Chapter on Can Allah (God) be Considered a Thing?

I asked Abu Ja'far al-Baqir (as) about Tawhid, and I said: "I imagine something." He replied: "Yes, it is something that is neither rational nor limited. Whatever your imagination has conceived of anything, it is the opposite of it; nothing resembles Him, and the imagination cannot comprehend Him. How can the imagination grasp Him when He is contrary to what is rational and contrary to what can be conceived in imagination? Rather, what is imagined is something that is neither rational nor limited."

I asked Imam abu Ja‘far, the second (a.s.) the following. “Is it permissible to say that Allah is a thing?” The Imam replied, “Yes, because it removes two kinds of limitations, the limitation of being forgotten altogether and that of considering Him like other things.”

“Allah is distinct from His creatures and His creatures are different from Him and whatever that is called a thing is a creature except Allah.”

I heard Abi 'Abdillah (a.s.) saying: “Allah is distinct from His creatures and the creatures are different from Him. Whatever could be called a thing is a creature except Allah Who is the Creator of all things. Holy is He for Whom there is no similarity and He is all-hearing and all-aware.”

“Allah is distinct from His creation, and his creation is distinct from Him, and everything what the name ‘thing’ occurs upon, apart from Allah the Exalted, is created. And Allah is the Creator of all things.”

Abu Abdullah al-Sadiq (as) said to the heretic when he asked him, "What is He (Allah)?" He said: "He is something contrary to other things; refer my statement to the affirmation of a meaning, and that it is something in the reality of existence, but it is neither a body nor a form, nor can it be sensed or grasped. It cannot be perceived by the five senses; it cannot be comprehended by imagination, nor diminished by time, nor altered by the ages."
The questioner said: "Then you say He is Hearing and Seeing?" He replied: "He is Hearing and Seeing, Hearing without organs and Seeing without instruments; rather, He hears by Himself and sees by Himself. My statement that 'He is Hearing by Himself and Seeing by Himself' does not imply that He is something distinct, but I intended to express myself since I was asked, and to clarify for you since you were inquiring. Thus, I say: He is Hearing in His entirety, not that the whole of Him has a part, but I wanted to convey this for your understanding and to express my own meaning. My reference in this is solely to Him being the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing, the All-Knowing, the All-Aware, without any difference in essence or meaning."
The questioner asked: "What is He?" Abu Abdullah (as) said: "He is the Lord, and He is the Object of Worship, and He is Allah." My statement that 'Allah' affirms these letters, the Alif, the Lam, the Ha, and the Ra, is not intended. Rather, refer to the meaning and the entity that creates all things and brings them into existence, and the description of these letters; He is the meaning for which the name 'Allah' is called, as well as 'The Merciful', 'The Compassionate', 'The Almighty', and similar names. He is the Object of Worship, Exalted and Glorious.
The questioner then said: "But we do not find a concept except that it is created." Abu Abdullah (as) replied: "If that were as you say, then Tawhid would be negated for us, as we would not be obliged to acknowledge anything other than what is imagined. However, we say that every imagined concept is perceived through the senses; the senses limit it and represent it. Thus, it is a created entity, for if negation implies nullification and absence, then the second aspect is likening it to the qualities of apparent, composite creation. Therefore, it is necessary to affirm the Creator's existence due to the existence of the created beings and the necessity of them being created. Their creator is other than them and is not similar to them, for if He were like them, He would share in the composition and assembly, and in the changes that occur to them after they did not exist, and their transitions from youth to old age, from darkness to light, from strength to weakness, and the states that exist do not require explanation to clarify their existence."
The questioner then said: "You have defined Him by affirming His existence." Abu Abdullah (as) said: "I have not defined Him, but I affirm Him, for there is no intermediate position between negation and affirmation." The questioner said: "Then He has attributes of being and quantity." He replied: "Yes, nothing can be affirmed except through attributes of being and quantity." The questioner asked: "Then He has a manner?" He said: "No, for manner is an attribute of description and limitation. However, it is necessary to move away from the aspects of negation and likening, for whoever denies Him has indeed denied Him and rejected His Lordship, while whoever likens Him to others has affirmed Him with the attributes of created beings who do not deserve Lordship. However, it is necessary to affirm that He has a manner that is not shared by others, and that He is not comparable in any way, and that none knows it except Him."
The questioner said: "Does He experience things by Himself?" Abu Abdullah (as) replied: "He is far above experiencing things directly and through direct contact, for that is a characteristic of created beings, which do not come to Him except through direct contact and intervention. He is Exalted, having effective will and desire, and He accomplishes whatever He wills."

“Is it permissible to say Allah is a thing?” “Yes, it is permissible because it excludes Him from being ignored altogether and from being analogized or considered similar to the creatures.”