Chapter about al-‘Arsh and al-Kursi

سَأَلَ الْجَاثَلِيقُ‌[1] أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ع فَقَالَ أَخْبِرْنِي عَنِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ يَحْمِلُ الْعَرْشَ أَمِ الْعَرْشُ يَحْمِلُهُ فَقَالَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ع اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ حَامِلُ الْعَرْشِ وَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَ الْأَرْضِ وَ مَا فِيهِمَا وَ مَا بَيْنَهُمَا وَ ذَلِكَ قَوْلُ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ- إِنَّ اللَّهَ يُمْسِكُ السَّماواتِ وَ الْأَرْضَ أَنْ تَزُولا وَ لَئِنْ زالَتا إِنْ أَمْسَكَهُما م

“Jathaliq, a christian scholar, asked Imam Ali (a.s.) saying, ‘Tell me about Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High. Does He carry the ‘Arsh or ‘Arsh carries Him?” Imam Ali (a.s.) replied, “Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High, is the One Who carries and has lifted the ‘Arsh, the heavens and earth and all that is between t

سَأَلَنِي أَبُو قُرَّةَ الْمُحَدِّثُ أَنْ أُدْخِلَهُ عَلَى أَبِي الْحَسَنِ الرِّضَا ع فَاسْتَأْذَنْتُهُ فَأَذِنَ لِي فَدَخَلَ فَسَأَلَهُ عَنِ الْحَلَالِ وَ الْحَرَامِ ثُمَّ قَالَ لَهُ أَ فَتُقِرُّ أَنَّ اللَّهَ مَحْمُولٌ فَقَالَ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ ع كُلُّ مَحْمُولٍ مَفْعُولٌ بِهِ مُضَافٌ إِلَى غَيْرِهِ مُحْتَاجٌ وَ الْمَحْمُولُ اسْمُ نَقْصٍ فِي اللَّفْظِ[3] وَ الْحَامِلُ فَاعِلٌ وَ هُوَ فِي اللَّفْظِ مِدْحَةٌ وَ كَذَلِك

2. Ahmad ibn Idris from Muhammad ibn ‘Abd al-Jabbar from Safwan ibn Yahya who has said the following. “Abu Qurrah, the narrator of Hadith asked for help to meet Imam Ali abu al-Hassan al-Rida (a.s.). I requested the Imam (a.s.) to meet him and he agreed. Abu Qurrah asked the Imam about the lawful and unlawful matters a

سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع عَنْ قَوْلِ اللَّهِ جَلَّ وَ عَزَّ- وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ السَّماواتِ وَ الْأَرْضَ‌ فَقَالَ يَا فُضَيْلُ كُلُّ شَيْ‌ءٍ فِي الْكُرْسِيِّ السَّمَاوَاتُ وَ الْأَرْضُ وَ كُلُّ شَيْ‌ءٍ فِي الْكُرْسِيِ‌[2].

“I asked Imam abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) about the words of Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High, “His al-Kursi (the Throne) encompasses the heavens and earth.” He said, “O Fudayl everything is the al-Kursi (the Throne), the heavens and earth everything is in al-Kursi.”

سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع عَنْ قَوْلِ اللَّهِ جَلَّ وَ عَزَّ- وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ السَّماواتِ وَ الْأَرْضَ‌ السَّمَاوَاتُ وَ الْأَرْضُ وَسِعْنَ الْكُرْسِيَّ أَمِ الْكُرْسِيُّ وَسِعَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَ الْأَرْضَ فَقَالَ بَلِ الْكُرْسِيُّ وَسِعَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَ الْأَرْضَ وَ الْعَرْشَ وَ كُلَّ شَيْ‌ءٍ وَسِعَ الْكُرْسِيُ‌[3].

4. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from al-Hajjal form Tha‘labah ibn Maymun from Zurarah ibn ’a‘yun who has said the following. “I asked Imam abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.), ‘The heavens and the earth are (contained in His al-Kursi) under His dominion . .’ [2:255] Do the heavens and earth contain

سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع عَنْ قَوْلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ- وَسِعَ كُرْسِيُّهُ السَّماواتِ وَ الْأَرْضَ‌ السَّمَاوَاتُ وَ الْأَرْضُ وَسِعْنَ الْكُرْسِيَّ أَوِ الْكُرْسِيُّ وَسِعَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَ الْأَرْضَ فَقَالَ إِنَّ كُلَّ شَيْ‌ءٍ فِي الْكُرْسِيِّ.

“I asked Imam abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) about the words of Allah, ‘The heavens and the earth are (contained in His al-Kursi) under His dominion.. .’ (2:255) Do the heavens and earth contain the al-Kursi or that the latter contains the former?” He said that all things are contained in al-Kursi.”

حَمَلَةُ الْعَرْشِ وَ الْعَرْشُ الْعِلْمُ ثَمَانِيَةٌ أَرْبَعَةٌ مِنَّا وَ أَرْبَعَةٌ مِمَّنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ‌[4].

“The carriers of al-‘Arsh (the Throne), al-‘Arsh and al-‘Ilm (knowledge) are eight. Four of these are from us and the rest are whoever Allah will chose.”

سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ع عَنْ قَوْلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ- وَ كانَ عَرْشُهُ‌ عَلَى الْماءِ[1] فَقَالَ مَا يَقُولُونَ قُلْتُ يَقُولُونَ إِنَّ الْعَرْشَ كَانَ عَلَى الْمَاءِ وَ الرَّبُّ فَوْقَهُ فَقَالَ كَذَبُوا مَنْ زَعَمَ هَذَا فَقَدْ صَيَّرَ اللَّهَ مَحْمُولًا وَ وَصَفَهُ بِصِفَةِ الْمَخْلُوقِ وَ لَزِمَهُ أَنَّ الشَّيْ‌ءَ الَّذِي يَحْمِلُهُ أَقْوَى مِنْهُ قُلْتُ بَيِّنْ لِي جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ فَقَالَ إِنَّ ال

The Imam asked, “What do they say about it?” I said, “They say that al-‘Arsh (the Throne) was on the water and the Lord was on top of it.” The Imam then said, “They have said a lie. Whoever would think that way he has considered Allah as being carried and has described Him with the qualities of the creatures which invo