AMIRAL MOMININ ALI (AS)

Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from Muhammad ibn ‘Isa ibn ‘Ubayd from Hammad from Hariz from Muhammad ibn Muslim from abu Ja‘far  who has said the following about being eternal. “He, Allah, is One, the Self-sufficient. He is One and only One without any multiplicity in different meaning.” The narrator said that I further inquired, “May Allah take my soul in your service, certain people in Iraq think, that Allah hears with something different from what He sees with, and He sees with something different from what He hears with.” The Imam replied, “They have said a lie and have become atheists for considering Allah similar to other things. Allah, the Most High, indeed is above all things. He is All-hearing and All-seeing. He hears with what He sees, and sees with what He hears.” The narrator has said that he further asked, “Those people are also of the opinion that Allah is All-seeing in the same sense and in the same way as they perceive.” The Imam said, “Allah is High Exalted above all such things. Only such things are perceived, which has the attributes of created things. Allah is not created.”

عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى بْنِ عُبَيْدٍ عَنْ حَمَّادٍ عَنْ حَرِيزٍ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ عَنْ ابي جعفر  أَنَّهُ قَالَ فِي صِفَةِ الْقَدِيمِ إِنَّهُ وَاحِدٌ صَمَدٌ أَحَدِيُّ الْمَعْنَى لَيْسَ بِمَعَانِي كَثِيرَةٍ مُخْتَلِفَةٍ قَالَ قُلْتُ جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ يَزْعُمُ قَوْمٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْعِرَاقِ أَنَّهُ يَسْمَعُ بِغَيْرِ الَّذِي يُبْصِرُ وَيُبْصِرُ بِغَيْرِ الَّذِي يَسْمَعُ قَالَ فَقَالَ كَذَبُوا وَأَلْحَدُوا وَشَبَّهُوا تَعَالَى الله عَنْ ذَلِكَ إِنَّهُ سَمِيعٌ بَصِيرٌ يَسْمَعُ بِمَا يُبْصِرُ وَيُبْصِرُ بِمَا يَسْمَعُ قَالَ قُلْتُ يَزْعُمُونَ أَنَّهُ بَصِيرٌ عَلَى مَا يَعْقِلُونَهُ قَالَ فَقَالَ تَعَالَى الله إِنَّمَا يَعْقِلُ مَا كَانَ بِصِفَةِ الْمَخْلُوقِ وَلَيْسَ الله كَذَلِكَ.

Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from al-‘Abbass ibn ’Amr from Hisham ibn al-Hakam, who about the debate with an atheist (see 225 – 6), has said the following. “He asked Imam abu ‘Abdallah , ‘Do you say that He is All-hearing and All-seeing?’ Abu ‘Abdallah said, “Allah is All-hearing, All-seeing. He hears without any organ and sees without any instrument. He Himself hears and He Himself sees. When I say He Himself hears I do not mean thereby that He is One and His self is something different. I only try to express what I have in my mind to answer a question and help you understand the answer. So I say, “His whole self hears. This does not mean that His whole has parts. In our perception whole consists of parts. It is to make you understand and express my thoughts. It all amounts to saying that He is All-hearing, All-seeing, All-knowing and All-aware, without any multiplicity in the meaning.”

عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ الْعَبَّاسِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو عَنْ هِشَامِ بْنِ الْحَكَمِ قَالَ فِي حَدِيثِ الزِّنْدِيقِ الَّذِي سَأَلَ أَبَا عَبْدِ الله  أَنَّهُ قَالَ لَهُ أَ تَقُولُ إِنَّهُ سَمِيعٌ بَصِيرٌ فَقَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ الله هُوَ سَمِيعٌ بَصِيرٌ سَمِيعٌ بِغَيْرِ جَارِحَةٍ وَبَصِيرٌ بِغَيْرِ آلَةٍ بَلْ يَسْمَعُ بِنَفْسِهِ وَيُبْصِرُ بِنَفْسِهِ وَلَيْسَ قَوْلِي إِنَّهُ سَمِيعٌ بِنَفْسِهِ أَنَّهُ شَيْ‏ءٌ وَالنَّفْسُ شَيْ‏ءٌ آخَرُ وَلَكِنِّي أَرَدْتُ عِبَارَةً عَنْ نَفْسِي إِذْ كُنْتُ مَسْئُولاً وَإِفْهَاماً لَكَ إِذْ كُنْتَ سَائِلاً فَأَقُولُ يَسْمَعُ بِكُلِّهِ لا أَنَّ كُلَّهُ لَهُ بَعْضٌ لانَّ الْكُلَّ لَنَا لَهُ بَعْضٌ وَلَكِنْ أَرَدْتُ إِفْهَامَكَ وَالتَّعْبِيرُ عَنْ نَفْسِي وَلَيْسَ مَرْجِعِي فِي ذَلِكَ كُلِّهِ إِلا أَنَّهُ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ الْعَالِمُ الْخَبِيرُ بِلا ا��ْتِلافِ الذَّاتِ وَلا اخْتِلافِ مَعْنًى.