عَلِيُّ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ زِيَادٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى قَالَ:
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كَتَبْتُ إِلَى أَبِي الْحَسَنِ عَلِيِّ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ ع جَعَلَنِيَ اللَّهُ فِدَاكَ يَا سَيِّدِي قَدْ رُوِيَ لَنَا أَنَّ اللَّهَ فِي مَوْضِعٍ دُونَ مَوْضِعٍ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ اسْتَوى وَ أَنَّهُ يَنْزِلُ كُلَّ لَيْلَةٍ فِي النِّصْفِ الْأَخِيرِ مِنَ اللَّيْلِ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ الدُّنْيَا وَ رُوِيَ أَنَّهُ يَنْزِلُ عَشِيَّةَ عَرَفَةَ ثُمَّ يَرْجِعُ إِلَى مَوْضِعِهِ فَقَالَ بَعْضُ مَوَالِيكَ فِي ذَلِكَ إِذَا كَانَ فِي مَوْضِعٍ دُونَ مَوْضِعٍ فَقَدْ يُلَاقِيهِ الْهَوَاءُ وَ يَتَكَنَّفُ عَلَيْهِ وَ الْهَوَاءُ جِسْمٌ رَقِيقٌ يَتَكَنَّفُ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ بِقَدْرِهِ فَكَيْفَ يَتَكَنَّفُ عَلَيْهِ جَلَّ ثَنَاؤُهُ عَلَى هَذَا الْمِثَالِ فَوَقَّعَ ع عِلْمُ ذَلِكَ عِنْدَهُ وَ هُوَ الْمُقَدِّرُ لَهُ بِمَا هُوَ أَحْسَنُ تَقْدِيراً وَ اعْلَمْ أَنَّهُ إِذَا كَانَ فِي السَّمَاءِ الدُّنْيَا فَهُوَ كَمَا هُوَ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ وَ الْأَشْيَاءُ كُلُّهَا لَهُ سَوَاءٌ عِلْماً وَ قُدْرَةً وَ مُلْكاً وَ إِحَاطَةً. - وَ عَنْهُ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ جَعْفَرٍ الْكُوفِيِّ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى مِثْلَهُ. فِي قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى ما يَكُونُ مِنْ نَجْوى ثَلاثَةٍ إِلَّا هُوَ رابِعُهُمْ
Read English translationHide English translationMuhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn
4. Ali ibn Muhammad has narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad from Muhammad ibn ‘Isa who has said the following. “I wrote to Imam abu al-Hassan, Ali ibn Muhammad (a.s.) to clarify a question. May Allah take my soul in your service, O my master, it is narrated to us that Allah is in one place and not in another place on ‘Arsh, (the Throne) resting. He comes down to the sky above the earth every night during the last half of the night. It is narrated that He comes down at the ninth evening of the month of Dhul Hajj and then He returns back to His place. Certain individuals among your friends have said that if He would be found in certain places and not in other places the air must have come in contact with Him and would surround Him because air is a thin form of body that surrounds everything proportionate to its size. How then the air would surround Allah, the Most Holy and the Most High, According to this assumption? The Imam replied in writing, “He has the knowledge of this. He is the best One in having the true measurements of all things. You must, However, note that His being in the sky over the earth is just as He on the Throne. All things to Him are the same in the matters of His knowledge and power, domination and control.” Muhammad ibn Ja‘far al-Kufi has narrated from Muhammad ibn ’Isa a similar Hadith About the words of Allah “There is not a single place wherein any secret counsel can take place between any three people without God being the fourth, . .” (58:7).
Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.
الهوامش · 1⌄
[2]قوله( ع): علم ذلك عنده أي علم كيفية نزوله عنده سبحانه و ليس عليكم معرفة ذلك ثمّ أشار إشارة خفية الى ان المراد بنزوله نزول رحمته، و انزالها بتقديره بقوله:« و هو المقدر له بما هو أحسن تقديرا» ثم افاد أن ما عليكم علمه انه لا يجرى عليه احكام الاجسام و المتحيزات من المجاورة و القرب المكانى و التمكن في الامكنة بل حضوره سبحانه حضور و شهود علمى و احاطة بالعلم و القدرة و الملك بقوله( ع): و اعلم انه ... الخ.( آت)ص 126