Shiavault - a Vault of Shia Islamic Books Nahjul Balagha Part 1, The Sermons Sermon 152: Praise be to Allah who is…. About the greatness and the attributes of Allah [^1] and the qualities of the Imams ومن خطبة له (عليه السلام) في صفات الله جل جلاله، وصفات أئمة الدين Praise be to Allah who is proof of His existence through His creation, of His being eternal through the newness of His creation, and through their mutual similarities of the fact that nothing is similar to Him.
Senses cannot touch Him and curtains cannot veil Him, because of the difference between the Maker and the made, the Limiter and the limited and the Sustainer and the sustained. الْحَمْدُ للهِ الدَّالِّ عَلَى وُجُودِهِ بِخَلْقِهِ، وَبِمُحْدَثِ خَلْقِهِ عَلَى أَزَلِيَّته، وَبِاشْتِبَاهِهِمْ عَلَى أَنْ لاَ شَبَهَ لَهُ. لاَ تَسْتَلِمُهُ الْمَشَاعِرُ، وَلاَ تَحْجُبُهُ السَّوَاتِرُ، لاِفْتِرَاِق الصَّانِعِ وَالْمَصْنُوعِ، وَالْحَادِّ وَالْـمَحْدُودِ، وَالرَّبِّ وَالْمَرْبُوبِ.
He is One but not by the first in counting, is Creator but not through activity or labour, is Hearer but not by means of any physical organ, is Looker but not by a stretching of eyelids, is Witness but not by nearness, is Distinct but not by measurement of distance, is Manifest but not by seeing and is Hidden but not by subtlety (of body).
He is Distinct from things because He overpowers them and exercises might over them, while things are distinct from Him because of their subjugation to Him and their turning towards Him. الاْحَدُ لاَ بِتَأْوِيلِ عَدَد، وَالْخَالِقُ لاَ بِمَعْنَى حَرَكَة وَنَصَب، وَالسَّمِيعُ لاَ بِأَدَاة، وَالْبَصِيرُ لاَ بِتَفْرِيقِ آلَة، وَالشَّاهِدُ لاَبِمُمَاسَّه، وَالْبَائِنُ لاَبِتَرَاخِي مَسَافَة، وَالظّاهِرُ لاَبِرُؤيَة، وَالْبَاطِنُ لاَ بِلَطَافَة.
بَانَ مِنَ الاْشْيَاءِ بَالْقَهْرِ لَهَا، وَالْقُدْرَةِ عَلَيْهَا، وَبَانَتِ الاْشْيَاءُ مِنْهُ بَالْخُضُوعِ لَهُ، وَالرُّجُوعِ إِلَيْهِ. He who describes Him limits Him. He who limits Him numbers Him. He who numbers Him rejects His eternity. He who said "how" sought a description for Him. He who said "where" bounded him. He is the Knower even though there be nothing to be known. He is the Sustainer even though there be nothing to be sustained.
He is the Powerful even though there be nothing to be overpowered. مَنْ وَصَفَهُ فَقَدْ حَدَّهُ، وَمَنْ حَدَّهُ فَقَدْ عَدَّهُ، وَمَنْ عَدَّهُ فَقَدْ أَبْطَلَ أَزَلَهُ، وَمَنْ قَالَ: كَيْفَ، فَقَدِ اسْتَوْصَفَهُ، وَمَنْ قَالَ: أَيْنَ، فَقَدْ حَيَّزَهُ.