ALI Logo ALI
Search Books Updates
Home / Books / Al-Kāfi / Volume 1 / Chapter on al-Bida’ / Hadith 378
Hadith 378
Hadith #
378
Book
Al-Kāfi
Volume
1
Section
24
Part
The Book on Oneness of Allah (God)
Chapter
Chapter on al-Bida’
Source
Shaykh Muḥammad b. Yaʿqūb al-Kulaynī
۞
15. It is narrated from al-Husayn ibn Muhammad from Mu’alla ibn Muhammad who has said the following.
“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.”
15ـ الْحُسَيْنُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ مُعَلَّى بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ قَالَ
سُئِلَ الْعَالِمُ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلام) كَيْفَ عِلْمُ الله قَالَ عَلِمَ وَشَاءَ وَأَرَادَ وَقَدَّرَ وَقَضَى وَأَمْضَى فَأَمْضَى مَا قَضَى وَقَضَى مَا قَدَّرَ وَقَدَّرَ مَا أَرَادَ فَبِعِلْمِهِ كَانَتِ الْمَشِيئَةُ وَبِمَشِيئَتِهِ كَانَتِ الارَادَةُ وَبِإِرَادَتِهِ كَانَ التَّقْدِيرُ وَبِتَقْدِيرِهِ كَانَ الْقَضَاءُ وَبِقَضَائِهِ كَانَ الامْضَاءُ وَالْعِلْمُ مُتَقَدِّمٌ عَلَى الْمَشِيئَةِ وَالْمَشِيئَةُ ثَانِيَةٌ وَالارَادَةُ ثَالِثَةٌ وَالتَّقْدِيرُ وَاقِعٌ عَلَى الْقَضَاءِ بِالامْضَاءِ فَلله تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى الْبَدَاءُ فِيمَا عَلِمَ مَتَى شَاءَ وَفِيمَا أَرَادَ لِتَقْدِيرِ الاشْيَاءِ فَإِذَا وَقَعَ الْقَضَاءُ بِالامْضَاءِ فَلا بَدَاءَ فَالْعِلْمُ فِي الْمَعْلُومِ قَبْلَ كَوْنِهِ وَالْمَشِيئَةُ فِي الْمُنْشَإِ قَبْلَ عَيْنِهِ وَالارَادَةُ فِي الْمُرَادِ قَبْلَ قِيَامِهِ وَالتَّقْدِيرُ لِهَذِهِ الْمَعْلُومَاتِ قَبْلَ تَفْصِيلِهَا وَتَوْصِيلِهَا عِيَاناً وَوَقْتاً وَالْقَضَاءُ بِالامْضَاءِ هُوَ الْمُبْرَمُ مِنَ الْمَفْعُولاتِ ذَوَاتِ الاجْسَامِ الْمُدْرَكَاتِ بِالْحَوَاسِّ مِنْ ذَوِي لَوْنٍ وَرِيحٍ وَوَزْنٍ وَكَيْلٍ وَمَا دَبَّ وَدَرَجَ مِنْ إِنْسٍ وَجِنٍّ وَطَيْرٍ وَسِبَاعٍ وَغَيْرِ ذَلِكَ مِمَّا يُدْرَكُ بِالْحَوَاسِّ فَلله تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى فِيهِ الْبَدَاءُ مِمَّا لا عَيْنَ لَهُ فَإِذَا وَقَعَ الْعَيْنُ الْمَفْهُومُ الْمُدْرَكُ فَلا بَدَاءَ وَالله يَفْعَلُ مَا يَشَاءُ فَبِالْعِلْمِ عَلِمَ الاشْيَاءَ قَبْلَ كَوْنِهَا وَبِالْمَشِيئَةِ عَرَّفَ صِفَاتِهَا وَحُدُودَهَا وَأَنْشَأَهَا قَبْلَ إِظْهَارِهَا وَبِالارَادَةِ مَيَّزَ أَنْفُسَهَا فِي أَلْوَانِهَا وَصِفَاتِهَا وَبِالتَّقْدِيرِ قَدَّرَ أَقْوَاتَهَا وَعَرَّفَ أَوَّلَهَا وَآخِرَهَا وَبِالْقَضَاءِ أَبَانَ لِلنَّاسِ أَمَاكِنَهَا وَدَلَّهُمْ عَلَيْهَا وَبِالامْضَاءِ شَرَحَ عِللها وَأَبَانَ أَمْرَهَا وَذَلِكَ تَقْدِيرُ الْعَزِيزِ الْعَلِيمِ.
Tags Divine Decree

Similar narrations

  • Al-Kāfi #381 “I heard abu al-Hassan Musa ibn Ja‘far (a.s.) saying, ‘There can nothing until Allah would wish it to be, will, measure and decree.” I asked...
  • Al-Tawḥīd #388 Learned (AS) was asked: “How is the knowledge of Allah?” He (AS) replied, He knows, He wills, He intends, He decrees, He predestines, and He...
  • Al-Kāfi #382 “asked abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) about, “(Allah) Wished, Willed, Measured and Decreed.” The Imam said, “Yes.” I asked, “Did He love?” The Imam...
  • Al-Kāfi #298 “I asked abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.), ‘Is Allah’s will eternal?’” He replied, Will is always with what is willed. Allah is eternally All-knowing...
All narrations in Chapter on al-Bida’ Browse all books Search more hadith
Rewayaat

A project of the Academy for Learning Islam. Search, browse, and study Shi'i narrations in Arabic and English.

Explore
Updates Search Tips API Documentation
Contact
rewayaat.org@gmail.com GitHub Repository Academy of Islam
© 2026 Academy for Learning Islam (A.L.I.)
Content and translations remain the responsibility of their original sources.