 ٣ـ حَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ الاسَدِيُّ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ إِسْمَاعِيلَ الْبَرْمَكِيِّ الرَّازِيِّ عَنِ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ بُرْدٍ الدِّينَوَرِيِّ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الله الْخُرَاسَانِيِّ خَادِمِ الرِّضَا (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) قَالَ دَخَلَ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الزَّنَادِقَةِ عَلَى أَبِي الْحَسَنِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) وَعِنْدَهُ جَمَاعَةٌ فَقَالَ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) أَيُّهَا الرَّجُلُ أَ رَأَيْتَ إِنْ كَانَ الْقَوْلُ قَوْلَكُمْ وَلَيْسَ هُوَ كَمَا تَقُولُونَ أَ لَسْنَا وَإِيَّاكُمْ شَرَعاً سَوَاءً لا يَضُرُّنَا مَا صَلَّيْنَا وَصُمْنَا وَزَكَّيْنَا وَأَقْرَرْنَا فَسَكَتَ الرَّجُلُ ثُمَّ قَالَ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) وَإِنْ كَانَ الْقَوْلُ قَوْلَنَا وَهُوَ قَوْلُنَا أَ لَسْتُمْ قَدْ هَلَكْتُمْ وَنَجَوْنَا فَقَالَ رَحِمَكَ الله أَوْجِدْنِي كَيْفَ هُوَ وَأَيْنَ هُوَ فَقَالَ وَيْلَكَ إِنَّ الَّذِي ذَهَبْتَ إِلَيْهِ غَلَطٌ هُوَ أَيَّنَ الايْنَ بِلا أَيْنٍ وَكَيَّفَ الْكَيْفَ بِلا كَيْفٍ فَلا يُعْرَفُ بِالْكَيْفُوفِيَّةِ وَلا بِأَيْنُونِيَّةٍ وَلا يُدْرَكُ بِحَاسَّةٍ وَلا يُقَاسُ بِشَيْ‏ءٍ فَقَالَ الرَّجُلُ فَإِذاً إِنَّهُ لا شَيْ‏ءَ إِذَا لَمْ يُدْرَكْ بِحَاسَّةٍ مِنَ الْحَوَاسِّ فَقَالَ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) وَيْلَكَ لَمَّا عَجَزَتْ حَوَاسُّكَ عَنْ إِدْرَاكِهِ أَنْكَرْتَ رُبُوبِيَّتَهُ وَنَحْنُ إِذَا عَجَزَتْ حَوَاسُّنَا عَنْ إِدْرَاكِهِ أَيْقَنَّا أَنَّهُ رَبُّنَا بِخِلافِ شَيْ‏ءٍ مِنَ الاشْيَاءِ قَالَ الرَّجُلُ فَأَخْبِرْنِي مَتَى كَانَ قَالَ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) أَخْبِرْنِي مَتَى لَمْ يَكُنْ فَأُخْبِرَكَ مَتَى كَانَ قَالَ الرَّجُلُ فَمَا الدَّلِيلُ عَلَيْهِ فَقَالَ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) إِنِّي لَمَّا نَظَرْتُ إِلَى جَسَدِي وَلَمْ يُمْكِنِّي فِيهِ زِيَادَةٌ وَلا نُقْصَانٌ فِي الْعَرْضِ وَالطُّولِ وَدَفْعِ الْمَكَارِهِ عَنْهُ وَجَرِّ الْمَنْفَعَةِ إِلَيْهِ عَلِمْتُ أَنَّ لِهَذَا الْبُنْيَانِ بَانِياً فَأَقْرَرْتُ بِهِ مَعَ مَا أَرَى مِنْ دَوَرَانِ الْفَلَكِ بِقُدْرَتِهِ وَإِنْشَاءِ السَّحَابِ وَتَصْرِيفِ الرِّيَاحَ وَمَجْرَى الشَّمْسِ وَالْقَمَرِ وَالنُّجُومِ وَغَيْرِ ذَلِكَ مِنَ الايَاتِ الْعَجِيبَاتِ الْمُبَيِّنَاتِ عَلِمْتُ أَنَّ لِهَذَا مُقَدِّراً وَمُنْشِئاً.
 3. Muhammad ibn Ja‘far al-Asadi has narrated from Muhammad ibn Esma‘il al-Barmaki al-Razi from al-Husayn ibn al-Hassan ibn Bard al-Daynuri from Muhammad ibn Ali from Muhammad ibn ‘Abdallah al-Khurasani the an employee of Imam al-Rida  who has said the following. “An atheist man came to Imam abu al-Hassan  while group of people was present there. The Imam  said to him, “Consider, if what you say would be true which is not true, in such case, we all will be equal. Our fasting, prayers, giving charity and belief will not harm us.” The man remained quite. The Imam then said, “If what we say would be true, which, in fact, is true then you will be the one facing your destruction and we will be saved.” The man then said, “Please help me learn where is He and how is He?” The Imam then said, “What is the matter with you? What you say is not right. He is the ‘where’ of ‘where’ but without ‘where’. He is the ‘how’ of ‘how’ without ‘how’. He can not be defined with ‘how’ and ‘where’ and can not be comprehended with the senses or compared with anything.” The man then asked, “Tell me then when was He?” The Imam replied, “You tell me, when He was not there so that I would tell when He was there?” The man then asked, “What is the proof for His existence?” The Imam said, “When I look at my body I find that I can not do any addition or alteration to it such as width and breadth or remove its sufferings and attract all its interests. I then come to understand that for this establishment there must be a founder and then I acknowledge His existence. Besides, I see all the orbiting planets and stars, the creation of the clouds and driving of the winds, the paths of the sun, the moon, the stars and other things of the marvelous clear signs I come to believe that there is One who has designed and created all such wonderful things”