 ٥ـ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ إِدْرِيسَ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْجَبَّارِ عَنْ صَفْوَانَ بْنِ يَحْيَى عَنْ فُضَيْلِ بْنِ عُثْمَانَ عَنِ ابْنِ أَبِي يَعْفُورٍ قَالَ سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) عَنْ قَوْلِ الله عَزَّ وَجَلَّ هُوَ الاوَّلُ وَالاخِرُ وَقُلْتُ أَمَّا الاوَّلُ فَقَدْ عَرَفْنَاهُ وَأَمَّا الاخِرُ فَبَيِّنْ لَنَا تَفْسِيرَهُ فَقَالَ إِنَّهُ لَيْسَ شَيْ‏ءٌ إِلا يَبِيدُ أَوْ يَتَغَيَّرُ أَوْ يَدْخُلُهُ التَّغَيُّرُ وَالزَّوَالُ أَوْ يَنْتَقِلُ مِنْ لَوْنٍ إِلَى لَوْنٍ وَمِنْ هَيْئَةٍ إِلَى هَيْئَةٍ وَمِنْ صِفَةٍ إِلَى صِفَةٍ وَمِنْ زِيَادَةٍ إِلَى نُقْصَانٍ وَمِنْ نُقْصَانٍ إِلَى زِيَادَةٍ إِلا رَبَّ الْعَالَمِينَ فَإِنَّهُ لَمْ يَزَلْ وَلا يَزَالُ بِحَالَةٍ وَاحِدَةٍ هُوَ الاوَّلُ قَبْلَ كُلِّ شَيْ‏ءٍ وَهُوَ الاخِرُ عَلَى مَا لَمْ يَزَلْ وَلا تَخْتَلِفُ عَلَيْهِ الصِّفَاتُ وَالاسْمَاءُ كَمَا تَخْتَلِفُ عَلَى غَيْرِهِ مِثْلُ الانْسَانِ الَّذِي يَكُونُ تُرَاباً مَرَّةً وَمَرَّةً لَحْماً وَدَماً وَمَرَّةً رُفَاتاً وَرَمِيماً وَكَالْبُسْرِ الَّذِي يَكُونُ مَرَّةً بَلَحاً وَمَرَّةً بُسْراً وَمَرَّةً رُطَباً وَمَرَّةً تَمْراً فَتَتَبَدَّلُ عَلَيْهِ الاسْمَاءُ وَالصِّفَاتُ وَالله جَلَّ وَعَزَّ بِخِلافِ ذَلِكَ.
 5. Ahmad ibn Idris has narrated from Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Jabbar from Safwan ibn Yahya from Fudayl ibn ‘Uthman from ibn Abi Ya‘fur who has said the following. “I asked abu ‘Abdallah , about the words of Allah, The Majestic, the Glorious, ‘He (Allah) is the first and the last.’ (57:3) We have understood His being the first but explain for us the meaning of His being the last.” The Imam said, “There is nothing in the universe, but that is subject to annihilation, alteration, change, decay, transition from one color to another, from one shape to another and from one quality to another. They increase, decrease and change from decrease to increase, except He, Who is the Lord of the worlds. He alone is eternal and in one state. He is the first, before every thing and the last eternally. His attributes and names do not change as they do in the case of others. A man at one time is dust, at other time flesh and blood, then turns into decaying bones and finally becomes dust. A piece of date at one time is raw, at another time ripe, mature and then it dries up. With every change, the names and attributes also change. Allah, the Majestic, the Glorious is different from all such things.”