Same indexed hadith alkafi-313; it ends on this printed page after beginning on pages 116-117.
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مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ رَفَعَهُ إِلَى أَبِي هَاشِمٍ الْجَعْفَرِيِّ قَالَ:
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كُنْتُ عِنْدَ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ الثَّانِي ع فَسَأَلَهُ رَجُلٌ فَقَالَ أَخْبِرْنِي عَنِ الرَّبِّ تَبَارَكَ وَ تَعَالَى لَهُ أَسْمَاءٌ وَ صِفَاتٌ فِي كِتَابِهِ وَ أَسْمَاؤُهُ وَ صِفَاتُهُ هِيَ هُوَ فَقَالَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ ع إِنَّ لِهَذَا الْكَلَامِ وَجْهَيْنِ إِنْ كُنْتَ تَقُولُ هِيَ هُوَ أَيْ إِنَّهُ ذُو عَدَدٍ وَ كَثْرَةٍ فَتَعَالَى اللَّهُ عَنْ ذَلِكَ وَ إِنْ كُنْتَ تَقُولُ هَذِهِ الصِّفَاتُ وَ الْأَسْمَاءُ لَمْ تَزَلْ فَإِنَّ لَمْ تَزَلْ مُحْتَمِلٌ مَعْنَيَيْنِ فَإِنْ قُلْتَ لَمْ تَزَلْ عِنْدَهُ فِي عِلْمِهِ وَ هُوَ مُسْتَحِقُّهَا فَنَعَمْ وَ إِنْ كُنْتَ تَقُولُ لَمْ يَزَلْ تَصْوِيرُهَا وَ هِجَاؤُهَا وَ تَقْطِيعُ حُرُوفِهَا فَمَعَاذَ اللَّهِ أَنْ يَكُونَ مَعَهُ شَيْءٌ غَيْرُهُ بَلْ كَانَ اللَّهُ وَ لَا خَلْقَ ثُمَّ خَلَقَهَا وَسِيلَةً بَيْنَهُ وَ بَيْنَ خَلْقِهِ يَتَضَرَّعُونَ بِهَا إِلَيْهِ وَ يَعْبُدُونَهُ وَ هِيَ ذِكْرُهُ وَ كَانَ اللَّهُ وَ لَا ذِكْرَ وَ الْمَذْكُورُ بِالذِّكْرِ هُوَ اللَّهُ الْقَدِيمُ الَّذِي لَمْ يَزَلْ وَ الْأَسْمَاءُ وَ الصِّفَاتُ مَخْلُوقَاتٌ وَ الْمَعَانِي وَ الْمَعْنِيُّ بِهَا هُوَ اللَّهُ الَّذِي لَا يَلِيقُ بِهِ الِاخْتِلَافُ وَ لَا الِائْتِلَافُ وَ إِنَّمَا يَخْتَلِفُ وَ يَأْتَلِفُ الْمُتَجَزِّئُ فَلَا يُقَالُ اللَّهُ مُؤْتَلِفٌ وَ لَا اللَّهُ قَلِيلٌ وَ لَا كَثِيرٌ وَ لَكِنَّهُ الْقَدِيمُ فِي ذَاتِهِ لِأَنَّ مَا سِوَى الْوَاحِدِ مُتَجَزِّئٌ وَ اللَّهُ وَاحِدٌ لَا مُتَجَزِّئٌ وَ لَا مُتَوَهَّمٌ بِالْقِلَّةِ وَ الْكَثْرَةِ وَ كُلُّ مُتَجَزِّئٍ أَوْ مُتَوَهَّمٍ بِالْقِلَّةِ وَ الْكَثْرَةِ فَهُوَ مَخْلُوقٌ دَالُّ عَلَى خَالِقٍ لَهُ فَقَوْلُكَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ قَدِيرٌ- خَبَّرْتَ أَنَّهُ لَا يُعْجِزُهُ شَيْءٌ فَنَفَيْتَ بِالْكَلِمَةِ الْعَجْزَ وَ جَعَلْتَ الْعَجْزَ سِوَاهُ وَ كَذَلِكَ قَوْلُكَ عَالِمٌ إِنَّمَا نَفَيْتَ بِالْكَلِمَةِ الْجَهْلَ وَ جَعَلْتَ الْجَهْلَ سِوَاهُ وَ إِذَا أَفْنَى اللَّهُ الْأَشْيَاءَ أَفْنَى الصُّورَةَ وَ الْهِجَاءَ وَ التَّقْطِيعَ وَ لَا يَزَالُ مَنْ لَمْ يَزَلْ عَالِماً فَقَالَ الرَّجُلُ فَكَيْفَ سَمَّيْنَا رَبَّنَا سَمِيعاً فَقَالَ لِأَنَّهُ لَا يَخْفَى عَلَيْهِ مَا يُدْرَكُ بِالْأَسْمَاعِ وَ لَمْ نَصِفْهُ بِالسَّمْعِ الْمَعْقُولِ فِي الرَّأْسِ وَ كَذَلِكَ سَمَّيْنَاهُ بَصِيراً لِأَنَّهُ لَا يَخْفَى عَلَيْهِ مَا يُدْرَكُ بِالْأَبْصَارِ مِنْ لَوْنٍ أَوْ شَخْصٍ أَوْ غَيْرِ ذَلِكَ وَ لَمْ نَصِفْهُ بِبَصَرِ لَحْظَةِ الْعَيْنِ وَ كَذَلِكَ سَمَّيْنَاهُ لَطِيفاً لِعِلْمِهِ بِالشَّيْءِ اللَّطِيفِ مِثْلِ الْبَعُوضَةِ وَ أَخْفَى مِنْ ذَلِكَ وَ مَوْضِعِ النُّشُوءِ مِنْهَا وَ الْعَقْلِ وَ الشَّهْوَةِ لِلسِّفَادِ وَ الْحَدَبِ عَلَى نَسْلِهَا وَ إِقَامِ بَعْضِهَا عَلَى بَعْضٍ وَ نَقْلِهَا الطَّعَامَ وَ الشَّرَابَ إِلَى أَوْلَادِهَا فِي الْجِبَالِ وَ الْمَفَاوِزِ وَ الْأَوْدِيَةِ وَ الْقِفَارِ فَعَلِمْنَا أَنَّ خَالِقَهَا لَطِيفٌ بِلَا كَيْفٍ وَ إِنَّمَا الْكَيْفِيَّةُ لِلْمَخْلُوقِ الْمُكَيَّفِ وَ كَذَلِكَ سَمَّيْنَا رَبَّنَا قَوِيّاً لَا بِقُوَّةِ الْبَطْشِ الْمَعْرُوفِ مِنَ الْمَخْلُوقِ وَ لَوْ كَانَتْ قُوَّتُهُ قُوَّةَ الْبَطْشِ الْمَعْرُوفِ مِنَ الْمَخْلُوقِ لَوَقَعَ التَّشْبِيهُ وَ لَاحْتَمَلَ الزِّيَادَةَ وَ مَا احْتَمَلَ الزِّيَادَةَ احْتَمَلَ النُّقْصَانَ وَ مَا كَانَ نَاقِصاً كَانَ غَيْرَ قَدِيمٍ وَ مَا كَانَ غَيْرَ قَدِيمٍ كَانَ عَاجِزاً فَرَبُّنَا تَبَارَكَ وَ تَعَالَى لَا شِبْهَ لَهُ وَ لَا ضِدَّ وَ لَا نِدَّ وَ لَا كَيْفَ وَ لَا نِهَايَةَ وَ لَا تَبْصَارَ بَصَرٍ وَ مُحَرَّمٌ عَلَى الْقُلُوبِ أَنْ تُمَثِّلَهُ وَ عَلَى الْأَوْهَامِ أَنْ تَحُدَّهُ وَ عَلَى الضَّمَائِرِ أَنْ تُكَوِّنَهُ جَلَّ وَ عَزَّ عَنْ أَدَاةِ خَلْقِهِ وَ سِمَاتِ بَرِيَّتِهِ وَ تَعَالَى عَنْ ذَلِكَ عُلُوّاً كَبِيراً.
Read English translationHide English translationMuhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn
7. Muhammad ibn abu ‘Abdallah in a marfu‘ manner, has narrated from abu Hashim al-Ja‘fari who has said the following. “I was in the company of abu Ja’far al-Thani, the 2nd (a.s.), when a person asked him, “The names and attributes of the Lord, the Most Holy, the Most High, mentioned in His book (the Holy Quran) are they He Himself?” The Imam replied, “Your question has two aspects. If you say that they are His Own Self, meaning that He has plurality and multiplicity, then Allah is far exalted from being as suCh If you mean that names and attributes of Allah had eternally been there, this also has a double meaning. (Firstly) if you mean, that names and attributes have eternally been in the knowledge of Allah and He eternally deserved them, it is true and quite right. If you mean that the letters, pictures, spellings and syllables of names and attributes were eternal, then we seek refuge from Him against such belief. Allah existed but there were no creatures. He created names and attributes as a means between His Own-self and the creatures. Through these means they pray to Him and ask Him for help and names are the means to speak of Him. Allah existed without being mentioned. The One mentioned through names is Allah the eternal, Who will be there eternally. Names and attributes are created their meaning and what they indicate is Allah, Who is far above plurality and combination, which happens only to the moving things. You can not say that Allah is compiled. He is a great deal or very little. He His Own-self is eternal. What is other than the Only One, it is divisible. Allah is not divisible. Not even in one’s imaginations He can be though of as more or less. Every divisible or being thought of as less or more, in one’s imagination, is created which is the sign of the existence of the Creator. When you say Allah has power you in reality say that He does not become frustrated due to weakness. In this way you negate weakness from Him and consider it other than Him. The same is the meaning of your saying that He is all knowing. With this, you negate ignorance from Him and have considered it other than Him. When Allah will destroy all things the form, spelling and syllables will all be destroyed. Allah is and will eternally be there.” The man then said, “Why do we call our Lord All-hearing? The Imam said, “Because every thing that can be heard is not hidden from Him. We do not ascribe to Him the hearing ability that exists in the heads. In the same way we call Him All-seeing. It is because every thing that can be seen like colors or individuals etc., are not hidden from Him. We do not call Him All-seeing because of blinking eye. In the same way we call Him Subtle because of His knowledge of delicate things such as insects, etc., or even more delicate things. (It is because of His knowledge of) that, wherefrom such things emerge and of the intelligence, desires for reproduction, compassion for their offspring, their guarding each other, their carrying food and drink to their offspring in the mountains, wilderness, valleys and desolate places. From this we know that their Creator is Subtle but without the condition of subtlety. Such conditions are for the creatures, who are conditioned with conditions. We also call our Lord powerful but not because of the aggressiveness that the creatures display. If so, there a similarity would have existed as well as degrees of decrease that would involve increases. Whatever would decrease is not eternal and is weak. To our Lord, the Most Holy, the Most High, no one is similar, no contrary, no resemblance, no conditions, no end and no seeing of eyes. It is unlawful for the hearts to analogize Him. It is unlawful for the Awham (intuitive power) to limit Him. It is unlawful for one’s consciousness to contain Him. He is far Glorious and Majestic and above coming within the reach of the means of His creatures or have the sings of His servants. He is High and Great and far above such matters.”
Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.
الهوامش · 3⌄
[2]الظاهر أن المراد بالاسماء ما دل على الذات من غير ملاحظة صفة و بالصفات ما دل على الذات مع ملاحظة الاتصاف بصفة.( آت)ص 116
[3]و هي ذكره- بالضمير- أى يذكر بها و المذكور بالذكر قديم و الذكر حادث.( آت)ص 116
[1]أي: لعلمه بموضع النشوء منها من نشأ ينشأ بمعنى النماء؛ و السفاد بكسر السين نزو الذكر على الأنثى و الحدب باهمال الحاء و الدال و بالتحريك العطف و الشفقة، و إقام بعضها بكسر الهمزة أي: كونه مقيما قواما قويا عليه قائما بأموره حافظا لا حواله.( فى).ص 117