A number of our companions...

A number of our companions, from Ahmad Bin Muhammad Bin Khalid, from Muhammad Bin Abdul Hameed, from Al A’ala Bin Razeyn, from Muhammad Bin Muslim, (It has been narrated) from Abu Ja’far -asws having said: ‘Beware of the pondering regarding Allah -azwj . But whenever you intend to look into His -azwj Magnificence, so look into the Magnificence of His -azwj creation’.

[22] Allah -azwj cannot be described by His -azwj creation: عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ عَنِ الْيَعْقُوبِيِّ عَنْ بَعْضِ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ عَبْدِ الْأَعْلَى مَوْلَى آلِ سَامٍ عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ ( عليه السلام ) قَالَ إِنَّ يَهُودِيّاً يُقَالُ لَهُ سِبَخْتُ جَاءَ إِلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ( صلى الله عليه وآله ) فَقَالَ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ جِئْتُ أَسْأَلُكَ عَنْ رَبِّكَ فَإِنْ أَنْتَ أَجَبْتَنِي عَمَّا أَسْأَلُكَ عَنْهُ وَ إِلَّا رَجَعْتُ قَالَ سَلْ عَمَّا شِئْتَ Ali Bin Ibrahim, from his father, from Al Hassan Bin Ali, from Al Yaqouby, from one of our companions, from Abdul A’ala, a slave of the family of Saam, (It has been narrated) from Abu Abdullah -asws having said: ‘A Jew call Sibakht came over to Rasool-Allah -saww and he said, ‘O Rasool-Allah -saww !

I came over to ask you -saww about your -saww Lord -azwj . So if you -saww were to answer me about what I am asking about (fine), or else I will return’. He -saww said: ‘Ask about whatever you so desire to’.

قَالَ أَيْنَ رَبُّكَ قَالَ هُوَ فِي كُلِّ مَكَانٍ وَ لَيْسَ فِي شَيْ‏ءٍ مِنَ الْمَكَانِ الْمَحْدُودِ قَالَ وَ كَيْفَ هُوَ قَالَ وَ كَيْفَ أَصِفُ رَبِّي بِالْكَيْفِ وَ الْكَيْفُ مَخْلُوقٌ وَ اللَّهُ لَا يُوصَفُ بِخَلْقِهِ He said, ‘Where is your -saww Lord -azwj ?’ He -azwj is in every place, and He -azwj is not enclosed into a thing from the limited place’.

He said, ‘And how is He -azwj ?’ He -saww said: ‘And how can I -saww describe my -saww Lord -azwj with the ‘how’, and the ‘how’ is a creation, and Allah -azwj cannot be described by His -azwj creation’ .

قَالَ فَمِنْ أَيْنَ يُعْلَمُ أَنَّكَ نَبِيُّ اللَّهِ قَالَ فَمَا بَقِيَ حَوْلَهُ حَجَرٌ وَ لَا غَيْرُ ذَلِكَ إِلَّا تَكَلَّمَ بِلِسَانٍ عَرَبِيٍّ مُبِينٍ يَا سِبَخْتُ إِنَّهُ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ ( صلى الله عليه وآله ) He said, ‘So from where did you -saww come to know that you -saww are a Prophet -saww of Allah -azwj ?’ He (the narrator) said, ‘So there did not remain around him -saww a tree, nor anything other than that, except that it spoke in clear Arabic language, ‘O Sibakht!

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