Alkarbala
Sunnah Category
Why Not Seeing God Doesn’t Mean He Doesn’t Exist
NARRATION 1
حَدَّثَنِي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ الاسَدِيُّ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ إِسْمَاعِيلَ الْبَرْمَكِيِّ الرَّازِيِّ عَنِ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ بُرْدٍ الدِّينَوَرِيِّ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الله الْخُرَاسَانِيِّ خَادِمِ الرِّضَا (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام)
قَالَ دَخَلَ رَجُلٌ مِنَ الزَّنَادِقَةِ عَلَى أَبِي الْحَسَنِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) وَعِنْدَهُ جَمَاعَةٌ فَقَالَ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) أَيُّهَا الرَّجُلُ أَ رَأَيْتَ إِنْ كَانَ الْقَوْلُ قَوْلَكُمْ وَلَيْسَ هُوَ كَمَا تَقُولُونَ أَ لَسْنَا وَإِيَّاكُمْ شَرَعاً سَوَاءً لا يَضُرُّنَا مَا صَلَّيْنَا وَصُمْنَا وَزَكَّيْنَا وَأَقْرَرْنَا فَسَكَتَ الرَّجُلُ ثُمَّ قَالَ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) وَإِنْ كَانَ الْقَوْلُ قَوْلَنَا وَهُوَ قَوْلُنَا أَ لَسْتُمْ قَدْ هَلَكْتُمْ وَنَجَوْنَا فَقَالَ رَحِمَكَ الله أَوْجِدْنِي كَيْفَ هُوَ وَأَيْنَ هُوَ فَقَالَ وَيْلَكَ إِنَّ الَّذِي ذَهَبْتَ إِلَيْهِ غَلَطٌ هُوَ أَيَّنَ الايْنَ بِلا أَيْنٍ وَكَيَّفَ الْكَيْفَ بِلا كَيْفٍ فَلا يُعْرَفُ بِالْكَيْفُوفِيَّةِ وَلا بِأَيْنُونِيَّةٍ وَلا يُدْرَكُ بِحَاسَّةٍ وَلا يُقَاسُ بِشَيْءٍ فَقَالَ الرَّجُلُ فَإِذاً إِنَّهُ لا شَيْءَ إِذَا لَمْ يُدْرَكْ بِحَاسَّةٍ مِنَ الْحَوَاسِّ فَقَالَ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) وَيْلَكَ لَمَّا عَجَزَتْ حَوَاسُّكَ عَنْ إِدْرَاكِهِ أَنْكَرْتَ رُبُوبِيَّتَهُ وَنَحْنُ إِذَا عَجَزَتْ حَوَاسُّنَا عَنْ إِدْرَاكِهِ أَيْقَنَّا أَنَّهُ رَبُّنَا بِخِلافِ شَيْءٍ مِنَ الاشْيَاءِ قَالَ الرَّجُلُ فَأَخْبِرْنِي مَتَى كَانَ قَالَ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) أَخْبِرْنِي مَتَى لَمْ يَكُنْ فَأُخْبِرَكَ مَتَى كَانَ قَالَ الرَّجُلُ فَمَا الدَّلِيلُ عَلَيْهِ فَقَالَ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) إِنِّي لَمَّا نَظَرْتُ إِلَى جَسَدِي وَلَمْ يُمْكِنِّي فِيهِ زِيَادَةٌ وَلا نُقْصَانٌ فِي الْعَرْضِ وَالطُّولِ وَدَفْعِ الْمَكَارِهِ عَنْهُ وَجَرِّ الْمَنْفَعَةِ إِلَيْهِ عَلِمْتُ أَنَّ لِهَذَا الْبُنْيَانِ بَانِياً فَأَقْرَرْتُ بِهِ مَعَ مَا أَرَى مِنْ دَوَرَانِ الْفَلَكِ بِقُدْرَتِهِ وَإِنْشَاءِ السَّحَابِ وَتَصْرِيفِ الرِّيَاحَ وَمَجْرَى الشَّمْسِ وَالْقَمَرِ وَالنُّجُومِ وَغَيْرِ ذَلِكَ مِنَ الايَاتِ الْعَجِيبَاتِ الْمُبَيِّنَاتِ عَلِمْتُ أَنَّ لِهَذَا مُقَدِّراً وَمُنْشِئاً.
Muḥammad ibn ʿAbd Allāh al-Khurāsānī, a servant of Ali al-Ridha (peace be upon him), reported:
A man from the heretics (zindīq) came to Abū al-Ḥasan (peace be upon him) while a group was present.
The Imam said:
“Tell me—if your view is correct, and things are not as you claim, then are we not both equal? Our prayers, fasting, charity, and belief would not harm us.”
The man remained silent.
Then the Imam said:
“But if our view is correct—and it is—then you are destroyed while we are saved.”
The man said: “May God have mercy on you, then explain to me—how is He, and where is He?”
The Imam replied:
“Woe to you! Your approach is mistaken. He is the One who created ‘where’ without Himself being in a place, and created ‘how’ without Himself having a form. He is not known through ‘how-ness’ or ‘where-ness’, cannot be perceived by the senses, and cannot be compared to anything.”
The man said: “Then He is nothing, if He cannot be sensed.”
The Imam replied:
“Woe to you! Because your senses cannot grasp Him, you deny His Lordship. But we, when our senses fail to grasp Him, become certain that He is our Lord—unlike anything else.”
The man said: “Then tell me—when did He exist?”
The Imam replied:
“Tell me when He did not exist, so I may tell you when He began.”
The man said: “What is the proof of His existence?”
The Imam said:
“When I looked at my own body, and saw that I cannot increase or decrease its size, nor fully control harm or benefit for myself, I realized that this structure must have a builder—so I affirmed Him.
Along with what I see of the movement of the heavens, the formation of clouds, the changing winds, the course of the sun, moon, and stars, and other clear and astonishing signs—I came to know that all of this has a designer and a creator.”
A man from the heretics (zindīq) came to Abū al-Ḥasan (peace be upon him) while a group was present.
The Imam said:
“Tell me—if your view is correct, and things are not as you claim, then are we not both equal? Our prayers, fasting, charity, and belief would not harm us.”
The man remained silent.
Then the Imam said:
“But if our view is correct—and it is—then you are destroyed while we are saved.”
The man said: “May God have mercy on you, then explain to me—how is He, and where is He?”
The Imam replied:
“Woe to you! Your approach is mistaken. He is the One who created ‘where’ without Himself being in a place, and created ‘how’ without Himself having a form. He is not known through ‘how-ness’ or ‘where-ness’, cannot be perceived by the senses, and cannot be compared to anything.”
The man said: “Then He is nothing, if He cannot be sensed.”
The Imam replied:
“Woe to you! Because your senses cannot grasp Him, you deny His Lordship. But we, when our senses fail to grasp Him, become certain that He is our Lord—unlike anything else.”
The man said: “Then tell me—when did He exist?”
The Imam replied:
“Tell me when He did not exist, so I may tell you when He began.”
The man said: “What is the proof of His existence?”
The Imam said:
“When I looked at my own body, and saw that I cannot increase or decrease its size, nor fully control harm or benefit for myself, I realized that this structure must have a builder—so I affirmed Him.
Along with what I see of the movement of the heavens, the formation of clouds, the changing winds, the course of the sun, moon, and stars, and other clear and astonishing signs—I came to know that all of this has a designer and a creator.”
More narrations will be added soon, InshaAllah.