Chapter on al-Bida’

“Allah is best worshipped with belief in al-Bada’. In another Hadith from Ibn Abi ‘Umayr from Hisham ibn Salim from abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) who has said, “Allah’s Greatness is not understood as well as it is understood with example of al-Bada’.”

“Can anything be affaced without being established? Can anything be esblished unless it is out of nothing?”

"Allah has not sent a prophet without first taking three pledges from him: acknowledgment of servitude to Him (Allah), renouncement of rivals (associating partners with Allah), and that Allah advances what He wills and delays what He wills."

“I asked the Imam about the words of Allah, “It is He who has created you from clay to live for a life-time and the span of your life is only known to Him. . .” (6:2) The Imam said, “There are two appointed times. One is is a definit time and the other is the conditional one.”

“I asked Imam abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) about the words of Allah “Does he not remember that We created him when he did not exist?” (19:67) The Imam (a.s.) said, “It means that he did not exist in a definit or in the form of a being.” I asked the Imam about the words of Allah, “There was certainly a time when there was no mention of the human being” (76:1) The Imam said, “ It was definit but not mentioned.”

I heard Abu Ja‘far (as) say: "Knowledge is of two types: One type of knowledge is with Allah, kept hidden, He has not disclosed it to any of His creation. And the other is knowledge which He taught to His angels and His messengers. As for what He taught His angels and His messengers, it will certainly occur; He does not contradict Himself, nor His angels, nor His messengers. And as for the knowledge that is kept with Him, He brings forward from it whatever He wills, delays from it whatever He wills, and establishes whatever He wills."

“Allah has two kinds of knowledge. There is the hidden, treasured knowledge of which no one has any information except Allah. From this knowledge comes al-Bada’. There is the knowledge that Allah has given to His angels, His messengers and His prophets and we know this knowledge.”

“Nothing appeared to Allah in a thing except that He knew it before al-Bada’ would take place.”

"Al-Bada' does take place to Allah (swt) from ignorance."

I asked abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.), “Can anything happen today that was not in the knowledge of Allah the day before?’ The Imam (a.s.) said, “No, this does not happen. Whoever would say so Allah will make him to suffer a great deal.” I then said, “Do you consider that all that were there and all that will take place up to the Day of Judgment are all in the knowledge of Allah?” The Imam said, “Yes, it was so before He created the creatures.”

“I heard Imam abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) saying, ‘Had the people known of the reward in the belief in al-Bada’ there would have been no weakness in their words about it.”

I heard abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) saying, “No prophet has ever proclaimed prophethood before acknowledging before Allah about five things. Acknowledgement of al-Bada’, of the wish of Allah, the prostration, affirmation of worshipping and obedience.”

“Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High, inform Prophet Muhammad about all that was there from the beginning of the world and that will be there to the end of the world. He informed him about is definit in them and made an except about what is otherwise.”

“I heard Imam al-Rida (a.s.) saying, “Allah never sent a prophet without the law that prohibits the use of wine and without belief in al-Bada.’”

“The ‘Alim (scholar) was asked, ‘How is the knowledge of Allah?” He replied, “He knew, He wanted, He willed, He measured, He decreed and He allowed it to happen. He let happen what He had decreed and decreed what he had measured and measured what He had willed. From His knowledge was His wish. From His wish was His will and from His will was His measuring. From His measuring was His decree and from His decree was His letting it to happen. Knowledge is before the wish. The wish is the second and the will is the third. Measuring happens up on the decree to let it happen. For Allah, the Most Holy, the Most High, there is al-Bada’ in whatever He knows when He wants and in the will to measure things. When the decree is issued to let it happen then there is no al-Bada’. Thus, the knowledge of the object of knowledge is before it comes into existence. The wish for the object of wish is before its substance. The will in what is willed is before it is established. The measuring of these objects of knowledge is before their details and before their reaching the stage of being manifested in their substance and time. The decree to let it happen is decisive in the acts with body and what is perceived with the senses of the colored having smells and weight and measurement and things walking, crawling and creeping on earth of man, Jinn, birds, beasts and others that are comprehended with the senses. Al-Bada’ happens with Allah in the matters that have no substance. When substance and meaning would appear then there is no al-Bada’. Allah does whatever He wants. With knowledge He has the knowledge of the things before their coming into existence. With the wish He has the knowledge their qualities and their limits. He invented them before they became manifest. With the will He distinguished them in their colors and qualities. With measurement He measured their sustenance and and made their beginning and end. With the decree He made public for people their places and guided them thereto. With the letting them to happen He explained the reasons and made the affairs public. This is the planing of the Most Majestic, the All-knowing.”