The Indescribability of God, The Prophet, And The Imams
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بِالسَّنَدِ المُتَّصِلِ إِلَى الشَّيْخِ الجَلِيلِ أَفْضَلِ المُحَدِّثِينَ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ يَعْقُوبَ الْكُلَيْنِيِّ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ إبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنْ حَمَّادٍ عَنْ رَبْعِيٍّ عَنْ زُرَارَةَ عَنْ أَبِي جَعْفَرٍ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ قَالَ:
سَمِعْتُهُ يَقُولُ: إنَّ اللهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لا يُوصَفُ وَكَيْفَ يُوصَفُ وَقَالَ فِي كِتَابِهِ: ﴿وَمَا قَدَرُوا اللهَ حَقَّ قَدْرِهِ.﴾ فَلا يُوصَفُ بِقَدَرٍ إلاّ كَانَ أَعْظَمَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ. وَإنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ لا يُوصَفُ وَكَيْفَ يُوصَفُ عَبْدٌ احْتَجَبَ اللهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِسَبْعٍ وَجَعَلَ طَاعَتَهُ فِي الأَرْضِ كَطَاعَتِهِ [فِي السَّمَاءِ] فَقَالَ: ﴿وَمَا آتَاكُمُ الرَّسُولُ فَخُذُوهُ وَمَا نَهَاكُمْ عَنْهُ فَانْتَهُوا.﴾ وَمَنْ أَطَاعَ هَذَا فَقَدْ أَطَاعَنِي وَمَنْ عَصَاهُ فَقَدْ عَصَانِي، وَفَوَّضَ إلَيْهِ. وَإنَّا لا نُوصَفُ وَكَيْفَ يُوصَفُ قَوْمٌ رَفَعَ اللهُ عَنْهُمُ الرِّجْسَ، وَهُوُ الشَّكُّ. وَالمُؤْمِنُ لا يُوصَفُ وَإنَّ المُؤْمِنَ لَيَلْقَى أَخَاهُ فَيُصَافِحُهُ فَلا يَزَالُ اللهُ يَنْظُرُ إلَيْهِمَا وَالذُّنُوبُ تَتَحّاتُّ عَنْ وُجُوهِهِمَا كَمَا يَتَحَاتُّ الوَرَقُ عَنِ الشَّجَرِ.
With my continuous chain of transmission reaching the august shaykh, the best of the traditionists, Muhammad ibn Ya’qub al-Kulayni, from ‘Ali ibn Ibrahim, from his father, from Hammed, from Rib’i, from Zurarah, from Abu Ja’far (A), [Zurarah] says, I heard him say
“Verily, God, the Almighty and the Glorious, cannot be described, and how could He be described when He declares in His Book. ‘And they measure not God with His true measure.’ (22:74). Hence, He cannot be described by any measure, and if described He would transcend it. And, verily, the Prophet (S) cannot be described, and how could be described a servant whom God, the Almighty and the Glorious, has concealed with seven veils and made obedience to him in the earth like obedience to him in the heavens, declaring, ‘And whatsoever the Messenger giveth you, take it. And whatsoever be forbiddeth, abstain from it.’ (59:74) And [He has declared] ‘Whoever obeys him assuredly obeys Me, and whoever disobeys him disobeys Me.’ (4:80) Hence, He has delegated authority to him. And we (Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt) cannot be described, and how could a people be described whom God has kept free from impurity, which is doubt. And neither can the believer be described. And indeed, when the believer takes his brother with the hand on meeting him, God looks at them and sins are shed from their faces in the way leaves fall from a tree.”Source: Al-Majlisi, Mir’at al-’uqul, vol. ix, p. 71, “kitab al-iman wa al-kufr” “bab al mussfahah” hadith 16.
