Taha Ayah 5

بِسْمِ اللّٰهِ الرَّحْمٰنِ الرَّحِيمِ اَللّٰهُ نُورُ السَّمٰاوٰاتِ وَ الْأَرْضِ [1] .

In the Name of Allah, the Most Beneficent, the Most Merciful. Allah is the light of the heavens and the earth. [Qur’an 24:35, M. H. Shakir]

قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ:فَلاَ أَدْرِي،إِلَى السَّمَاءِ صَعِدَتْ،أَمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ تَوَارَتْ بِقُدْرَةِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ.

Ibn ‘Abbas said: I do not know whether it ascended to the heaven, or hid in the earth by the power of Allah, Mighty and Majestic.

قوله تعالى:

اَلرَّحْمٰنُ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ اسْتَوىٰ [5]

The saying of the Most High: The Beneficent God is firm in power on the throne (of authority). [Qur’an 20:5, M. H. Shakir]

99-/6970 _1- مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَعْقُوبَ:عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ،وَ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْحَسَنِ،عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ زِيَادٍ،عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ مُوسَى الْخَشَّابِ،عَنْ بَعْضِ رِجَالِهِ،عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ(عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ) ،أَنَّهُ سُئِلَ عَنْ قَوْلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ: اَلرَّحْمٰنُ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ اسْتَوىٰ .فَقَالَ:«اسْتَوَى عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ،فَلَيْسَ شَيْءٌ أَقْرَبَ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ».

وَ رَوَاهُ ابْنُ بَابَوَيْهِ،قَالَ:حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ الْوَلِيدِ،قَالَ:حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى الْعَطَّارُ،عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ زِيَادٍ،عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ مُوسَى الْخَشَّابِ،عَنْ بَعْضِ رِجَالِهِ،رَفَعَهُ،عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ(عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ)،مِثْلَهُ [2].

99-/6970 (al-Kafi 1:6/99; al-Tawhid 4/316) - Muhammad b. Ya‘qub—from ‘Ali b. Muhammad and Muhammad b. al-Hasan—from Sahl b. Ziyad—from al-Hasan b. Musa al-Khashshab—from some of his men—from Abu ‘Abdillah (peace be upon him), that he was asked about the saying of Allah, Mighty and Majestic: The Beneficent God is firm in power on the throne (of authority). [Qur’an 20:5, M. H. Shakir]. He said: He is established over everything; nothing is nearer to Him than anything else.

99-/6971 _2- وَ عَنْهُ،بِهَذَا الْإِسْنَادِ:عَنْ سَهْلٍ،عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ مَحْبُوبٍ،عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مَارِدٍ:أَنَّ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ(عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ) سُئِلَ عَنْ قَوْلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ: اَلرَّحْمٰنُ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ اسْتَوىٰ فَقَالَ:«اسْتَوَى عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ،فَلَيْسَ أَقْرَبَ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ».

وَ رَوَاهُ عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ:عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ،عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ زِيَادٍ،عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ مَحْبُوبٍ،عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مَارِدٍ،قَالَ:سُئِلَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ(عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ)،وَ ذَكَرَ مِثْلَهُ [4].

وَ رَوَاهُ ابْنُ بَابَوَيْهِ،قَالَ:حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ مَاجِيلَوَيْهِ(رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ)،قَالَ:حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى الْعَطَّارُ،عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ زِيَادٍ الْآدَمِيِّ،عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ مَحْبُوبٍ،عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ مَارِدٍ:أَنَّ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ(عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ)،وَ ذَكَرَ مِثْلَهُ [5].

99-/6971 (al-Kafi 1:7/99; Tafsir al-Qummi 2:59; al-Tawhid 1/315) - And from him with this chain—from Sahl—from al-Hasan b. Mahbub—from Muhammad b. Marid—that Abu ‘Abdillah (peace be upon him) was asked about the saying of Allah, Mighty and Majestic: The Beneficent God is firm in power on the throne (of authority). [Qur’an 20:5, M. H. Shakir]. He said: He is established over everything; nothing is nearer to Him than anything else.

99-/6972 _3- وَ عَنْهُ:عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ يَحْيَى،عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْحُسَيْنِ،عَنْ صَفْوَانَ بْنِ يَحْيَى،عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ الْحَجَّاجِ،قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ(عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ)عَنْ قَوْلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ: اَلرَّحْمٰنُ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ اسْتَوىٰ فَقَالَ:

«اسْتَوَى فِي كُلِّ شَيْءٍ،فَلَيْسَ شَيْءٌ أَقْرَبَ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ،لَمْ يَبْعُدْ مِنْهُ بَعِيدٌ وَ لَمْ يَقْرُبْ مِنْهُ قَرِيبٌ،اسْتَوَى فِي كُلِّ شَيْءٍ».

وَ رَوَاهُ ابْنُ بَابَوَيْهِ عَنْ أَبِيهِ،قَالَ:حَدَّثَنَا سَعْدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ،عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْحُسَيْنِ،عَنْ صَفْوَانَ بْنِ يَحْيَى،عَنْ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ الْحَجَّاجِ،قَالَ:سَأَلْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ(عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ)مِثْلَهُ [1].

99-/6972 (al-Kafi 1:8/99; al-Tawhid 2/315) - And from him—from Muhammad b. Yahya—from Muhammad b. al-Husayn—from Safwan b. Yahya—from ‘Abd al-Rahman b. al-Hajjaj, who said: I asked Abu ‘Abdillah (peace be upon him) about the saying of Allah, Mighty and Majestic: The Beneficent God is firm in power on the throne (of authority). [Qur’an 20:5, M. H. Shakir]. He said: He is established in everything; nothing is nearer to Him than anything else. No far one is far from Him, nor is any near one near to Him. He is established in everything.

99-/6973 _4- وَ عَنْهُ:عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ يَحْيَى،عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى،عَنِ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ سَعِيدٍ؛عَنِ النَّضْرِ بْنِ سُوَيْدٍ،عَنْ عَاصِمِ بْنِ حُمَيْدٍ،عَنْ أَبِي بَصِيرٍ،عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ(عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ)،قَالَ: «مَنْ زَعَمَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ مِنْ شَيْءٍ،أَوْ فِي شَيْءٍ، أَوْ عَلَى شَيْءٍ،فَقَدْ كَفَرَ».

قُلْتُ فَسِّرْ لِي.قَالَ:«أَعْنِي بِالْحَوَايَةِ مِنَ الشَّيْءِ لَهُ،أَوْ بِإِمْسَاكٍ لَهُ،أَوْ مِنْ شَيْءٍ سَبَقَهُ».

وَ فِي رِوَايَةٍ أُخْرَى: «مَنْ زَعَمَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ مِنْ شَيْءٍ فَقَدْ جَعَلَهُ مُحْدَثاً،وَ مَنْ زَعَمَ أَنَّهُ فِي شَيْءٍ فَقَدْ جَعَلَهُ مَحْصُوراً، وَ مَنْ زَعَمَ أَنَّهُ عَلَى شَيْءٍ فَقَدْ جَعَلَهُ مَحْمُولاً».

وَ رَوَاهُ أَيْضاً ابْنُ بَابَوَيْهِ،قَالَ:حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ الْوَلِيدِ(رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ)،قَالَ:حَدَّثَنَا الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ أَبَانٍ،عَنِ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ سَعِيدٍ،عَنِ النَّضْرِ بْنِ سُوَيْدٍ،عَنْ عَاصِمِ بْنِ حُمَيْدٍ،عَنْ أَبِي بَصِيرٍ،عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ(عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ)،مِثْلَهُ [2].

99-/6973 (al-Kafi 1:9/99; al-Tawhid 5/317, 6) - And from him—from Muhammad b. Yahya—from Ahmad b. Muhammad b. ‘Isa—from al-Husayn b. Sa‘id—from al-Nadr b. Suwayd—from ‘Asim b. Humayd—from Abu Basir—from Abu ‘Abdillah (peace be upon him), who said: Whoever claims that Allah is from something, or in something, or upon something, has disbelieved. I said: Explain it to me. He said: I mean by “from something” that something contains Him; or by “in something” that something holds Him; or by “upon something” that something preceded Him. And in another narration: Whoever claims that Allah is from something has made Him originated; whoever claims that He is in something has made Him confined; and whoever claims that He is upon something has made Him carried.

99-/6974 _5- وَ عَنْهُ:عَنْ عِدَّةٍ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا،عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ الْبَرْقِيِّ،رَفَعَهُ،قَالَ: سَأَلَ الْجَاثَلِيقُ أَمِيرَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ(عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ)،فَقَالَ لَهُ:أَخْبِرْنِي عَنِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ،يَحْمِلُ الْعَرْشَ أَمِ الْعَرْشُ يَحْمِلُهُ؟ …

99-/6974 (al-Kafi 1:1/100) - And from him—from several of our companions—from Ahmad b. Muhammad al-Barqi, marfu‘: The Catholicos asked the Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him): Inform me about Allah, Mighty and Majestic—does He carry the Throne, or does the Throne carry Him? The Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) said: Allah, Exalted, is the bearer of the Throne and the heavens and the earth, and what is in them and between them. That is the saying of Allah, Mighty and Majestic: Surely Allah upholds the heavens and the earth lest they come to naught, and if they should come to naught, there is none who can uphold them after Him; surely He is the Forbearing, the Forgiving. [Qur’an 35:41, M. H. Shakir]. He said: Then inform me about His saying: And on that day eight shall bear above them the Throne of your Lord. [Qur’an 69:17, M. H. Shakir]. How did He say that, when you have said that He carries the Throne and the heavens and the earth? The Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) said: Indeed, Allah created the Throne from four lights: a red light, from which redness became red; a green light, from which greenness became green; a yellow light, from which yellowness became yellow; and a white light, from which whiteness became white. It is the knowledge with which Allah caused the bearers to bear it, and that is a light from His greatness. By His greatness and His light the hearts of the believers perceive; by His greatness and His light the ignorant oppose Him; and by His greatness and His light all those in the heavens and the earth among His creatures seek a means to Him through diverse works and religions that resemble one another. Every carried thing is carried by Allah through His light and His greatness and His power; it cannot bring harm or benefit to itself, nor death, nor life, nor resurrection. So everything is carried, and Allah, Blessed and Exalted, is the One Who restrains them from passing away and Who encompasses them, and He is the life of every thing and the light of every thing. Glorified and Exalted is He above what the wrongdoers say, greatly exalted. He said to him: Inform me about Allah, Mighty and Majestic—where is He? The Commander of the Faithful (peace be upon him) said: He is here and here, above and below, encompassing us and with us. That is His saying: There is no secret counsel of three but He is their fourth, nor of five but He is their sixth, nor less than that nor more but He is with them wheresoever they are. [Qur’an 58:7, M. H. Shakir]. The Kursi encompasses the heavens and the earth, and what is between them, and what is beneath the soil; and if you utter aloud, surely He knows the secret and what is yet more hidden. That is His saying: His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth, and the preservation of them both tires Him not, and He is the Most High, the Great. [Qur’an 2:255, M. H. Shakir]. Those who bear the Throne are the scholars whom Allah has made bear His knowledge. Nothing created in His dominion is outside these four. It is the Dominion (malakut) that Allah showed to His elect and showed to His intimate friend (peace be upon him): And thus did We show Ibrahim the kingdom of the heavens and the earth that he might be of those who are sure. [Qur’an 6:75, M. H. Shakir]. How could the bearers of the Throne carry Allah, while by His life their hearts live and by His light they are guided to His knowledge?!

99-/6975 _6- وَ عَنْهُ:عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ إِدْرِيسَ،عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ الْجَبَّارِ،عَنْ صَفْوَانَ بْنِ يَحْيَى،قَالَ: سَأَلَنِي أَبُو قُرَّةَ الْمُحَدِّثُ،أَنْ أُدْخِلَهُ عَلَى أَبِي الْحَسَنِ الرِّضَا(عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ)…

99-/6975 (al-Kafi 1:2/101) - And from him—from Ahmad b. Idris—from Muhammad b. ‘Abd al-Jabbar—from Safwan b. Yahya, who said: Abu Qurra the traditionist asked me to admit him to Abu al-Hasan al-Rida (peace be upon him). I sought permission and he permitted me. He entered and asked him about the lawful and the unlawful, then said to him: Do you acknowledge that Allah is carried? Abu al-Hasan (peace be upon him) said: Every carried thing is something acted upon, ascribed to other than itself, and in need; “carried” is, in wording, a name of deficiency, while “carrier” is an agent, and, in wording, a commendation. Likewise are the words “above” and “below,” “higher” and “lower.” Allah has said: And Allah’s are the best names, therefore call on Him thereby. [Qur’an 7:180, M. H. Shakir]. He did not say in His books that He is “the carried”; rather He said He is “the carrier” on land and sea, and “the One Who upholds the heavens and the earth lest they pass away.” What is carried is whatever is other than Allah, and no one who believed in Allah and His greatness has ever been heard to say in his supplication: “O Carried One.” Abu Qurra said: But He said: And on that day eight shall bear above them the Throne of your Lord, and He said: Those who bear the Throne… [Qur’an 69:17; 40:7]. Abu al-Hasan (peace be upon him) said: The Throne is not Allah. The Throne is the name of His knowledge and power, and a throne in which is everything. Then He attributed the bearing to others—creatures among His creation—because He made His creation ‘abid (servants) by bearing His Throne; they are the bearers of His knowledge; and there are creatures who glorify around His Throne, and they act by His knowledge; and angels who write the deeds of His servants. He made the people of the earth His servants by circumambulating His House. And Allah is firm in power on the Throne as He said; the Throne and those who bear it and those around the Throne—Allah is the One Who bears them, preserves them, restrains them, and oversees every soul. He is above everything and over everything; and it is not said of Him “carried,” nor “lower”—isolated words that, if joined to something, would corrupt the wording and the meaning. Abu Qurra said: So do you belie the report which has come that when Allah becomes angry, His anger is known because the angels who bear the Throne feel its weight upon their shoulders, so they fall down prostrate; and when the anger passes, it lightens and they return to their stations? He said: Inform me, from the time He cursed Iblis until this day of yours, is He angry with him? When did He become pleased? By your description He has never ceased to be angry with him, his allies, and his followers. How dare you describe your Lord with change from state to state, and that what occurs to creatures occurs to Him? Glorified and Exalted is He! He has never vanished with those who vanish, nor changed with those who change, nor altered with those who are altered. Those below Him are in His hand and under His management, and all of them are in need of Him, while He is independent of all besides Him.

99-/6976 _7- وَ عَنْهُ:عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ،عَنْ سَهْلِ بْنِ زِيَادٍ،عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى،قَالَ: كَتَبْتُ إِلَى أَبِي الْحَسَنِ عَلِيِّ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ(عَلَيْهِمَا السَّلاَمُ)…

99-/6976 (al-Kafi 1:4/98) - And from him—from ‘Ali b. Muhammad—from Sahl b. Ziyad—from Muhammad b. ‘Isa, who said: I wrote to Abu al-Hasan ‘Ali b. Muhammad (peace be upon them): May I be your ransom, my master. It has been narrated to us that Allah is in a place to the exclusion of another place; that He is firm in power on the Throne; that He descends every night in the latter half of the night to the lowest heaven; and it has been narrated that He descends on the afternoon of ‘Arafah, then returns to His place. One of your clients said about that: If He is in a place to the exclusion of another, then air meets Him and surrounds Him; and air is a subtle body that surrounds everything according to its measure—so how does it surround Him, majestic is His praise, on this pattern? He wrote (peace be upon him): The knowledge of that is with Him; He is the one who measures it with the best measure. And know that if He is in the lowest heaven, then He is as He is upon the Throne; and all things are the same with Him in knowledge, power, dominion, and encompassment.

99-/6977 _8- ابْنُ بَابَوَيْهِ،قَالَ:حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ مُوسَى بْنِ الْمُتَوَكِّلِ(رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ)،قَالَ:حَدَّثَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ جَعْفَرٍ،عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ،عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ مَحْبُوبٍ،قَالَ:حَدَّثَنِي مُقَاتِلُ بْنُ سُلَيْمَانَ،قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ جَعْفَرَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ(عَلَيْهِمَا السَّلاَمُ) عَنْ قَوْلِ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ: اَلرَّحْمٰنُ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ اسْتَوىٰ فَقَالَ:«اسْتَوَى مِنْ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ،فَلَيْسَ شَيْءٌ أَقْرَبَ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ».

99-/6977 (al-Tawhid 7/317) - Ibn Babawayh—…—Maqatil b. Sulayman said: I asked Ja‘far b. Muhammad (peace be upon them) about the saying of Allah, Mighty and Majestic: The Beneficent God is firm in power on the throne (of authority). [Qur’an 20:5, M. H. Shakir]. He said: He is established with respect to everything; nothing is nearer to Him than anything else.

99-/6978 _9- وَ عَنْهُ:بِهَذَا الْإِسْنَادِ،عَنِ الْحَسَنِ بْنِ مَحْبُوبٍ،عَنْ حَمَّادٍ،قَالَ:قَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ(عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ): «كَذَبَ مَنْ زَعَمَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَ جَلَّ مِنْ شَيْءٍ،أَوْ فِي شَيْءٍ،أَوْ عَلَى شَيْءٍ».

99-/6978 (al-Tawhid 8/317) - And from him—with this chain—from al-Hasan b. Mahbub—from Hammad, who said: Abu ‘Abdillah (peace be upon him) said: He has lied who alleges that Allah, Mighty and Majestic, is from something, or in something, or upon something.

99-/6979 _10- وَ عَنْهُ،قَالَ:حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِمْرَانَ الدَّقَّاقُ(رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ)… «إِنَّ لِلْعَرْشِ صِفَاتٍ كَثِيرَةً مُخْتَلِفَةً…»

99-/6979 (al-Tawhid 1/321) - And from him—‘Ali b. Ahmad b. Muhammad b. ‘Imran al-Daqqaq—… Hanan b. Sadir said: I asked Abu ‘Abdillah (peace be upon him) about the Throne and the Kursi. He said: The Throne has many different descriptions; in every context in the Qur’an where it appears, it has a distinct description. His saying: Lord of the Great Throne means: Lord of the great dominion; and His saying: The Beneficent God is firm in power on the Throne (of authority) means: He has encompassed the dominion. And the full hadith will come, God willing, in Surat al-Naml at His saying, Lord of the Great Throne. [Qur’an 27:26, M. H. Shakir]

99-/6980 _11- الطَّبْرِسِيُّ فِي(الْإِحْتِجَاجِ):رَوَى هِشَامُ بْنُ الْحَكَمِ … قَالَ السَّائِلُ:فَقَوْلُهُ: اَلرَّحْمٰنُ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ اسْتَوىٰ ؟ …

99-/6980 (al-Ihtijaj 332) - Al-Tabrisi in al-Ihtijaj narrates from Hisham b. al-Hakam that among the questions of the atheist who came to Abu ‘Abdillah (peace be upon him) was: What is the proof for the Maker of the world? He said: The existence of acts that indicate their Maker made them. Do you not see that if you look at an elevated, constructed building, you know it has a builder, even if you do not see or witness the builder? He asked: Then what is He? He said: He is a thing unlike things. Return my saying “thing” to the affirmation of His existence—that He is truly a “thing” in the reality of thing-ness, except that He is not a body nor a form, is not touched, and is not perceived by the five senses; imaginations do not grasp Him; the ages do not diminish Him; and time does not change Him. The questioner said: We have not found anything conceivable except that it is created. He said: If it were as you say, then our monotheism would be void, for we would not have been charged to believe in anything beyond what is conceivable. Rather, we say: Everything conceivable and sensed by the senses and bounded by them in representation is created; and it is necessary to affirm that the Maker of things is outside the two blameworthy extremes: one is negation—since negation is nullification and non-existence; the second is likening Him to the attribute of the manifestly composite created thing. Thus it is necessary to affirm the Maker because of the existence of things made and their compulsion to acknowledge that they are made, and that their Maker is other than they and not like them—since their like would resemble them in manifest composition and in what befalls them of coming into being after not being, and of their transitions from smallness to greatness, blackness to whiteness, strength to weakness, and other states established and existent with no need for us to explain them due to their firmness and existence. The questioner said: Then you have delimited Him when you affirmed His existence. He said: I have not delimited Him; rather, I have affirmed Him, for there is no station between negation and affirmation. The questioner said: Then what of His saying: The Beneficent God is firm in power on the throne (of authority)? [Qur’an 20:5, M. H. Shakir]. He said: Thus He described Himself, and thus He is dominant over the Throne, separate from His creation, without the Throne bearing Him, containing Him, or being a locus for Him. Rather, we say: He is the bearer of the Throne and its upholder. And we say therein what He said: His Kursi extends over the heavens and the earth. [Qur’an 2:255, M. H. Shakir]. So we affirm of the Throne and the Kursi what He affirmed, and we negate that the Throne and the Kursi contain Him, and that the Mighty and Majestic is in need of a place or anything He created; rather, His creation is in need of Him. The questioner said: What is the difference between raising your hands to the heaven and lowering them toward the earth? He said: In His knowledge, encompassment, and power it is the same. But He, Mighty and Majestic, commanded His friends and servants to raise their hands to the heaven toward the Throne, because He made it the mine of provision. So we affirm what the Qur’an and the reports from the Messenger (Allah bless him and his family) established when he said: Raise your hands to Allah, Mighty and Majestic—and this is agreed upon by all the sects of the community.

99-/6981 _12- الطَّبْرِسِيُّ فِي(الْإِحْتِجَاجِ):عَنِ الصَّادِقِ(عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ) …

99-/6981 (al-Ihtijaj 351) - Al-Tabrisi in al-Ihtijaj: from al-Sadiq (peace be upon him), when an atheist questioned him, who said: Inform me about the sun—where does it set? He (peace be upon him) said: Some scholars have said: When it descends to the bottom of the arch (of heaven), the sphere revolves with it to the belly of the sky, ascending ever until it declines to its rising place—that is, it sets into a hot spring—then it pierces the earth returning to its rising place, then falls prostrate beneath the Throne until it is permitted to rise, and its light is taken from it each day and it is clothed with another light. He said: Is the Kursi greater or the Throne? He (peace be upon him) said: Everything Allah created is within the Kursi, except His Throne, for it is too great for the Kursi to encompass it. He said: Did He create the day before the night? He (peace be upon him) said: Yes. He created the day before the night, the sun before the moon, and the earth before the heaven. He placed the earth upon the fish, the fish in the water, the water in a hollow rock, the rock upon the shoulder of an angel, the angel upon the soil, the soil upon the barren wind, the wind upon the air, and the air is held by the power. Beneath the barren wind there is nothing but air and darkness; beyond that there is no expanse, no constriction, and nothing imaginable. Then He created the Kursi and filled it with the heavens and the earth, and the Kursi is greater than everything He created. Then He created the Throne and made it greater than the Kursi.

قوله تعالى:

لَهُ مٰا فِي السَّمٰاوٰاتِ وَ مٰا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَ مٰا بَيْنَهُمٰا وَ مٰا تَحْتَ الثَّرىٰ [6]

His are what is in the heavens and what is in the earth and what is between them two and what is beneath the ground. [Qur’an 20:6, M. H. Shakir]

99-/6982 _1- مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَعْقُوبَ:عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ أَحْمَدَ،عَنِ ابْنِ مَحْبُوبٍ،عَنْ جَمِيلِ بْنِ صَالِحٍ،عَنْ أَبَانِ بْنِ تَغْلِبَ،عَنْ أَبِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ(عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ)…

99-/6982 (al-Kafi 8:55/89; Tafsir al-Qummi 2:59) - Muhammad b. Ya‘qub—from Muhammad b. Ahmad—from Ibn Mahbub—from Jamil b. Salih—from Aban b. Taghlib—from Abu ‘Abdillah (peace be upon him), who said: I asked him about the earth—upon what is it? He said: Upon the fish. I said: And the fish—upon what is it? He said: Upon the water. I said: And the water—upon what is it? He said: Upon the rock. I said: And the rock—upon what is it? He said: Upon the horn of a smooth bull. I said: And the bull—upon what is it? He said: Upon the soil. I said: And the soil—upon what is it? He said: Far, far! At that point the knowledge of the scholars is lost.

99-/6983 _2- عَلِيُّ بْنُ إِبْرَاهِيمَ،قَالَ:حَدَّثَنِي أَبِي،عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ مَهْزِيَارَ،عَنِ الْعَلاَءِ الْمَكْفُوفِ،عَنْ بَعْضِ أَصْحَابِهِ،عَنْ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ(عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ)…

99-/6983 (Tafsir al-Qummi 2:58) - ‘Ali b. Ibrahim said: My father narrated to me—from ‘Ali b. Mahziyar—from al-‘Ala’ al-Makfuf—from some of his companions—from Abu ‘Abdillah (peace be upon him): He was asked about the earth—upon what is it? He said: Upon the fish. It was said to him: And the fish—upon what is it? He said: Upon the water. It was said to him: And the water—upon what is it? He said: Upon the soil. It was said to him: And the soil—upon what is it? He said: At that point the knowledge of the scholars comes to an end.

قوله تعالى:

وَ إِنْ تَجْهَرْ بِالْقَوْلِ فَإِنَّهُ يَعْلَمُ السِّرَّ وَ أَخْفىٰ [7]

And if you utter the saying aloud, then surely He knows the secret and what is yet more hidden. [Qur’an 20:7, M. H. Shakir]

99-/6984 _3- ابْنُ بَابَوَيْهِ،قَالَ:حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عَلِيٍّ مَاجِيلَوَيْهِ(رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ)،قَالَ:حَدَّثَنِي عَمِّي مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ أَبِي …

99-/6984 (Ma‘ani al-Akhbar 1/143) - Ibn Babawayh said: Muhammad b. ‘Ali Majilawayh (may Allah have mercy on him) narrated to us… [text continues as in the source].

المراجع والحواشي:

_1) - الكافي 1:6/99.

- al-Kāfī 1:6/99.

_2) - الكافي 1:7/99.

- al-Kāfī 1:7/99.

_3) - الكافي 1:8/99.

- al-Kāfī 1:8/99.

[1] النور 24:35.

- al-Nūr 24:35.

[2] التوحيد:4/316.

- al-Tawḥīd 4/316.

[3] في«ط،ج»:من.

- fī “Ṭ, J”: min.

[4] تفسير القمّيّ 2:59.

- Tafsīr al-Qummī 2:59.

[5] التوحيد:1/315.

- al-Tawḥīd 1/315.

[1] التوحيد:2/315.

- al-Tawḥīd 2/315.

[2] التوحيد:5/317،6.

- al-Tawḥīd 5/317, 6.

[3] فاطر 35:41.

- Fāṭir 35:41.

[4] الحاقّة 69:17.

- al-Ḥāqqah 69:17.

[1] في«ج،ط»و المصدر زيادة:من شيء.

- fī “J, Ṭ” wa’l-maṣdar ziyādah: min shay’.

[2] المجادلة 58:7.

- al-Mujādilah 58:7.

[3] البقرة 2:255.

- al-Baqarah 2:255.

[4] الأنعام 6:75.

- al-An‘ām 6:75.

[5] في الأعراف(7:180): وَ لِلّٰهِ الْأَسْمٰاءُ الْحُسْنىٰ الآية.

- fī al-A‘rāf (7:180): wa li’Llāhi al-asmā’u al-ḥusnā al-āyah.

[6] الحاقّة 69:17.

- al-Ḥāqqah 69:17.

[1] غافر 40:7.

- Ghāfir 40:7.

[2] في«ي»:و عرشه اسم علمه.

- fī “Y”: wa ‘arshuhu ismu ‘ilmihi.

[3] في«ط»:يعلمون.

- fī “Ṭ”: ya‘lamūn.

[4] في«ج»:مواقفهم.

- fī “J”: mawāqifihim.

[5] في المصدر،و كذا في الموضع الآتي:و يتكنّف.و كنّف الشيء:أحاط به.«المعجم الوسيط-كنف-2:801».

- fī al-maṣdar, wa kaḏā fī al-mawḍi‘ al-ātī: wa yatakannaf. Wa kannafa al-shay’: aḥāṭa bih. “al-Mu‘jam al-Wasīṭ – K-N-F – 2:801”.

[6] في المصدر:له.

- fī al-maṣdar: lahu.

_8) -التوحيد:7/317.

- al-Tawḥīd 7/317.

_9) -التوحيد:8/317.

- al-Tawḥīd 8/317.

_10) -التوحيد:1/321.

- al-Tawḥīd 1/321.

_11) -الإحتجاج:332.

- al-Iḥtijāj 332.

[1] يأتي في الحديث(1)من تفسير الآية(26)من سورة النّمل.

- ya’tī fī al-ḥadīth (1) min tafsīr al-āyah (26) min Sūrat al-Naml.

[2] في«ط»نسخة بدل:يمسّ.

- fī “Ṭ” nuskhat badal: yumas.

_12) -الإحتجاج:351.

- al-Iḥtijāj 351.

[1] في«ط»نسخة بدل:و تقلّبهم.

- fī “Ṭ” nuskhat badal: wa taqallubahum.

[2] البقرة 2:255.

- al-Baqarah 2:255.

_1) -الكافي 8:55/89.

- al-Kāfī 8:55/89.

_2) -تفسير القمّيّ 2:58.

- Tafsīr al-Qummī 2:58.

_3) -معاني الأخبار:1/143.

- Ma‘ānī al-Akhbār 1:143.

[1] تفسير القمّيّ 2:59.

- Tafsīr al-Qummī 2:59.