Models of Shias' Texts Regarding Monotheism

Models of Shias' Texts Regarding Monotheism
Opponents of the Prophet's household and their adherents used policy of covering up the Prophet's traditions respecting merits of his progeny. They also covered up narrations and opinions of the Prophet's household and their adherents (Shias). This is not our topic, here. But Dr. Al­Qifari, who mentioned in his three­volumed book about faiths of Shias, about three hundred Shiite reference books that he claimed of depending on in citing his book, obliged us to assert so. Evading these three hundred reference books, the professor rested upon reference books of Shias' opponents when he debated topic of Shism and anthropomorphism. By the same token, as he accuses Shias of following Tatilism, the professor eludes resting upon a single reference book from those three hundred. Moreover, he claims that As-Saduq ­died in 281 A.H­ relates more than seventy narrations, in his At­Tawhid, referring to Shias' adopting for Tatilism. At any rate, this academic professor could not cite any of these (seventy) narrations.
As a matter of fact, As-Saduq's At-Tawhid can be seen as one of the most excellent ancient reference books of Islam in this regard. From those (seventy) narrations, we are to cite ten only.
As­Saduq's At­Tawhid, page 107:
Abu Abdillah: His fathers (peace be upon them all):
As he passed by a man raising his hands to the heavens as he was supplicating God, the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) addressed at him, "You may put down you sight. You shall never see Him."
Similarly, the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) passed by a man extending his hands upward while he was supplicating God. He said to him, "Relax your hands. You shall never reach him."
… Assim Bin Hameed: Before Abu Abdillah (peace be upon him), I mentioned their narrations about God's seeableness. He commented, "The sun is a single part of the seventy parts of light of the Chair. The Chair is a single part of the seventy parts of light of the Throne. The Throne is a single part of the seventy parts of light of the Curtain. The Curtain is a single part of the seventy parts of light of the Screen. Supposing they are truthful, let them face the sun with their sights.
… Ibn Abi Nasr: Abul­Hassan Ar-Rida (peace be upon him): The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family):
When I was taken to the heavens, Gabriel attained a place he had never attained before. There, my Lord showed me a part of His Excellency illumination.
As­Saduq's At-Tawhid, page 113:
Ibrahim Bin Mohammed al-Khezzaz and Mohammed Bin Al-Hussein:
Before Abul-Hassan Ar-Rida (peace be upon him), we mentioned the narrative that the Prophet had seen his Lord in a look of a thirty year old young man whose legs were in a green place. "Husham Bin Salim and the Taqi and Al-Meithami claim that the upper part of the Lord is hollow, while the lower is compact," I added.
Immediately the imam prostrated himself down and stated, "Praised be Thee. They have neither recognized nor monothesized Thee. Therefore, the ascribed to Thee such descriptions. Praised be Thee. Should they recognized Thee, they would refer to Thee only what Thou hast referred to Thy Essence. Praised be Thee. How dare they to anthropomorphize Thee. O my God! I should not use for Thee except the attributes Thou hast used for Thy Essence. Nor should I anthropomorphize Thee. Thou art source of every wealth. Make me not with the unjust people." After a while, the imam turned to us and advised, "You should regard Allah as unlike anything your minds may surmise. We, Mohammed's progeny, are the middle category. The exaggerative will not attain us, and the late will never precede us."
He, then, addressed at me, "O Mohammed! When he saw Excellency of his Lord, the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) was as same as a thirty year old young man's look. O Mohammed! My Lord be more exalted and glorified than being bearing creatures' descriptions." "I be your sacrifice!" I said, "Whose legs were in a green place?" "That was Mohammed (peace be upon him and his family)," answered the imam, "When he perceived his Lord by heart, He was made in an illumination like that of the divine Curtains till he discerns what is there. God's illumination is of different colors. Some are green, red, white and the like. O Mohammed! We dedicate our sayings to only what is affirmed by the divine Book and the Prophet's traditions."
As­Saduq's At­Tawhid, page 398:
Hafs Bin Gheyath: The best of Jafars, Jafar Bin Mohammed: The opener of knowledges of the earlier and the late, Mohammed Bin Ali: The master of the reverent, Ali Bin Al-Hussein: The master of the martyrs, Al-Hussein Bin Ali: The master of the prophets' successors, Ali Bin Abi Talib:
The Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) was sitting in the mosque when a Jew came and asked, "O Mohammed! What are you soliciting to?"
The Prophet: I am soliciting to admitting there is non god but Allah, and I am the apostle of Allah.
The Jew: O Mohammed! Tell me how that lord you are soliciting to his monotheism and claiming of your being his apostle, is.
The Prophet: O Jew! My Lord is not submitted to conditions. He is the Creator and the Maker of conditions.
The Jew: Where is he then?
The Prophet: My Lord is not submitted to spaces. He is the Creator and the Maker of space.
The Jew: Have you seen him, Mohammed?
The Prophet: He cannot be seen by eyes, and cannot be comprehended by allusions.
The Jew: How should we know of his existence?
The Prophet: We should know so by His signs and portents.
The Jew: Does he bear the Throne, or does the Throne bear him?
The Prophet: O Jew! My Lord is neither a corporeality to occupy a thing nor is He an space to be occupied by things.
The Jew: How are his mandates issued?
The Prophet: They are issued by creating articulation in the spaces.
The Jew: O Mohammed! Are the entire creatures his?
The Prophet: Yes, they are.
The Jew: On which criteria had he elected some of them for conveying his message?
The Prophet: On criteria of their precedence to submitting to His godhood.
The Jew: How have you, then, claimed your being the best of those elected?
The Prophet: Because I was the foremost in submitting to my Lord's godhead.
The Jew: Well, tell me if your lord acts injustice.
The Prophet: No, He does not.
The Jew: Why not?
The Prophet: Because He realizes offensiveness of injustice, and because He does not need it.
The Jew: Have Verses regarding this concern, been revealed to you?
The Prophet: Yes, He has. He says, (Your Lord is not unjust to His servants. 3:182), (Allah does not wrong people in any amount, but people wrong each other.10:44), (Allah does not want injustice to peoples. 3:108) and (Allah does not want injustice to the servants. 40:31).
The Jews: O Mohammed! You have claimed your lord's evading injustice. How had he, then, drowned people of Noah while children were among them?
The Prophet: O Jew! For forty years, the Prophet occluded women of Noah's people from giving births. Hence, no child was among them when they were drowned. Allah should never punish the progeny for their fathers' sins. My Lord be highly exalted against injustice and wrong.
The Jew: If your lord does never wrong anybody, how shall he, then, eternalize in agony incessantly those who disobeyed Him for a number of days?
The Prophet: The Lord eternalizes as to the disobedient's intention. He eternalizes in agony for ever those whom He does know that they shall be keeping on disobeying Him if they are given an eternal life in this world. Intentions, however, are worse than deeds. By the same token, Allah eternalizes in the Paradise those whom He does know that they shall be keeping on obeying Him as they are given an eternal life in this world. The intention, here, is better than the deed. Due to intention, people of the Paradise are eternalized there, and people of hell are eternalized there. Allah, the Powerful the Glorified, says, (Everyone acts according to his manner; but your Lord best knows who is best guided to the ­straight­ path. 17:84)
The Jew: O Mohammed! In the Torah, I recite that every prophet should have a successor from his nation. Who is your successor, then?
The Prophet: O Jew! My successor is Ali Bin Abi Talib. In the Torah, his name is 'Ilia', and in the Bible 'Heidar'. He is the best of my people and the most knowledgeable of my Lord. For me, his standing is as same as Aaron's to Moses except that there will be no prophet after me. As I am master of the prophets, he is master of the prophets' successors.
The Jew: I do admit there is no god but Allah, and you are the apostle of Allah, and Ali Bin Abi Talib is your successor, indeed. By God I swear, I did notice your entire answers in the Torah. I have also inspected characteristics of you, as well as your successor, in the Torah. Your successor shall be wronged and martyred. He is the father of your two sons and grandsons, Shubbar and Shubeir. They are masters of the youth of the Paradise.
As­Saduq's At­Tawhid, page 77:
Abul-Abbas Al-Fadl Bin Al-Abbas Al-Kindi (in Hamadan, 354, he permitted me to relate the following): Mohammed Bin Sehl Al-Attar Al-Baghdadi (from his book in 305): Abdullah Bin Mohammed Al-Balawi: Imara Bin Zaid: Abdullah Bin Al-Ala: Salih Bin Subei: Amr Bin Mohammed Bin Sasa'a Bin Sawhan: His father: Abul­Mutamir Muslim Bin Aws:
I was attending at Kufa Mosque when a yellowish Jew Yemeni stood erect and addressed at Ali Bin Abi Talib, "O Amirul­Muminin! Describe your Creator before us, and characterize Him as simple and evident as possible, as if we have Him before us."
Ali (peace be upon him) said:
"Praised and Glorified be Allah.
Praised be Allah who is incipient without a rise of anything, or an interior in anything. He is abiding whatsoever the condition is. He is not intermixed with anything, and not an illusive fancy. He is not a ghost that is seeable, or a corporeality that is divisible, or a trimming that is final, or a contingent that is visible, or a hidden that is revealed or curtained that is comprised.
He was being when there were no places occupying Him, or bearers that lift Him by their power. He was not being after He had not existed. Allusions are too perplexed to choose a condition of the Creator of conditions of things. He is permanent without a place. He does never perish for changeability of times. He does not turn into other things.
He is the remote from being attained by surmise of hearts, and the exalted from being a thing or a model. He is the unique, the knowing of the unseen. Significations of creatures are negated for Him, and their hiddens are not hidden for him. He is recognized without a certain condition. He cannot be comprehended by senses, or measured to people. Visions cannot comprehend Him, and ideas cannot arrive at Him, and minds cannot estimate Him, and allusions cannot get Him. Whatsoever estimated by minds and exampled is finite.
That who is not incarnating in things to say He is being, and not remote from them to say He is alien, and not out of them to ask about His space, and not sticking to them, and not departing them. He is in the entire things without a certain condition. He is nearer to us than veins, and the furthest in likening. How is it possible, then, to compare Him with ghosts, or to describe Him with the most eloquent tongues?
He has not created things on eternal grounds, or origins previously originated. But He created His creatures in the best making, and made His made things in the best picture. Praised be Him, whose oneness is in His elevation. Nothing can stand against Him. He has no benefit by obedience of any of His creatures. Ready is His response to the supplicators. The angels in the heavens and the earth are submitted to Him. He spoke to Moses thoroughly without organs or means or labium or uvula. Praised and exalted be Him against having descriptions. He that claim of the Lord's finitude, is ignoring the Creator the Adored…
As­Saduq's At­Tawhid, page 254:
Abu Muammar As-Sadani: A man came to Ali Bin Abi Talib and said:
O Amirul-Muminin! I began to doubt the Book of Allah.
Woe is you! How dare you to doubt the Book of Allah?
I found it contradictory. How should I then not doubt it.
Book of Allah is wholly accordant. But you have not been given an intellectuality sound enough to benefit. Now, you may lead me to positions you have doubted.
Allah says, (So today We forsake them, as they neglected the meeting of today. 7:51) And says, (They have forsaken Allah; so He has forsaken them. 9:67) And says, (And your Lord is not forgetful. 19:64)
Hence, once He tells He will forget, and another He tells He will never forget. How is that Amirul­Muminin?
What else?
Allah says, (They shall not speak except he whom the Beneficent God permits and who speaks the right thing. 78:38) And says, (They would say: By Allah, our Lord, we were not polytheists. 6:23) And says, (Then on the resurrection day some of you shall deny others, and some of you shall curse others. 29:25) And says, (That most surely is the truth; the contending one with another of the inmates of the fire. 38:64) And says, (He will say: Do not quarrel in my presence, and indeed I gave you the threatening beforehand. 50:28) And says, (On that day We will set a seal upon their mouths, and their hands shall speak to us, and their feet shall bear witness of what they earned. 36:65)
Hence, once He tells they will not speak except those permitted by the Beneficent God, and another He tells they will never utter while He communicates their saying, "By God, our Lord, we were not polytheists." On another occasion, He tells they will contend with each other. How is that Amirul-Muminin? How should I not doubt when I conceive so?
What is else?
Well, Allah, the Powerful the Glorified, says, (Some faces on that day shall be bright, looking at their Lord.) And says, (Visions comprehend him not, and He comprehends all visions, and He is the Aware the Cognizant.) And says, (And certainly he saw him in another descent, at the farthest lot­tree.) And says, (On that day, shall no intercession avail except of him whom the Beneficent God allows and whose word he is pleased with. He knows what is before them and what is behind them, while they do not comprehend Him in knowledge.20:109­10)
Knowledge does comprehend whatever is comprehended by visions. How is that, Amirul-Muminin? How should I not doubt what I am receiving?
What else …
Listen. Regarding God's saying, (Some faces on that day shall be bright, looking at their Lord), this shall occur after the Lord completes the judgment. God's disciples shall be taken to a river called 'Al-Hayawan' (the fresh life), where they bathe and drink. Immediately, their faces shall be bright as every mote or dot shall be removed from them. Then, they shall be taken to the Paradise. On that situation, they shall look upon their Lord's rewards. The angels greet them, "Peace be upon you. Enjoy and enter it for good." They will be ascertained of their abiding in the Paradise, and they will be waiting for their Lord's promises. This is God's saying, (Looking at their Lord.) 'Looking at the Lord' stands for 'looking at His rewards.'
Regarding his saying, (Visions comprehend Him not), this means that allusions cannot perceive Him, while He comprehends visions and perceives them since He is the Aware, the Cognizant. That is a sort of Praise, our Lord, the Blessed the Exalted, has used for Himself. Moses (peace be upon him) asked his Lord a calamitous question, "My Lord! Show me Thyself, so that I may look upon Thee."
Allah, the Blessed the Exalted, answered, "You cannot bear to see me, but look at the mountain, if it remains firm in its place, then will you see me." Hence, our Lord made some of His signs and manifested His glory to the mountain that was immediately broken up and crumbled. Moses fell down in a swoon. Then, Allah enlivened and pardoned him. Moses expressed, "Glory be to Thee. I turned to Thee, and I am the first of the believers." This means that he believed, before others, that Allah cannot be seen.
The intended in God's saying, (And certainly he saw him in another descent), is Mohammed (peace be upon him and his family). He was at the furthest tree that none should pass. God's saying, (The eye did not turn aside, nor did it exceed the limit. Certainly he was of the greatest signs of his Lord), alludes to the Prophet's seeing Gabriel in his actual look twice. Gabriel's look is tremendously great since he is one of the divine spirits that none but Allah, the Lord of the worlds, can comprehend their creation and quality.
At­Tebirsi, in his Alihtijaj, part 1 page 358­62, relates the same with little difference:
A miscreant came to Ali (peace be upon him) and said, "I would embraced your religion unless I found the difference and contradiction in the Quran." "What is that contradiction?" Ali asked.…
The same is recorded in Al­Majlisi's Biharul Anwar, part 4 page 32.
As­Saduq's At­Tawhid, page 99:
My father: Ali Bin Ibrahim: His father: Al­Abbas Bin Amr: Husham Bin Al­Hakam:
A miscreant asked Abu Abdillah (peace be upon him) about God's substance. Abu Abdillah answered, "He is a thing unlike ordinary things. Ascribing 'thing' to Him is made only for affirming His existence, and proving His being a Being. However, He is neither a corporeality nor an aspect."
As­Saduq's At­Tawhid, page 176:
Ibrahim Bin Abi Mahmud:
"O son of Allah's Apostle! What do you suggest about the saying they relate to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family), that he said, 'Every night, Allah, the Blessed the Exalted, descends to the lowest heavens.'?" I asked Ar­ Reza (peace be upon him). "Cursed be the distorters," said the imam, "By God I swear, the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family) did never utter so. He only said, 'Except the Friday night which is wholly considered, in the last third of every night, Allah, the Blessed the Exalted, gives His order to an angel to descend to the lowest heaven and declare whether there is a supplicator to be responded, or a repentant to be admitted, or a seeker of forgiveness to be forgiven. He also urges seekers of good to hurry up, and seekers of evil to stop. This lasts to the dawn when he returns to his place in the heavens.' This is what my father related to his father to the Prophet (peace be upon him and his family)."
Reference: ImamReza.net