Chapter on Contingency of the Universe and Proof of the Existence of its Creator

قَالَ لِي هِشَامُ بْنُ الْحَكَمِ كَانَ بِمِصْرَ زِنْدِيقٌ تَبْلُغُهُ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع أَشْيَاءُ فَخَرَجَ إِلَى الْمَدِينَةِ لِيُنَاظِرَهُ فَلَمْ يُصَادِفْهُ بِهَا وَ قِيلَ لَهُ إِنَّهُ خَارِجٌ بِمَكَّةَ فَخَرَجَ إِلَى مَكَّةَ وَ نَحْنُ مَعَ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ فَصَادَفَنَا وَ نَحْنُ مَعَ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع فِي الطَّوَافِ وَ كَانَ اسْمُهُ عَبْدَ الْمَلِكِ وَ كُنْيَتُهُ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ‌[3] فَضَرَبَ

“Hisham ibn al-Hakam has reported that in Egypt there lived a heretic who had heard about Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) a great deal. He traveled to Medina to debate the Imam but he missed to find the Imam therein. He was told that the Imam has traveled to the city of Makkah. He then left for Makkah and we were with Abu ‘Abdill

كُنْتُ عِنْدَ أَبِي مَنْصُورٍ الْمُتَطَبِّبِ فَقَالَ أَخْبَرَنِي رَجُلٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِي قَالَ كُنْتُ أَنَا وَ ابْنُ أَبِي الْعَوْجَاءِ وَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ الْمُقَفَّعِ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ فَقَالَ ابْنُ الْمُقَفَّعِ تَرَوْنَ هَذَا الْخَلْقَ وَ أَوْمَأَ بِيَدِهِ إِلَى مَوْضِعِ الطَّوَافِ مَا مِنْهُمْ أَحَدٌ أُوجِبُ لَهُ اسْمَ الْإِنْسَانِيَّةِ إِلَّا ذَلِكَ الشَّيْخُ الْجَالِسُ يَعْنِي أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ جَ

“One of my friends has said that he was with ibn abu al-‘Awja’ and ‘Abdallah ibn al-Muqaffa‘ in the holy Mosque of Makkah and ibn al-Muqaffa‘ said, “Do you see these creatures, pointing towards the location where people walk seven times around the Kabah‘? Of all these no one deserves to be called a human being accept t

دَخَلَ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الزَّنَادِقَةِ عَلَى أَبِي الْحَسَنِ ع وَ عِنْدَهُ جَمَاعَةٌ فَقَالَ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ ع أَيُّهَا الرَّجُلُ أَ رَأَيْتَ إِنْ كَانَ الْقَوْلُ قَوْلَكُمْ وَ لَيْسَ هُوَ كَمَا تَقُولُونَ أَ لَسْنَا وَ إِيَّاكُمْ شَرَعاً سَوَاءً لَا يَضُرُّنَا مَا صَلَّيْنَا وَ صُمْنَا وَ زَكَّيْنَا وَ أَقْرَرْنَا فَسَكَتَ الرَّجُلُ ثُمَّ قَالَ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ ع وَ إِنْ كَانَ الْقَوْلُ قَوْلَنَا وَ هُوَ قَوْلُنَا أَ لَسْ

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 (a.s.) who has said the following. “An atheist man came to Imam abu al-Hassan (a.s.) w

إِنَّ عَبْدَ اللَّهِ الدَّيَصَانِيَ‌[1] سَأَلَ هِشَامَ بْنَ الْحَكَمِ فَقَالَ لَهُ أَ لَكَ رَبٌّ فَقَالَ بَلَى قَالَ أَ قَادِرٌ هُوَ قَالَ نَعَمْ قَادِرٌ قَاهِرٌ قَالَ يَقْدِرُ أَنْ يُدْخِلَ الدُّنْيَا كُلَّهَا الْبَيْضَةَ لَا تَكْبُرُ الْبَيْضَةُ وَ لَا تَصْغُرُ الدُّنْيَا قَالَ هِشَامٌ النَّظِرَةَ[2] فَقَالَ لَهُ قَدْ أَنْظَرْتُكَ حَوْلًا ثُمَّ خَرَجَ عَنْهُ فَرَكِبَ هِشَامٌ إِلَى أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع فَاسْتَأْذَ

‘Abdallah al-Daysani asked Hisham ibn al-Hakam, ‘Do you have a God?’” He replied, “Yes, I have a God.” He then asked, “Is He powerful?” Hisham then replied, “Yes, He is powerful and the most powerful One.” The man then asked, “Can He fit the whole world inside an egg without any change in the size of either one?” Hisha

فِي حَدِيثِ الزِّنْدِيقِ الَّذِي أَتَى أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع وَ كَانَ مِنْ قَوْلِ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع لَا يَخْلُو قَوْلُكَ‌[5] إِنَّهُمَا اثْنَانِ مِنْ أَنْ يَكُونَا قَدِيمَيْنِ قَوِيَّيْنِ أَوْ يَكُونَا ضَعِيفَيْنِ أَوْ يَكُونَ أَحَدُهُمَا قَوِيّاً وَ الْآخَرُ ضَعِيفاً فَإِنْ كَانَا قَوِيَّيْنِ فَلِمَ لَا يَدْفَعُ كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمَا صَاحِبَهُ وَ يَتَفَرَّدُ بِالتَّدْبِيرِ وَ إِنْ زَعَمْتَ أَنَّ أَحَدَهُمَا

"Your claim (of polytheism) does not exclude the possibility that the two (Gods) are either both eternal and powerful or limited, or that one of them is powerful while the other is limited. If they are both powerful, then why doesn’t one of them repel the other and take sole control? And if you claim that one of them i

كَفَى لِأُولِي الْأَلْبَابِ بِخَلْقِ الرَّبِّ الْمُسَخِّرِ وَ مُلْكِ الرَّبِّ الْقَاهِرِ وَ جَلَالِ الرَّبِّ الظَّاهِرِ وَ نُورِ الرَّبِّ الْبَاهِرِ[1] وَ بُرْهَانِ الرَّبِّ الصَّادِقِ وَ مَا أنطق به ألسن العباد و ما أرسل به الرسل و ما أنزل على العبادِ دَلِيلًا عَلَى الرَّبِّ.

“For the people of understanding as proof of the existence of the Allah it is enough that He has created all things and has kept them full under His control. It is enough proof that He is the Most powerful king. It is enough proof that His Majesty is manifest everywhere. That His light is the Most bright that His testi