Al-Tawḥīd - Content

Chapter: Attributes of Essence and Attributes of Actions ه الله، قال: حدثنا علي بن إبراهي٠عن أبيه، عن العباس بن ع٠، قال في حديث الزنديق الذي سأل أبا عبد الله عليه السلا٠أنه قال له: أتقول: إنه س٠يع بصير؟ فقال أبو عبد الله عليه السلا٠يع بغير جارحة، وبصير بغير آلة، بل يس٠ع بنفسه ويبصر بنفسه، وليس قولي: إنه يس٠ع بنفسه أنه شئ والنفس شئ آخر، ولكني أردت عبارة عن نفسي إذ كنت ٠ا لك إذ كنت سائلا، فأقول: يس٠ع بكله، لا أن كله له بعض، ولكني أردت إفها٠ك والتعبير عن نفسي، وليس ٠رجعي في ذلك إلا إلى أنه الس٠الخبير بلا اختلاف الذات ولا اختلاف ال٠10.

Muhammad ibn Musa ibn al-Mutawakkil (RA) said: `Ali ibn Ibrahim said, on the authority of his father, on the authority of al-`Abbas ibn `Amr, on the authority of Hisham ibn al-Hakam that An atheist asked Abu `Abd Allah al-Sadiq (AS), “Do you say that He is All-Hearing, All-Seeing?” Thus, Abu `Abd Allah (AS) replied, He is All-Hearing, and All-Seeing. He is All-Hearing and AllSeeing, but without the use of visual or auditory organs. Rather, He hears by Himself, and He sees by Himself.

My statement is not that He hears by Himself in the sense that His Hearing is one thing, and His Self is another. Rather, my goal is to respond to what I was asked using terminology that can be readily understood. Hence, when I say that He hears by means of His Entire Essence, I say so to stress that He is not composed of parts. MY goal is to make you understand.

My only other recourse would be to say that He is All-Hearing, All-Seeing, AllKnowing, and All-Aware without any conflict between essence and concept.