١٣ - حدثنا علي بن أحمد بن محمد بن عمران الدقاق رحمه الله، قال: حدثنا محمد بن أبي عبد الله الكوفي  قال: حدثنا محمد بن إسماعيل البرمكي، قال: حدثني علي بن العباس، قال: حدثني إسماعيل بن مهران الكوفي، عن إسماعيل بن إسحاق الجهني، عن فرج بن فروة، عن مسعدة بن صدقة، قال: سمعت أبا عبد الله عليه السلام يقول: بينما أمير المؤمنين عليه السلام يخطب على المنبر بالكوفة إذ قام إليه رجل فقال: يا أمير المؤمنين صف لنا ربك تبارك وتعالى لنزداد له حبا وبه معرفة، فغضب أمير المؤمنين عليه السلام، ونادى الصلاة جامعة  فاجتمع الناس حتى غص المسجد بأهله، ثم قام متغير اللون فقال: الحمد لله الذي لا يفره المنع، ولا يكديه الاعطاء  إذ كل معط منتقص سواه، الملئ بفوائد النعم وعوائد المزيد، وبجوده ضمن عيالة الخلق، فأنهج سبيل الطلب للراغبين إليه، فليس بما سئل أجود منه بما لم يسأل، وما اختلف عليه دهر فيختلف منه الحال، ولو وهب ما تنفست عنه معادن الجبال وضحكت عنه أصداف البحار من فلذ اللجين  وسبائك العقيان ونضائد المرجان لبعض عبيده، لما أثر ذلك في وجوده ولا أنفد سعة ما عنده، ولكان عنده من ذخائر الافضال ما لا ينفذه مطالب السؤال  ولا يخطر لكثرته على بال، لأنه الجواد الذي لا تنقصه المواهب، ولا ينحله إلحاح الملحين  (وإنما أمره إذا أراد شيئا أن يقول له كن فيكون)  الذي عجزت الملائكة على قربهم من كرسي كرامته، وطول ولههم إليه وتعظيم جلال عزه، وقربهم من غيب ملكوته أن يعلموا من أمره إلا ما أعلمهم، وهم من ملكوت القدس بحيث هم من معرفته على ما فطرهم عليه أن قالوا: (سبحانك لا علم لنا إلا ما علمتنا إنك أنت العليم الحكيم) . فما ظنك أيها السائل بمن هو هكذا، سبحانه وبحمده، لم يحدث فيمكن فيه التغير والانتقال، ولم يتصرف في ذاته بكرور الأحوال  ولم يختلف عليه حقب الليالي والأيام  الذي ابتدع الخلق على غير مثال امتثله ولا مقدار احتذى عليه من معبود كان قبله  ولم تحط به الصفات فيكون بإدراكها إياه بالحدود متناهيا، وما زال - ليس كمثله شئ - عن صفة المخلوقين متعاليا  وانحسرت الأبصار عن أن تناله فيكون بالعيان موصوفا  وبالذات التي لا يعلمها إلا هو عند خلقه معروفا، وفات لعلوه على أعلى الأشياء مواقع رجم المتوهمين  وارتفع عن أن تحوي كنه عظمته فهاهة  رويات المتفكرين، فليس له مثل فيكون ما يخلق مشبها به  وما زال عند أهل المعرفة به عن الأشباه والأضداد منزها، كذب العادلون بالله إذ شبهوه بمثل أصنافهم  وحلوه حلية المخلوقين بأوهامهم، وجزوه بتقدير منتج خواطرهم  وقدروه على الخلق المختلفة القوى بقرائح عقولهم  وكيف يكون من لا يقدر قدره مقدرا في رويات الأوهام، وقد ضلت في إدراك كنهه هواجس الأحلام لأنه أجل من أن يحده ألباب البشر بالتفكير، أو يحيط به الملائكة على قربهم من ملكوت عزته بتقدير، تعالى عن أن يكون له كفو فيشبه به لأنه اللطيف الذي إذا أرادت الأوهام أن تقع عليه في عميقات غيوب ملكه، وحاولت الفكر المبرأة من خطر الوسواس إدراك علم ذاته  وتولهت القلوب إليه لتحوي منه مكيفا في صفاته  وغمضت مداخل العقول من حيث لا تبلغه الصفات لتنال علم إلهيته  ردعت خاسئة وهي تجوب مهاوي سدف الغيوب متخلصة إليه سبحانه، رجعت إذ جبهت معترفة بأنه لا ينال بجوب الاعتساف كنه معرفته  ولا يخطر ببال أولي الرويات خاطرة من تقدير جلال عزته لبعده من أن يكون في قوى المحدودين لأنه خلاف خلقه، فلا شبه له من المخلوقين  وإنما يشبه الشئ بعديله، فأما ما لا عديل له فكيف يشبه بغير مثاله، وهو البدئ الذي لم يكن شئ قبله، والآخر الذي ليس شئ بعده، لا تناله الأبصار من مجد جبروته إذ حجبها بحجب لا تنفذ في ثخن كثافته  ولا تخرق إلى ذي العرش متانة خصائص ستراته  الذي صدرت الأمور عن مشيته، وتصاغرت عزة المتجبرين دون جلال عظمته، وخضعت له الرقاب، وعنت الوجوه من مخافته  وظهرت في بدائع الذي أحدثها آثار حكمته  وصار كل شئ خلق حجة له ومنتسبا إليه  فإن كان خلقا صامتها فحجته بالتدبير ناطقة فيه، فقدر ما خلق، فأحكم تقديره، ووضع كل شئ بلطف تدبيره موضعه، ووجهه بجهة  فلم يبلغ منه شئ حدود منزلته  ولم يقصر دون الانتهاء إلى مشيته، ولم يستعصب إذ أمره بالمضي إلى أرادته، بلا معاناة للغوب مسه  ولا مكائدة لمخالف له على أمره  فتم خلقه، وأذعن لطاعته، ووافى الوقت الذي أخرجه إليه إجابة لم يعترض دونها ريث المبطئ ولا أناة المتلكئ  فأقام من الأشياء أودها (١) ونهى معالم حدودها، ولأم بقدرته بين متضادتها (٢) ووصل أسباب قرائنها (٣) وخالف بين ألوانها، وفرقها أجناسا مختلفات في الأقدار والغرائز والهيئات، بدايا خلائق أحكم صنعها، وفطرها على ما أراد إذ ابتدعها، انتظم علمه صنوف ذرئها، وأدرك تدبيره حسن تقديرها. أيها السائل إعلم من شبه ربنا الجليل بتباين أعضاء خلقه وبتلاحم أحقاق مفاصلهم المحتجبة بتدبير حكمته أنه لم يعقد غيب ضميره على معرفته (٤) ولم يشاهد قلبه اليقين بأنه لا ند له، وكأنه لم يسمع بتبري التابعين من المتبوعين وهم يقولون: ﴿تالله أن كنا لفي ضلال مبين إذ نسويكم برب العالمين﴾  فمن ساوى ربنا بشئ فقد عدل به، والعادل به كافر بما نزلت به محكمات آياته، ونطقت به شواهد حجج بيناته، لأنه الله الذي لم يتناه في العقول فيكون في مهب فكرها مكيفا، وفي حواصل رويات همم النفوس محدودا مصرفا  المنشئ أصناف الأشياء بلا روية احتاج إليها، ولا قريحة غريزة أضمر عليها، ولا تجربة أفادها من مر حوادث الدهور (١) ولا شريك أعانه على ابتداع عجائب الأمور، الذي لما شبهه العادلون بالخلق المبعض المحدود في صفاته، ذي الأقطار والنواحي المختلفة فطبقاته، و كان عز وجل الموجود بنفسه لا بأداته، انتفى أن يكون قدروه حق قدره (٢) فقال تنزيها لنفسه عن مشاركة الأنداد وارتفاعا عن قياس المقدرين له بالحدود من كفرة العباد: ﴿وما قدروا الله حق قدره والأرض جميعا قبضته يوم القيمة والسماوات مطويات بيمينه سبحانه وتعالى عما يشركون﴾  ما دلك القرآن عليه من صفته فاتبعه ليوصل بينك وبين معرفته  وأتم به  واستضئ بنور هدايته، فإنها نعمة وحكمة أوتيتهما فخذ ما أوتيت وكن من الشاكرين، وما دلك الشيطان عليه مما ليس في القرآن عليك فرضه ولا في سنة الرسول وأئمة الهدى أثره فكل علمه إلى الله عز وجل، فإن ذلك منتهى حق الله عليك. واعلم أن الراسخين في العلم هم الذين أغناهم الله عن الاقتحام في السدد المضروبة دون الغيوب فلزموا الاقرار بجملة ما جهلوا تفسيره من الغيب المحجوب فقالوا: (آمنا به كل من عند ربنا)  فمدح الله عز وجل اعترافهم بالعجز عن تناول ما لم يحيطوا به علما، وسمى تركهم التعمق في ما لم يكلفهم البحث عنه منهم رسوخا، فاقتصر على ذلك، ولا تقدر عظمة الله (سبحانه) على قدر عقلك فتكون من الهالكين. 
13. `Ali Ibn Ahmad Ibn Muhammad ibn `Imran al-Daqqaq (may Allah have mercy on him) said: Muhammad ibn Abu `Abd Allah al-Kufi said: Muhammad ibn Ismai`il al-Barmaki said: `Ali ibn al- `Abbas related to me that Isma`il ibn Mihran al-Kufi related to me on the authority of Isma`il ibn Ishaq al-Juhani, on the authority of Faraj ibn Farwah, on the authority of Mas`adah ibn Sadaqah, on the authority of Abu `Abd Allah that While the Commander of the Faithful  was preaching from his pulpit in (the Mosque of) al-Kufah, a man stood up and said: “O Commander of the Faithful! Describe for us your Lord, Blessed and Exalted be He, so that we can increase our love and understanding of Him.” Hence, the Commander of the Faithful  became angry, and called all to attend. Thus, the people gathered until the mosque was packed. Then he stood up, with his face flushed, and addressed the congregation as such: All praise be to Allah for Whom refusal to give does not enrich, and for Whom munificence does not make poor! All who give lose, expect He. He is full of beneficial bounties and plentiful gifts. All of creation depends on His Generosity for their sustenance. He has prepared the way for those who seek Him. He is as Generous when He is asked, as He is when He is not asked. Time does not affect Him as this would imply that He is subject to change. His Essence would not be affected, and His Wealth would not be diminished, even if He gave away all of the silver and all of the gold found in the mines in the mountains, and all of the pearls which the shells of the ocean produce for His Servants. His Wealth would remain great and unaffected, even if He answered the demands of every beggar because He is the Most Generous. Giving does not decrease His Wealth, not do the request of His Supplicants make Him miserly. His Command, when He intends anything, is only to say to it: Be, so it is.1 The Angels are incapable of approaching the nobility of His Throne. They are confused when they attempt to understand Him and the greatness of His Might and Majesty. Although they are close to His Realm, they know nothing about His Affair except what He informs them. They are so close to the sanctity of His Realm, that they recognize the limitations with which they were created saying: Glory be to Thee! We have no knowledge but that which Thou hast taught us; surely Thou art the Knowing, the Wise. Then what is your opinion, O questioner, about the One I have described in such terms? Praise and glory be to Him. He has no beginning, and is not subject to change. His Essence does not change states. Long stretches of day and night have no affect on Him. He originated the creation without any example which He could follow, and without any specimen prepared by any deity that was before Him. Attributes do no encompass Him so that we can comprehend Him, much less comprehend Him by means of limitations. He is Still. There is nothing whatsoever like unto Him. Exalted is He from the attributes of the created. Eyes cannot perceive Him so that He may be described by sight. His Essence is only known to Himself and cannot be recognized by His Creation. His Greatness surpasses the greatest conjectures of the most imaginative. He is Higher than anything that could be conceived by the feeble minds who seek to understand His Inner Greatness. He does not have a likeness. Nothing He creates is similar to Him. To the ones that recognize Him, He is above compeers and opponents. The ones who give partners to Allah are liars as they compare Him to their own kind. They embellish Him through their imaginations with the ornaments of creation. They divided Him in parts through speculation. They use their intellects to assess Him on the basis of creation, giving Him different strengths. How can this be done when it is impossible for the intellect to measure His Extent? Misleading dreams have gone astray in perceiving His Essence; because He is higher than the limits of human reasoning. Even the Angels, who are close to His Realm of Glory, cannot encompass Him. Exalted is He from having a parallel with which He may be resembled. He is the Subtle [al-Latif]. He prevents the imagination from finding Him in the depth of His Realm. He prevents the minds which are free from evil thoughts from comprehending His Being. He prevents the hearts who long to embrace His Attributes from going beyond description, and securing knowledge of His Divinity. He turns back those who cross the dark pitfalls of the unknown in their search for Him. Glorified be He! All those who seek to comprehend him return defeated, admitting that His Knowledge cannot be understood through such random efforts. They admit that not an iota of His Honor can enter the intellect of the greatest thinkers. They admit that He is far from the most powerful strengths of limited beings because He is other than His Creation. Therefore, He has no peer in His Creation. Verily, things are compared to their equal. However, if something has no equal, how can it be compared with something which is completely different from it? He is the Originator who had nothing before Him, and He is the Last who has nothing after Him. Eyes cannot perceive Him due to the magnificence of His Power. Eyes are concealed with veils, and cannot penetrate their density. Eyes cannot penetrate the Veils of the Possessor of the Throne, and they cannot reach the One who Governs Everything through His Will. The pride of all tyrants cringes except the Majesty of His Greatness. All slaves surrender to Him, and all faces fear His Wrath. The signs of His Wisdom are apparent from everything He has created. Everything He created is His Proof, and is linked to Him. It is a silent creation, it is His Proof that speaks through planning. He has fixed limits for everything He has created and has set everything firm. He has put everything in its place through the gracefulness of His Planning. He has fixed the direction for everything. Nothing surpasses or falls shorts of the position He has willed. Nothing disobeys His Command to move, when He intends it to move. He does so without effort, and without challenge to His Order. Thus was completed the creation, and it bowed in obedience to Him. It was time for His creation to respond to Him. The laziness of any slug or the inertness of any excusefinder did not prevent them from doing so. So He straightened the curves of things, and completed the traces of their limits. With His Power He created coherence n their contradictory parts, and joined together the factors of similarity. Then He distinguished their colors, and separated them in varieties which differ in quantities, properties, and shapes. All of this was a new creation. He made them firm, shaped them as He intended, and invented them. Through His Knowledge He organized everything into species. His Planning perceives the splendor of its destiny. O questioner! Know that he who describes our Sublime Lord by means of limbs and extremities knows nothing about His Nature. Verily, his heart did not profess with certainty that He is devoid of partners. It is as though he has not heard people renouncing their false gods by saying: By Allah! We were certainly in manifest error, when we made you equal to the Lord of the worlds.1 Whoever equates our Lord with anything has given Him a partner. Whoever gives Him a partner is an unbeliever as is stated in His Unambiguous verses, and as is indicated by His Clear Arguments. This is because Allah cannot be conceived by the limits of human intelligence. If He could be, He would be subject to change. Nor can Allah be conceived by means of intellectual efforts. If He could be, he would be limited, and an object subject t alteration. He is the Producer [al-Munshi’] who created everything without a need for imagination, without the urge of a hidden impulse, without any past experiment, and without the assistance of any partner who may have helped Him in creating wonderful things. Those who compare Him to His Creation divided Him into parts: some are limited, some vary in size, and others fall into different categories. He, the Mighty and High, Exists on His Own Accord, and is not dependent. People have not honored Him with the honor that He deserves. In order to demonstrate that He cannot be compared to His Creation, that He has no equals, and that He is far above the analogies of the unbelievers who give him limitations, He said: Any they have not honored Allah with the honor that is due to Him; and the whole Earth shall be in His grip on the Day of Resurrection and heavens rolled up in His right hand; glory be to Him, and may He be exalted above what they associate (with Him).2 When describing Allah, limit your selves to the Divine Attributes which the Qur`an has provided, and seek light from the effulgence of its guidance. Leave to Allah that knowledge which Satan has prompted you to seek, and which neither the Qur`an enjoins you to seek, nor is there any trace of it in the actions or sayings of the Prophet and other Imams of Guidance. This is the extreme limit of Allah’s claim upon you. Know that those who are firm in knowledge refrain from opening through the veils of the unseen. The firm in knowledge, acknowledge their ignorance, and refuse to seek justification for their belief by means of the unseen. Hence, they say: We believe in it, it is all from our Lord.3 Allah, the Mighty and High praises them for admitting that they cannot obtain forbidden knowledge. They do not engage in deep discussions regarding the knowledge which is hidden from them and remain firm in their faith. Be content with this, and do not limit the Greatness of Allah on the basis of the limits of your own intelligence; otherwise, you will be destroyed.