Abu Ishaq has said, ‘I asked al-Harith, ‘Did you memorise the sermon?

Abu Ishaq has said, ‘I asked al-Harith, ‘Did you memorise the sermon?’ Al-Harith said, ‘Yes, I did write it down.’ He then dictated it to us from his book. ‘All praise is due to Allah, Who does not die and Whose wonders do not end. It is because everyday He has a task in the form of the invention of something that did not exist. It is He Who has no children so that He would share others in Majesty and He is not the child of others so that He would be inherited and Himself vanish.

Imagination cannot comprehend Him to figure Him out in a certain form of similitude. The eyes have not perceived Him so that after changing position He would also change. It is He for Whose beginning there is no end, nor will there be any final destination for His being the last. It is He before Whom there is no time, and is not preceded by any previous era. He does not fall subject to defects of reduction or addition. Attributes for direction, place, and instruments do not apply to Him.

It is He Who knows all the hidden matters and has surpassed all intelligence by what is evident in His creatures of plans and maintenance. It is He about Whom the prophets were asked and they did not speak of Him in terms of limits and parts. They spoke of His acts and showed people His signs. The intelligence of thinkers cannot deny Him; the One Who has created the heavens and earth and all that is in them and between them is the Creator and no one is able to stand up to His power.

It is He, Who is different from the creatures and there is nothing similar to Him. It is He Who has created the creatures for His worship and has given them the ability to obey Him. He has removed all their excuses (by means of the capabilities that He has placed in them), and by sending His authority (in the prophets and ‘A’immah (pI. of Imam) among them (people) so that after knowing the authority whoever perishes, perish or gain salvation whoever likes to gain salvation.

Benevolent is Allah to begin and to repeat. “Then, Allah, to whom all praise is due, introduced praise for His Own Self. He ended the affairs of the world and the coming of the next life with praise for His Own Self saying, ‘He has judged among them with the truth and it is said, . All praise is due to Allah, Lord of the worlds.’ “All praise is due to Allah, Who has dressed up with greatness but without a body, Who has the gown of Majesty and Glory which has no similarity.

It is He Who has control over the Throne without losing such authority.