Chapter on Can Allah (God) be Considered a Thing?

1 - Muhammad ibn Ya'qub reported from Ali ibn Ibrahim, from Muhammad ibn Isa, from Abd al-Rahman ibn Abi Najran, who said: I asked Abu Ja'far al-Baqir (as) about Tawhid, and I said: "I imagine something." He replied: "Yes, it is something that is neither rational nor limited. Whatever your imagination has conceived of anything, it is the opposite of it; nothing resembles Him, and the imagination cannot comprehend Him. How can the imagination grasp Him when He is contrary to what is rational and contrary to what can be conceived in imagination? Rather, what is imagined is something that is neither rational nor limited."

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

1. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from al-Hassan ibn abu al-Husayn al-Farsi from Sulayman ibn Ja’far from his father al-Ja’fari from al-Sakuni from Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) who has said the following: ‘‘The Messenger of Allah has said, ‘People of the Holy Quran are of the highest degree among men, except the prophets and the messengers of Allah, thus, you should not consider them weak in the matters of their rights; with Allah, the Most Majestic, the Almighty, they have a special status.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

1. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from ibn Mahbub from ‘Abd Allah ibn Sinan who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that once the Messenger of Allah raised his head to the heaven and smiled. He was asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah, we saw you. Why did you raise your head to the heaven and smile?’ He then replied, ‘I was amazed when I saw two angels come down from the heaven looking for a believing, virtuous servant (of Allah) in the place he performs his prayers, so they can record his deeds of that day and night but they could not find him there. They then ascended to the heaven saying, “Lord, we looked for Your so and so believing servant in the place of his prayer to record the deeds of his day and night, but could not find him there. However, we found him (tied down) with Your ropes.’” Allah, the Majestic, the Glorious, said, “Write down for My servant (a reward) equal to that of his good deeds that he normally did in his day and night when free of (illness due to) My ropes. Do so as long as he is tied down with My ropes; I must write down for him when tied down with My ropes (suffering from illness) a reward equal to the reward of the good deeds that he did when in good health.’””

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

1. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Muhammad ibn Sinan from abu ‘Abbad, ‘Imran ibn ‘Atiyah who has said the following: “Abu ‘ Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that once when my father and I were performing Tawaf, a man, Sharjab, among men came forward. I asked, ’May Allah keep you well, what is al-Sharjab?’ He (the Imam) replied, ‘It means ‘taller’ than others.’ The man said, ‘Al-Salamu ‘Alaykum’ and he brought his head between my father and me. He (the Imam) said that my father then turned to him and so did I, and responded to his greeting of peace. He said, ‘I have a question, may Allah grant you blessings.’ My father said to him, ‘Allow us to complete our Tawaf, then you can ask your question.’ When my father completed Tawaf we entered al-Hijr and said two Rak‘at salat (prayer). He (my father) turned around and asked, ‘Where is the man, son?’ He was just behind him and had completed his salat (prayer). My father asked, ‘Where from is the gentleman?’ He replied, ‘I am from al-Sham.’ He then asked, ‘From which people of al-Sham are you?’ He replied, ‘I am from the people of Bayt al- Maqdis.’ He (my father) asked, ‘Have you read the two books?’ He (the man) replied, ‘Yes, I have read them.’ He (the Imam) then said, ‘Ask your question.’ He said, ‘I like to ask about the beginning of this House, and about His words, “Nun, and by the pen with which you write” (68:1) and about His words, “...those in whose properties there is a certain share for the needy and deprived.’” (75:25-26) He (the Imam) then said, ‘O brother from al-Sham, listen to our Hadith and do not call it false. Those who call our Hadith false have called the words of the Messenger of Allah, O Allah, grant compensation to Muhammad and his family worthy of their services to Your cause, as false, and those who do so have called the words of Allah as false. Those who call the words of Allah as false, Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Glorious, subjects them to punishment. The beginning of the House was when Allah, the most Blessed, the most High, said to the angels, “I have decided to appoint a deputy on earth. . . .” (2:29) The angels responded to Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Glorious, saying, “Do You want to appoint one who causes destruction and bloodshed therein?” He did not pay attention to them and they realized that it was due to His anger. They sought refuge with His Throne and Allah commanded an angel from among them to establish a house for Him in the sixth heaven, which was called al-Durrah parallel to His Throne. It was designed for the inhabitants of the heaven for Tawaf by seventy thousand angels every day, of whom no one had to return for Tawaf again. They ask forgiveness. When Adam descended to the heaven of the world, He commanded him to build this House. This is parallel to that house. This is designated for Adam and his offspring just as that is designated for those in the heaven.’ The man then said, ‘You have spoken the truth, O child of the Messenger of Allah.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

1. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Abu ‘Abd Allah from his father from Sulayman ibn Ja’far al-Ja’fari from someone he mentioned from Abu ‘Abdillah (al-Sadiq) (as) that Rasulullah (sw) has said: "I never saw anyone more snatching from an intelligent person, than these weak in religion, deficient of reason; you women are."

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

1. Abu Ali al-Ash‘ariy has narrated from Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Jabbar and Muhammad ibn ’Isma‘il has narrated from al-Fadl ibn Shadhan from all from Safwan ibn Yahya from ibn Muskan from al-Halabiy who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘My father would give fatwa but he was afraid, so he was cautious. We were afraid about hunting by falcons and hawks but now we are not afraid, and we say that it is not lawful, unless one arrives in time to slaughter it properly. It is in the book of Ali (a.s.), that Allah, most Majestic, most Glorious, says, ‘. . . and what you train of dogs for hunting’ is about dogs only.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

2. Muhammad ibn ‘Abdallah has narrated from Muhammad ibn Isma‘il from al-Husayn ibn al-Hassan from Bakr ibn Salih from al-Husayn ibn Sa‘id who said that I asked Imam abu Ja‘far, the second (a.s.) the following. “Is it permissible to say that Allah is a thing?” The Imam replied, “Yes, because it removes two kinds of limitations, the limitation of being forgotten altogether and that of considering Him like other things.”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

2. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad and Sahl ibn Ziyad, all from ibn Mahbub, from Jamil ibn Salih, from al-Fudayl ibn Yasar from Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) who has said the following: ‘‘One who has memorized the Holy Quran and acts upon it will be with the honorable and righteous angels.”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

2. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from ‘Amr ibn ‘Uthman from al-Mufaddal ibn Salih from Jabir who has said the following: “Abu Ja’far (a.s.), has said that the Holy Prophet has said, ‘When a Muslim is weakened due to old age, Allah, the Majestic, the Glorious, commands an angel to write down for him of good deeds equal to what he did when young, vigorous and in good health. Similarly, when he becomes ill, Allah commands an angel to write down for him during his illness of good deeds equal to what he performed in good health up to the time Allah raises him and takes him (away) from this life. In the case of an unbeliever, in his illness Allah writes down against him of evil deeds equal to what he would commit when in good health.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

2. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Nasr and Ibn Mahbub all from al-Mufaddal ibn Salih from Muhammad ibn Marwan who has said the following: “I heard Aba ‘Abdillah (a.s.), say, ‘My father and I were in al-Hijr. When he was standing for prayer, a man came to him and sat down. When he completed his prayer, the man turned to him (the Imam), offered him the greeting of peace and said, ‘I want to ask you three questions which no one except you and another person knows.’ He (the Imam) asked, ‘What are they?’ He said, ‘Tell me what the reason is for Tawaf around this House?’ He (the Imam) replied, ‘When Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Glorious, commanded the angels to prostrate before Adam, they responded saying, “Will You appoint someone who will destroy it with bloodshed, while we speak of You as free from all defects due to Your praise and holiness?” Allah, most Blessed, most High said, “I know what you do not know.” He expressed anger at them. They asked Him to accept their repentance. He then commanded them to make Tawaf around al-Durrah which is al-Bayt al-Ma'mur (the established house). They continued doing it for seven years and asked Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Glorious, for forgiveness because of what they had said. He turned to them, accepted their repentance and expressed happiness with them. This was the origin of Tawaf. Allah thereafter made the sacred House parallel with al-Durrah so that those who commit sin of the children of Adam repent as a means to cleanse themselves.’ He (the man) said, ‘You have spoken the truth.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

2. Ahmad ibn al-Hajjal has narrated from Ghalib ibn ‘Uthman from “Uqbah ibn Khalid who has said the following: “I once went to see abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), and he (the Imam) came to me saying, ‘O ‘Uqbah, the women held us back from meeting you.”’

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

2. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Ali ibn al-Hakam from Ali ibn abu Hamzah from abu Basir who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said, ‘If you send a falcon, a hawk or an eagle to catch a prey, do not use it for food unless you arrive in time to slaughter it properly, and if it has already killed the prey then do not use it for food.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

3. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from Yunus from abu al-Maghra in a marfu‘ manner from Imam abu Ja‘far (a.s.) who has said the following. “Allah is distinct from His creatures and His creatures are different from Him and whatever that is called a thing is a creature except Allah.”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

3. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from ‘Abd Allah ibn al-Mughirah from ‘Abd Allah ibn Sinan who has said the following: “This is a narration of abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), from the Messenger of Allah. He (the Messenger of Allah) has said, ‘Allah, the Majestic, the Glorious, says to the angel guarding a believing person in his illness, “Write down for him (of good deeds) what you would write down for him of good deeds in his good health; it is I who have tied him down with My rope.’””

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

3. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Ali ibn al-Hakam from Aban ibn ‘Uthman from ‘Abd Allah ibn Sulayman who has said the following: “I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the case of a man who sends his dog and hawk to hunt. He (the Imam) said, ‘Do not use for food what the hawk hunts, unless you arrive in time to slaughter it properly. You can use for food what the dog hunts if you have mentioned the name of Allah on it, regardless, the dog has eaten anything or has not eaten.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

4. A number of our companions from Ahmad b. Muhammad b. Khalid al-Barqiyy, from his father, from al-Nadr b. Suwayd, from Yahya al-Halabiyy, from ibn Muskan, from Zurarah b. A'yun who said: I heard Abi 'Abdillah (a.s.) saying: “Allah is distinct from His creatures and the creatures are different from Him. Whatever could be called a thing is a creature except Allah Who is the Creator of all things. Holy is He for Whom there is no similarity and He is all-hearing and all-aware.”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

4. Ibn Mahbub has narrated from Malik ibn ‘Atiyyah from Minhal al-Qassab from Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) who has said the following: “If a young believing person reads the Holy Quran, it mixes with his flesh and blood. Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, will include him among the honorable and virtuous carriers of the message of Allah and on the Day of Judgment the Holy Quran will be his supporter. The Holy Quran will say, ‘O Lord, every worker has received the reward for his deeds except my worker. Provide him the most honorable reward.’ Allah will then dress him with two dresses of paradise and crown him with the crown of honor and then ask the Holy Quran, ‘Did We make you happy?’ The Holy Quran will say, ‘Lord, I wished for him better than this.’ Allah will then give peace in his right hand, eternity in his left hand and will say to him read from the Holy Quran one verse and go one degree higher. Then the Holy Quran is asked again, ‘Did we reward him good and make you happy?’ The Holy Quran will say, ‘Yes, Lord.’ “The Imam said, ‘If one reads the Holy Quran very often and faces difficulties to memorize it due to weaker memory, Allah will give him twice as much reward.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

4. Ali has narrated from his father from ‘Abdillah Ibn al-Mughira from Abi al-Sabbah that Abu Ja‘far (al-Jawad) (as) said: "Passing a sleepless night due to an illness is more rewarding than a whole year worshipping."

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

4. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from Hammad ibn ‘Isa from Hariz from Muhammad ibn Muslim who has said the following: “Abu Ja‘far (a.s.), disliked what a falcon hunted unless one arrived in time to slaughter it properly.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

5. Ali ibn Ibrahim reported from his father, from Ibn Abi 'Umayr, from Ali ibn 'Atiyyah, from Khaythamah, from abu Ja‘far (a.s.) who said, “Allah is distinct from His creation, and his creation is distinct from Him, and everything what the name ‘thing’ occurs upon, apart from Allah the Exalted, is created. And Allah is the Creator of all things.”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

5. Abu Ali al-Ash’ari has narrated from al-Hassan ibn Ali ibn Yusuf from ibn Thabit from ‘Amr ibn Jami’ from Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) who has said the following: “The Messenger of Allah has said, ‘The one expected to be the most humble in private and in public is the carrier of the Holy Quran, the one expected the most to perform prayer and fast in private and in public is the carrier of the Holy Quran. Then he called out loud, “O carrier of the Holy Quran, be humble with the holy Quran, Allah will raise you for it, do not try to raise your reputation with it for the sake of people; Allah for this will cause you to be humiliated. O carrier of the Holy Quran, beautify the Quran for the sake of Allah and Allah will beautify you for it, do not beautify it’s recitation for the people for Allah will cause your reputation to be reduced. Whoever completes the Holy Quran, it is as if he has saved prophet-hood between his two sides, only divine revelation does not come to him. Whoever collects the Holy Quran has gained handsomely, thus, toward one who behaves toward him ignorantly, he does behave as such; with one who behaves toward him with anger, he does not do as such; and with one who behaves toward him irritably, he does not behave as such. With one who behaves with him in this manner he pardons, ignores, forgives, and bears patiently with them out of respect for the Holy Quran. If one who has received the Holy Quran thinks that what others have received is better than what he has received, he has given significance to what Allah is has made worthless and has considered as worthless what Allah has given greatness.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

5. A number of our people have narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad from ibn Mahbub from ‘Abd al-Hamid who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that when the two guard angels of a person suffering from illness ascend to heavens every evening, the Lord, Most Holy, Most Blessed, asks them, ‘What did you write down for My servant in his illness?’ They will say, ‘We wrote down his complaints.’

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

5. Al-Husayn from Muhammad has narrated from Mu‘alla’ ibn Muhammad from al-Hassan ibn Ali from Aban ibn ‘Uthman from ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn abu ‘Abd Allah who has said the following: “I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the case of a man who sends his falcon or dog to catch a prey which then catches a prey and eats thereof; if he can use the remaining for food. He (the Imam) said, ‘No, do not use for food what the falcon kills, unless you slaughter it properly.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

6. Abu Ali al-Ash’ari has narrated from al-Hassan ibn Ali ibn ‘Abd Allah from ‘Ubays ibn Hisham who has said that Salih ibn al-Qammat has narrated from Aban ibn Taghlib has narrated from Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) who has said the following: “People are of four kinds. I (the narrator) then asked, ‘May Allah keep my soul in service for your cause, who are they?’ The Imam said, ‘A man who has received belief but not the Holy Quran, a man who has received the Holy Quran but not belief, a man who has received both belief and the Holy Quran and a man who has received none of then.’ I (the narrator) then said, ‘May Allah keep my soul in service for your cause, explain it to me.’ The Imam said, ‘The one who has received belief but not the Holy Quran is like a fruit that is sweet but has no aroma, the one who has received the Holy Quran but not belief is like pears that has a sweet fragrance but tastes bitter. The one who has received both the Holy Quran and belief is like citrus that tastes sweet and has a sweet fragrance. The one who has received neither the Holy Quran nor belief is like Hanzal (a bitter tasting fruit of a plant that tastes bitter and smells bitter).”’

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

6. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from al-Husayn ibn Sa‘id from al-Nadr ibn Suwayd from Durust from Zurarah who has said the following: “One of the two Imam, ‘Alayhim al-Salam, has said that passing a sleepless night due to an illness or pain is more excellent and of greater reward than worshipping for a whole year.”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

6. Aban has narrated from abu al-‘Abbas who has said the following: “I once asked him (the Imam) (a.s.), about the hunting of falcons and hawks. He (the Imam) said, ‘Do not use for food what falcons and hawks kill as well as what the predator birds kill.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

7. It is narrated from Imam abu Ja‘far (a.s.) who said when he was asked, “Is it permissible to say Allah is a thing?” “Yes, it is permissible because it excludes Him from being ignored altogether and from being analogized or considered similar to the creatures.”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

7. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father and Ali ibn Muhammad al-Qasani all have narrated from al-Qasim ibn Muhammad from Sulayman ibn Dawud from Sufyan ibn ‘Uyayna from al-Zuhri who has said the following: “Once I asked Ali ibn al-Husayn (a.s.) ‘What deed is more virtuous?’ He said, ‘Al-Hall al- Murtahal .’ I then asked, ‘What is al-Hall al-MurtahalT The Imam said, ‘It is one who opens the Holy Quran and completes reading, whenever he begins he arrives at the end of the Holy Quran.’ The Imam said that the Messenger of Allah has said, ‘If one who has received the Holy Quran would think that what others have received is better than what he has received, he has considered something very great as insignificant, and something insignificant as very great.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

7. It is narrated from the narrator above from Ahmad from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn abu Nasr from Durust who has said the following: “I heard abu Ibrahim (a.s.), say, ’When a believing person becomes ill, Allah, the Majestic, the Glorious, sends revelation to the guard angel on his left side that says, “Do not write any evil thing against My servant until he is in My prison and is tied down in My heavy impediment.” He then sends revelation to the guard angel on his right side that says, “Write down for My servant of good deeds equal to what he would perform when in good health.”’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

7. A number of our people have narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad and Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father all from ibn Mahbub from ibn Ri’ab from abu ‘Ubaydah al-Hadhdha’ who has said the following: “I once said to abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), ‘What do you say about falcons, hawks and eagle?’ He (the Imam) said, ‘If you arrive in time to slaughter it properly, then you can use it for food but if you do not arrive in time then do not use it for food.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

8. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from Sulayman ibn Rashid from his father from Mu’awiyah ibn ‘Ammar who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) once said to me, ‘If anyone reads the Holy Quran, he is wealthy and there is no poverty thereafter, otherwise, he will never be wealthy.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

8. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad, from ibn Mahbub from Hafs ibn Ghiyath from Hajjaj who has said the following: “Abu Ja’far (a.s.), has said, ‘If one’s body does not become ill, he is vigorously happy. There is nothing good in a body that never becomes ill even by a strong (reason for) illness.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

8. A number of our people have narrated from Sahl ibn Ziyad from Ahmad ibn Muhammad from ibn abu Nasr from al-Mufaddal ibn Salih from Aban ibn Taghlib who has said the following: “I once heard abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), saying, ‘In the time of banu ‘Umayyah my father (a.s.), would give fatwa that what falcons and hawks kill is lawful for food. He (the Imam) was afraid but I am not afraid and I say that it (what is hunted by falcons and hawks) is not lawful to use for food.”’

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

9. Abu Ali al-Ash’ari has narrated from Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Jabbar from ibn abu Najran from abu Jamilah from Jabir from abu Ja’far (a.s.) who has said the following: “The Messenger of Allah has said, ‘O community of the readers of the Holy Quran be pious before Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, in the matters of the responsibility that He has placed upon you toward His book. I will be questioned and you will be questioned. I will be questioned about the preaching of the message and you will be questioned about your responsibility toward the book of Allah and my Sunnah (the laws).”’

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

9. Abu Ali al-Ash’ariy has narrated from Muhammad ibn Hassan from Muhammad ibn Ali from Muhammad ibn al-Fudayl from abu Hamzah who has said the following: “Abu Ja’far (a.s.), has said, ‘One night’s suffering from fever is equal in reward to worshipping for a whole year, suffering from a fever for two nights is more rewarding than worshipping for two years, and the reward for suffering from fever for three nights is greater than the reward for worshipping up to seventy years. I then asked, ‘What happens if one does not live for seventy years?’ The Imam said, ‘Then it is for his mother and father.’ I then asked, ‘What happens if they do not live for seventy years?’ The Imam said, ‘Then it is for his relatives.’ I then asked, ‘What happens if they do not live for seventy years?’ The Imam said, ‘Then it is for his neighbors.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

9. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from ’Isma’il ibn Marrar from Yunus from ‘Abd Allah ibn Sinan who has said the following: “I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about the hunting of falcons which it catches and eats thereof; if the remaining can be used for food. He (the Imam) said, ‘Whatever birds eat do not use it for food unless you slaughter it properly.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

10. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from al-Qasim ibn Muhammad from Sulayman ibn Dawud al-Minqari from Hafs who has said the following: “I heard Musa ibn Ja’far (a.s.) asking a man, ‘Do you like to live forever in this world’? The man said, ‘Yes, I do so.’ The Imam asked, ‘Why would you do so?’ The man said, ‘So that I can read {Say, "He is God, the One"}’ The Imam (a.s.) remained calm for a while and after an hour said, ‘O Hafs, if any of our lovers and our Shi’a (followers) do not do good in reading the Quran, in his grave he will receive instruction to read so that Allah will raise him with his proper status; the positions and degrees in paradise are proportionate to the verses of the Quran. One will be told to read and climb. He then reads and climbs up.’ Hafs has said, ‘I never saw anyone more afraid for himself than Musa ibn Ja’far (a.s.) or more hopeful in all people. His reading was full of sadness. When reading the Quran he seemed like addressing (speaking to) a human being.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

10. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Muhammad ibn al-Husayn from al-Hakam ibn Miskin from Muhammad ibn Marwan who has said the following: “Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that suffering from fever for one night is expiation (for the sins) before and thereafter.”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

10. Abu Ah al-Ash‘ariy has narrated from Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Jabbar from ibn Faddal from Mufaddal ibn Salih from Layth al- Muradiy who has said the following: “I once asked abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), about falcons and hawks and their hunting. He (the Imam) said, ‘Whatever they have not killed and you have slaughtered properly, is lawful and the last time for slaughtering is when the eyes move, legs run and the tails move.’ He (the Imam) then said, ‘Hawks and falcons are not mentioned in the Quran.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

11. Ali has narrated from his father from al-Nawfali from al-Sakuni from Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) who has said the following: “The Messenger of Allah has said, ‘The carriers of the Holy Quran will be the most knowledgeable people of paradise, the assiduously working people will be the leaders in paradise and the messengers will be the masters of the people of paradise.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

11. Ahmad ibn Muhammad has narrated from Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Nahdiy from Muhammad ibn al-Walid from Aban from al-Fadl ibn ‘Abd al-Malik who has said the following: “He (the Imam) (a.s.), has said, ‘Do not eat what predator birds kill.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

6. It is narrated from Imam abu “Abdallah (a.s.), who said this to an atheist on being asked a question. “He (Allah) is a thing but different from all other things. I repeat my statement that speaks about Him as a thing. He is a thing in the sense of the reality of things except that He does not have a body and form. He does not have a feeling (like our sense of feeling) or touching and He does not comprehend with the five senses (as we do). Imaginations can not comprehend Him and the timeless (Dahr) times does not reduce Him and the times do not change Him.” The man asking questions then said, “Do you say that He hears and sees?” The Imam said, “He does hear and see: He hears without a hearing organ and sees without a means. He Himself hears and He Himself sees. My saying “He hears without a hearing organ and sees without a means. He Himself hears and He Himself sees” does not mean that He is a thing and His-self is another thing but that I only meant to express my self thereby as I was questioned and explained to you as you had asked a question. Thus, I can say that He hears with the whole of His-self but not in the sense that His whole self has parts but that I intended to explain it to you and to express my self. All I meant thereby is that He does hear, see and He is all-knowing and is the expert in knowing without any multiplicity in His-self or meaning. The man asking questions then said, “What then is He?” The Imam said, “He is the Lord. He is the One Who is worshipped and He is Allah. When I say Allah, it does not mean establishing the proof for these letters (of alphabet) like Alif, Lam, Ha’, al-Ra’ or al-Ba’ but I intend thereby the meaning of a thing and a thing that is the Creator of all things and the Designer of all things. These letters only refer to the meaning that is called Allah, al-Rahman (the Beneficent), al-Rahim (the Merciful), al-‘Aziz (the Majestic) etc., of the other such names and He is the One Who is worshipped, the Majestic, the Glorious One.” The man asking questions then said, “Given the above, whatever we can think of is but a creature.” The Imam then said, “Were it to the way you said we would not have had any responsibility to believe in the Oneness of the Creator because we will not have any responsibility towards something of whose existence we can not even think of. In fact we say that whatever is thought of in our senses is comprehended thereby by means of drawing limits around it and is analogized, thus, such a thing is a creature. (It then becomes necessary for us to find proof for the existence of the Creator of things.(We must find that is) clear of the two invalid and confusing aspects) if the meaning of negation would be nullification and nothingness or as is the case of the second aspect, the similarity and analogy which is of the attributes of the creatures that under go manifest composition and assemblage. It becomes necessary to prove the existence of the Creator. It is because of the existence of the creatures and their evident dependency on Him as His creatures and that their Creator is something other than them and that He is not similar to them because something similar to them would resemble them in manifest composition and assemblage. It would be as such also in the matters such as coming into existence from nothing and their changing from a smaller size to a full grown size, from blackness to whiteness from strength to weakness and other existing conditions that we do not need to explain their existence.” The man asking questions then said, “You have already defined and limited Him in your proving His existence.” The Imam (a.s.) then said, “I did not limit Him. I only proved His existence if (as you think) there is no difference between proving and disproving.” The man asking questions then said, “Can His existence be proved through a reasoning from the effect to the cause or the cause to the effect?” The Imam said, “Yes, there is nothing whose existence can be proved without adopting either of the two above process of reasoning.” The man then asked, “Does the question how apply to Him?” The Imam said, “No, this question does not apply to Him because it is the aspect of qualities and limitations. However, it is necessary to avoid abandoning and analogizing Him because negating Him is denying His existence and refusing to accept Him as the Lord and abandoning Him altogether. Whoever would analogize Him with other things from His creatures he has proved the qualities of the creature in Him, the creatures that do not deserve being called the Lord. It, however, is necessary to believe that the question how applies to Him only in a way that would not apply to things other than Him and things other than Him would not deserve and share Him in it. The how question can not apply to Him if it would limit Him or make Him the subject of knowing for others.” The man then asked, “Do things make Him tired?” The Imam then said, “He is far Exalted and above experiencing such conditions. Such conditions are due to coming into physical association or dealing with the creatures. They are of the qualities of the creatures who can only associate with others through physical contact but He is the Most High and His will and demand are effective and He does whatever He wants.”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.

3. Through the same chain of narrators it is narrated from abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) who has said the following: ‘‘The Messenger of Allah has said, ‘Learn the Holy Quran; on the Day of Judgment it will come to his friends in the form of a most beautiful young person of pale complexion and will speak to his friend saying, “I am the Quran for which you kept awake so often and endured thirst during the heat of midday, dried up your mouth and let your tears flow. I will be with you whenever you will go. Every trader is after his trade. Today I look after the trade of everyone who had a deal with me. Honor will come to you from Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Holy, as good news for you. The man will receive a crown and peace will be placed on his right hand and eternal life in paradise in his left hand and he will be dressed with two dresses of paradise, then he will be told, ‘Read and climb.’ For each verse that he will read he will climb up one degree and his parents, if they are of the believers, will each receive two dresses of paradise and they will be told that this is for your teaching the Holy Quran to your child.’”

Translation: Muhammad Sarwar — attributed by Thaqalayn·The Arabic above is the original.