parts. He is not with an end that He may terminate. He is not accidental [muhdath] so He may be seen. He is neither covered that He may be uncovered, not is He with veils so He may be comprised. He was there, but no space was there to carry Him in its sides, nor any carrier to life Him with its power. Neither has He come into being after not being there. In fact, the imaginations are baffled to assume a shape for the One who formed all things and is still without space, and does not decline with the variation of time. He does not transform from one quality to another. He is far from the supposition of hearts. He is Exalted above all things and varieties. He is the Single, and the Knower of the Unseen. Thus, the meanings of the creation are negated from Him, and their secrets are not hidden from Him. He is the Known without quality. He is not perceived through the senses and not compared with people. Eyes do not perceive Him. Thoughts cannot encompass Him. Intellects cannot assess Him, and imaginations cannot imagine Him. Hence, any likeness of Him conceived by the intellect is limited. And how could He be described with shapes and praised with eloquent tongues? He neither occurred in things, so it may be said that He is in them, nor left them, that it may be said that He is obvious. Neither is He free from them so it may be said `where.’ He is neither so close to them as to stick to them, nor so far from them as to be split. But He is in the things without quality. He is closer to us than our jugular vein, and further ways than what is most far. He has neither created things with the origin of eternity, nor from prior examples. In fact, He created what He created, and made it strong. He imagined what He imagined and beautified it. Thus, praise be Him who is Unique in His Elevation. Hence, nothing can refuse to Him His decree. Nor does He gain anything through the obedience of His Creation. His Response to callers is quick. The Angels in the Heavens and the Earth are submissive to Him. He addressed Moses with words without limbs, instruments, lips or uvulas. Praise be Him and Exalted is He from attributes. Thus, whoever supposes that the God of the Creation is limited then he is ignorant of God, the Creator. The Compiler of this book says: The sermon is detailed; we have extracted from it the required passage.