Hadith of the man of al-Sham

‘A man from the scholars of the people of Syria (Al-Shaam) came up to Abu Ja’far (asws). He said, ‘O Abu Ja’far (asws), I have come to ask you (asws) a question which has exhausted me in finding one who could explain it to me, and I have asked three kinds of the people about it, so each type from them said something other than what the other one said’. So Abu Ja’far (asws) said to him: ‘What would that be?’ He said, ‘I ask you (asws) about the first thing what Allah (azwj) Created from His (azwj) creatures, for some of the ones I asked said it was the Destiny, and some of them said it was the Pen, and some of them said it was the Spirit’. So Abu Ja’far (asws) said: ‘They have not said anything. I (asws) hereby inform you that Allah (azwj) Blessed and High Existed and there was nothing other than Him (azwj), and He (azwj) was Mighty and there was no one who was mighty before Him (azwj), and that is His (azwj) Statement: “[37:180] Glory be to your Lord, the Lord of Honour, above what they describe”, and He (azwj) was the Creator before the creation, and had He (azwj) Created, and Had He (azwj) Created something from His (azwj) Creation, something from something, then there would be no cut-off from it (the chain) ever, and it would never cease if Allah (azwj) had something with Him (azwj) and He (azwj) did not precede it, but He (azwj) Existed when there was nothing other than Him (azwj). And He (azwj) Created the thing from which are all things, and it is the water from which He (azwj) Created the things. So He (azwj) Lineage everything to the water and did not Make a lineage for the water to which it can be ascribed. And He (azwj) Created the wind from the water, then Made the wind to overcome the water. So the wind sent down into the body of the water until foam swirled from the water in accordance with what He (azwj) so Desired it to swirl. So He (azwj) Created from that foam, pure white land with no crack in it, nor any holes, neither ascending nor descending, and no tree. Then He (azwj) Folded it, so He (azwj) Placed it on top of the water. Then Allah (azwj) Created the fire from the water, so the fire bust out of the body of the water until smoke arose from the water in accordance with Allah (azwj) so Desired it to rise. So He (azwj) Created from that smoke, clear and pure sky in which there were no cracks nor any holes, and that is His (azwj) Statement: “[79:27] Are you the harder to create or the heaven? He made it. [79:28] He raised high its height, then put it into a right good state. [79:29] And He made dark its night and brought out its light”. He (asws) said: ‘And there was no sun, and no moon, and no stars and no clouds. Then He (azwj) Folded it and Placed it upon the earth, then Established two creations. Then He (azwj) Raised the sky before the earth, so that is His (azwj) Statement, Mighty is His (azwj) Mention: “[79:30] And the earth, He expanded it after that”. He (azwj) Said that He (azwj) Spread it out’. So the Syrian said to him (asws), ‘O Abu Ja’far (asws), the Statement of Allah (azwj) the High: “[21:30] Do not those who disbelieve see that the heavens and the earth were closed up, but We have opened them”. So Abu Ja’far (asws) said: ‘Perhaps you think that these two used to be stuck together and there were separated from each other?’ He said, ‘Yes’. Abu Ja’far (asws) said: ‘Seek Forgiveness from your Lord (azwj), for it is the Statement of Allah (azwj) Mighty and Majestic that they were closed up, meaning that the sky used to be closed up and no rain descended from it, and the earth was closed up and did not grow any seed (vegetation). So when Allah (azwj) Blessed and High Created the creatures, He (azwj) Spread therein all kinds of animals. He (azwj) Opened up the sky by the rain and the earth by the seed’. The Syrian said, ‘I testify that you (asws) are from the children of the Prophets (as) and that your (asws) knowledge is their (as) knowledge’.