Chapter on (the Issue) that only He is proof of His Own Existence
Al-Kāfi|Volume 1|Book 3|Chapter 3
1ـ عَلِيُّ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ عَمَّنْ ذَكَرَهُ عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ حُمْرَانَ عَنِ الْفَضْلِ بْنِ السَّكَنِ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) قَالَ قَالَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) اعْرِفُوا الله بِالله وَالرَّسُولَ بِالرِّسَالَةِ وَأُولِي الامْرِ بِالامْرِ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَالْعَدْلِ وَالاحْسَانِ. وَمَعْنَى قَوْلِهِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) اعْرِفُوا الله بِالله يَعْنِي أَنَّ الله خَلَقَ الاشْخَاصَ وَالانْوَارَ وَالْجَوَاهِرَ وَالاعْيَانَ فَالاعْيَانُ الابْدَانُ وَالْجَوَاهِرُ الارْوَاحُ وَهُوَ جَلَّ وَعَزَّ لا يُشْبِهُ جِسْماً وَلا رُوحاً وَلَيْسَ لاحَدٍ فِي خَلْقِ الرُّوحِ الْحَسَّاسِ الدَّرَّاكِ أَمْرٌ وَلا سَبَبٌ هُوَ الْمُتَفَرِّدُ بِخَلْقِ الارْوَاحِ وَالاجْسَامِ فَإِذَا نَفَى عَنْهُ الشَّبَهَيْنِ شَبَهَ الابْدَانِ وَشَبَهَ الارْوَاحِ فَقَدْ عَرَفَ الله بِالله وَإِذَا شَبَّهَهُ بِالرُّوحِ أَوِ الْبَدَنِ أَوِ النُّورِ فَلَمْ يَعْرِفِ الله بِالله.
1. Ali ibn Muhammad has narrated from the people he mentioned from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn ‘Isa from Muhammad ibn Humran from al- Fadl ibn al-Sakan from Imam abu ‘Abdallah عليه السلام who has narrated the following. “Imam Ali عليه السلام has said, ‘Recognize Allah by Allah’s Own-Self, recognize the Messenger through his message and the people with Divine authority through their commanding others to do what is obligatory, the practice of justice and kindness.’” Al-Kulayni had made the following comment on the above passage. “Acknowledge the existence of Allah by His own self” means that Allah has created the individuals, the light, the substance and the objects. The objects are the bodies, the substance stand for the spirits and He is not similar to the bodies or spirit in any of the creatures. No one has any part or effect in the creation of the spirits that comprehend and feel. He is the only one who has created the spirits and the bodies. When similarity to both kinds of creatures; similarity to the bodies and spirits is negated from Him, then one has acknowledge the existence of Allah by Allah’s own self. If one considers Him similar to the spirits, lights or bodies he has not acknowledged His existence by His own self.
- Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (1/294)
- Ṣaḥīḥ al-Kāfī
2ـ عِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ خَالِدٍ عَنْ بَعْضِ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ عُقْبَةَ بْنِ قَيْسِ بْنِ سِمْعَانَ بْنِ أَبِي رُبَيْحَةَ مَوْلَى رَسُولِ الله (صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِه) قَالَ سُئِلَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) بِمَ عَرَفْتَ رَبَّكَ قَالَ بِمَا عَرَّفَنِي نَفْسَهُ قِيلَ وَكَيْفَ عَرَّفَكَ نَفْسَهُ قَالَ لا يُشْبِهُهُ صُورَةٌ وَلا يُحَسُّ بِالْحَوَاسِّ وَلا يُقَاسُ بِالنَّاسِ قَرِيبٌ فِي بُعْدِهِ بَعِيدٌ فِي قُرْبِهِ فَوْقَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَلا يُقَالُ شَيْءٌ فَوْقَهُ أَمَامَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ وَلا يُقَالُ لَهُ أَمَامٌ دَاخِلٌ فِي الاشْيَاءِ لا كَشَيْءٍ دَاخِلٍ فِي شَيْءٍ وَخَارِجٌ مِنَ الاشْيَاءِ لا كَشَيْءٍ خَارِجٍ مِنْ شَيْءٍ سُبْحَانَ مَنْ هُوَ هَكَذَا وَلا هَكَذَا غَيْرُهُ وَلِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ مُبْتَدَأٌ.
2 - A group from our companions reported from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Khalid, from some of our companions, from Ali ibn Uqbah ibn Qais ibn Sim'an ibn Abi Rubayhah, a freedman of the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلم, who said: The Commander of the Faithful عليه السلام was asked: "How did you come to know your Lord?" He said: "By what He has introduced Himself to me." It was asked: "And how did He introduce Himself to you?" He said: "He is not similar to any image, nor can He be perceived by the senses, nor can He be compared to people. He is close in His distance and distant in His closeness, above everything, and nothing is said to be above Him. He is not referred to as being before anything, nor can He be said to be inside things like something inside something else, nor outside of things like something outside of something else. Glorified is He who is thus, and none other is like Him. Everything has a beginning."
- Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (1/299)
- Ṣaḥīḥ al-Kāfī
3ـ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ عَنِ الْفَضْلِ بْنِ شَاذَانَ عَنْ صَفْوَانَ بْنِ يَحْيَى عَنْ مَنْصُورِ بْنِ حَازِمٍ قَالَ قُلْتُ لابِي عَبْدِ الله (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) إِنِّي نَاظَرْتُ قَوْماً فَقُلْتُ لَهُمْ إِنَّ الله جَلَّ جَلالُهُ أَجَلُّ وَأَعَزُّ وَأَكْرَمُ مِنْ أَنْ يُعْرَفَ بِخَلْقِهِ بَلِ الْعِبَادُ يُعْرَفُونَ بِالله فَقَالَ رَحِمَكَ الله.
3. Muhammad ibn Isma‘il has narrated the following from al-Fadl ibn shadhan from Safwan ibn Yahya from Mansur ibn Hazim who has said that I spoke to Imam abu ‘Abdallah عليه السلام saying, “I debated certain people and said to them, ‘Allah, Glory be to Him, is far Glorious, Majestic and Honorable than being defined by means of His creatures. In fact, the existence of the creatures is proved through the existence of Allah.’” The Imam عليه السلام said, “May Allah bestow up on you blessings.”
- Mirʾāt al-ʿUqūl fī Sharḥ Akhbār Āl al-Rasūl (1/300)
- Ṣaḥīḥ al-Kāfī, vol. 1, p. 13