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

سَأَلْتُ أَبَا جَعْفَرٍ ع عَنِ التَّوْحِيدِ[2] فَقُلْتُ أَتَوَهَّمُ شَيْئاً فَقَالَ نَعَمْ غَيْرَ مَعْقُولٍ وَ لَا مَحْدُودٍ فَمَا وَقَعَ وَهْمُكَ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ شَيْ‌ءٍ فَهُوَ خِلَافُهُ لَا يُشْبِهُهُ شَيْ‌ءٌ وَ لَا تُدْرِكُهُ الْأَوْهَامُ كَيْفَ تُدْرِكُهُ الْأَوْهَامُ وَ هُوَ خِلَافُ مَا يُعْقَلُ وَ خِلَافُ مَا يُتَصَوَّرُ فِي الْأَوْهَامِ إِنَّمَا يُتَوَهَّمُ شَيْ‌ءٌ غَيْرُ مَعْقُولٍ وَ لَا مَحْدُودٍ.

"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 co

سُئِلَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ الثَّانِي ع يَجُوزُ أَنْ يُقَالَ لِلَّهِ إِنَّهُ شَيْ‌ءٌ قَالَ نَعَمْ يُخْرِجُهُ مِنَ الْحَدَّيْنِ حَدِّ التَّعْطِيلِ وَ حَدِّ التَّشْبِيهِ‌[5].

“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.”

قَالَ: إِنَّ اللَّهَ خِلْوٌ مِنْ خَلْقِهِ وَ خَلْقَهُ خِلْوٌ مِنْهُ وَ كُلُّ مَا وَقَعَ عَلَيْهِ اسْمُ شَيْ‌ءٍ فَهُوَ مَخْلُوقٌ مَا خَلَا اللَّهَ.

“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.”

سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ‌ ع يَقُولُ‌ إِنَّ اللَّهَ خِلْوٌ مِنْ خَلْقِهِ‌[1] وَ خَلْقَهُ خِلْوٌ مِنْهُ وَ كُلُّ مَا وَقَعَ عَلَيْهِ اسْمُ شَيْ‌ءٍ مَا خَلَا اللَّهَ فَهُوَ مَخْلُوقٌ وَ اللَّهُ خَالِقُ كُلِّ شَيْ‌ءٍ تَبَارَكَ الَّذِي‌ لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ‌ شَيْ‌ءٌ- وَ هُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ.

“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.”

إِنَّ اللَّهَ خِلْوٌ مِنْ خَلْقِهِ وَ خَلْقَهُ خِلْوٌ مِنْهُ وَ كُلُّ مَا وَقَعَ عَلَيْهِ اسْمُ شَيْ‌ءٍ مَا خَلَا اللَّهَ تَعَالَى فَهُوَ مَخْلُوقٌ وَ اللَّهُ خالِقُ كُلِّ شَيْ‌ءٍ.

“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.”

لِلزِّنْدِيقِ حِينَ سَأَلَهُ مَا هُوَ قَالَ هُوَ شَيْ‌ءٌ بِخِلَافِ الْأَشْيَاءِ ارْجِعْ بِقَوْلِي إِلَى إِثْبَاتِ مَعْنًى وَ أَنَّهُ شَيْ‌ءٌ بِحَقِيقَةِ الشَّيْئِيَّةِ غَيْرَ أَنَّهُ لَا جِسْمٌ وَ لَا صُورَةٌ وَ لَا يُحَسُّ وَ لَا يُجَسُّ وَ لَا يُدْرَكُ بِالْحَوَاسِّ الْخَمْسِ لَا تُدْرِكُهُ الْأَوْهَامُ وَ لَا تَنْقُصُهُ الدُّهُورُ وَ لَا تُغَيِّرُهُ الْأَزْمَانُ فَقَالَ لَهُ السَّائِلُ فَتَقُولُ إِنَّهُ سَمِيعٌ بَ

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. H

سُئِلَ أَبُو جَعْفَرٍ ع أَ يَجُوزُ أَنْ يُقَالَ إِنَّ اللَّهَ شَيْ‌ءٌ قَالَ نَعَمْ يُخْرِجُهُ مِنَ الْحَدَّيْنِ حَدِّ التَّعْطِيلِ وَ حَدِّ التَّشْبِيهِ.

“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.”