Chapter on Motion and Change

ذُكِرَ عِنْدَهُ قَوْمٌ يَزْعُمُونَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ تَبَارَكَ وَ تَعَالَى يَنْزِلُ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ الدُّنْيَا فَقَالَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَا يَنْزِلُ وَ لَا يَحْتَاجُ إِلَى أَنْ يَنْزِلَ إِنَّمَا مَنْظَرُهُ‌[1] فِي الْقُرْبِ وَ الْبُعْدِ سَوَاءٌ لَمْ يَبْعُدْ مِنْهُ قَرِيبٌ وَ لَمْ يَقْرُبْ مِنْهُ بَعِيدٌ- وَ لَمْ يَحْتَجْ إِلَى شَيْ‌ءٍ بَلْ يُحْتَاجُ إِلَيْهِ وَ هُوَ ذُو الطَّوْلِ‌ لا إِلهَ إِلَّا هُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيم

“A people was mentioned, before the Imam (a.s.), who believed that Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High, comes down to the sky above the earth.” The Imam (a.s.) said, “Allah does not come down and He does not need to come down. His sight for near and far is the same. Near does not become far for Him and far does not bec

لَا أَقُولُ إِنَّهُ قَائِمٌ فَأُزِيلَهُ عَنْ مَكَانِهِ وَ لَا أَحُدُّهُ بِمَكَانٍ يَكُونُ فِيهِ وَ لَا أَحُدُّهُ أَنْ يَتَحَرَّكَ فِي شَيْ‌ءٍ مِنَ الْأَرْكَانِ وَ الْجَوَارِحِ وَ لَا أَحُدُّهُ بِلَفْظِ شَقِّ فَمٍ وَ لَكِنْ كَمَا قَالَ اللَّهُ تَبَارَكَ وَ تَعَالَى- كُنْ فَيَكُونُ‌ بِمَشِيئَتِهِ مِنْ غَيْرِ تَرَدُّدٍ فِي نَفَسٍ صَمَداً فَرْداً لَمْ يَحْتَجْ إِلَى شَرِيكٍ يَذْكُرُ لَهُ مُلْكَهُ وَ لَا يَفْتَحُ لَهُ أَب

“I do not say that he is standing so I would remove Him from His place. I do not limit Him in a place. I do not limit Him by His moving in something with key elements of the body or body parts. I do not limit Him by ascribing the movements of mouth or tongue. The truth is what Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High, has s

قَالَ ابْنُ أَبِي الْعَوْجَاءِ لِأَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع فِي بَعْضِ مَا كَانَ يُحَاوِرُهُ ذَكَرْتَ اللَّهَ فَأَحَلْتَ عَلَى غَائِبٍ فَقَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ وَيْلَكَ كَيْفَ يَكُونُ‌ غَائِباً مَنْ هُوَ مَعَ خَلْقِهِ شَاهِدٌ وَ إِلَيْهِمْ أَقْرَبُ‌ مِنْ حَبْلِ الْوَرِيدِ[1] يَسْمَعُ كَلَامَهُمْ وَ يَرَى أَشْخَاصَهُمْ وَ يَعْلَمُ أَسْرَارَهُمْ فَقَالَ ابْنُ أَبِي الْعَوْجَاءِ أَ هُوَ فِي كُلِّ مَكَانٍ أَ لَيْسَ إِذَا

“Ibn abu al-‘Awja' said to abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) in one of their conversations, ‘You spoke of Allah and referred to an unseen.’” Abu 'Abdillah (a.s.) said, “What you said is not proper. How would He be unseen when He is present with His creatures and is closer to them than their jugular vein? He hears their speeches, se

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 مَوْ

“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 ni

هُوَ وَاحِدٌ وَاحِدِيُّ الذَّاتِ بَائِنٌ مِنْ خَلْقِهِ وَ بِذَاكَ وَصَفَ نَفْسَهُ وَ هُوَ بِكُلِّ شَيْ‌ءٍ مُحِيطٌ بِالْإِشْرَافِ وَ الْإِحَاطَةِ وَ الْقُدْرَةِ- لا يَعْزُبُ‌ عَنْهُ مِثْقالُ ذَرَّةٍ فِي السَّماواتِ وَ لا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَ لا أَصْغَرُ مِنْ ذلِكَ وَ لا أَكْبَرُ بِالْإِحَاطَةِ وَ الْعِلْمِ لَا بِالذَّاتِ لِأَنَّ الْأَمَاكِنَ مَحْدُودَةٌ تَحْوِيهَا حُدُودٌ أَرْبَعَةٌ فَإِذَا كَانَ بِالذَّاتِ لَزِمَهَا الْح

It is 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, nor five people without His being the sixth. .” (58:7). “He is One, the One only in His Own-self. He is different from His creatures and as such He has said about

اسْتَوَى عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْ‌ءٍ فَلَيْسَ شَيْ‌ءٌ أَقْرَبَ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ شَيْ‌ءٍ.

“A person asked the Imam about the words of Allah, “The Beneficent God is dominant over the Throne (of the realm) (20:5)” The Imam said, “Allah established His control over all things. No one thing is closer to Him than any other thing.”

اسْتَوَى مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْ‌ءٍ فَلَيْسَ شَيْ‌ءٌ أَقْرَبَ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ شَيْ‌ءٍ.

"He rose above everything [in greatness], so there is not a thing that is closer to him than any other thing."

سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع- عَنْ قَوْلِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى- الرَّحْمنُ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ اسْتَوى‌ فَقَالَ اسْتَوَى فِي كُلِّ شَيْ‌ءٍ فَلَيْسَ شَيْ‌ءٌ أَقْرَبَ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ شَيْ‌ءٍ لَمْ يَبْعُدْ مِنْهُ بَعِيدٌ وَ لَمْ يَقْرُبْ مِنْهُ قَرِيبٌ اسْتَوَى فِي كُلِّ شَيْ‌ءٍ.

“No single thing is closer to Him than any other thing. The far is not far for Him and the close is not closer to Him. All are the same to Him.”

مَنْ زَعَمَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ مِنْ شَيْ‌ءٍ أَوْ فِي شَيْ‌ءٍ أَوْ عَلَى شَيْ‌ءٍ فَقَدْ كَفَرَ قُلْتُ فَسِّرْ لِي قَالَ أَعْنِي بِالْحَوَايَةِ مِنَ الشَّيْ‌ءِ لَهُ أَوْ بِإِمْسَاكٍ لَهُ أَوْ مِنْ شَيْ‌ءٍ سَبَقَهُ وَ فِي رِوَايَةٍ أُخْرَى مَنْ زَعَمَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ مِنْ شَيْ‌ءٍ فَقَدْ جَعَلَهُ مُحْدَثاً وَ مَنْ زَعَمَ أَنَّهُ فِي شَيْ‌ءٍ فَقَدْ جَعَلَهُ مَحْصُوراً وَ مَنْ زَعَمَ أَنَّهُ عَلَى شَيْ‌ءٍ فَقَدْ جَعَلَهُ مَحْمُول

"Whoever claims that Allah is from something, or in something, or on something, has committed disbelief." I asked, "Explain this to me." He said, "I mean by 'from something' that He is contained by something, or held by something, or preceded by something." In another narration, he said, "Whoever claims that Allah is f

قَالَ أَبُو شَاكِرٍ الدَّيَصَانِيُّ- إِنَّ فِي الْقُرْآنِ آيَةً هِيَ قَوْلُنَا قُلْتُ مَا هِيَ فَقَالَ- وَ هُوَ الَّذِي فِي السَّماءِ إِلهٌ وَ فِي الْأَرْضِ إِلهٌ‌ فَلَمْ أَدْرِ بِمَا أُجِيبُهُ فَحَجَجْتُ فَخَبَّرْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع فَقَالَ‌ هَذَا كَلَامُ زِنْدِيقٍ خَبِيثٍ إِذَا رَجَعْتَ إِلَيْهِ فَقُلْ لَهُ مَا اسْمُكَ بِالْكُوفَةِ فَإِنَّهُ يَقُولُ فُلَانٌ فَقُلْ لَهُ مَا اسْمُكَ بِالْبَصْرَةِ فَإِنَّهُ يَقُ

It is God who is the Lord of the heavens and is the Lord on earth. He is All-wise and All-knowing (43:84).” I did not know the answer? During Hajj I mentioned it to Imam abu ‘Abdallah who said this. “This is the statement of a wicked atheist. When you go back say to him, ‘What is your name in Basra? He will say so and