سنان بن سنان مولى

I asked him (AS) “What is a name?” He said: ”It is an attribute for the attributed.”

I asked Abu `Abd Allah al-Sadiq (AS) to interpret the Word of Allah, the Mighty and High: The nature made by Allah is which He has made men. He (AS) said: “It is Divine Unity.”

“The heavens and the earth, and whatever is between them, are in the Throne [al-kursi], and the Empyrean [al-`arsh] is the Knowledge (of Allah) over which no one has power.”

O Commander of the Faithful! Since when has our Lord existed?” `Ali (AS) replied: It is certainly said `when was it’ for a thing that was not there and then was there. However, our Lord, the Blessed and Exalted, had existed, does exist and will exist without occurrence. He existed without quality. He has always existed with eternity and without quality. He has always existed. There is no beginning for Him. He is prior to the beginning. He is without a beginning and an end [ghayah]. He is the End and there is no end to Him. He is the End that ends all. Thus, He is the End of all Ends.

I asked Abu `Abd Allah al-Sadiq (AS) “What is the nature referred to in the Word of Allah, the Mighty and High: “The nature made by Allah is which He has made men.” He responded, It is Islam. Allah placed this nature in them when He created them and made a covenant with them regarding Divine Unity. Thus, He asked: Am I not your Lord? The covenant encompassed all those who believe and all those who disbelieve.

“None but Allah can create something out of nothing. None but Allah can transfer one substance into another. None but Allah can transfer existence into non-existence.”

Praise be to the One! There is no god but He. He is the Eternal, and the Originator without beginning. He is the Eternal, who does not tire. He is the Living, who does not die. He is the Creator of the seen and the unseen. He is the Knower of Everything without being taught. Such is Allah who has no associate.

Abu `Imran al-`Ijli said: Muhammad ibn Sinan said: Abu al-`Ala al-Khaffaf said: `Atiyyah al-`Awfi said, on the authority of Abu Sa’id al-Khudri, he said that The Messenger of Allah (sw) said: “Neither I nor anyone before me has said anything (with such worth) like: `There is no god but Allah’ [La ilaha illa Allah].”

I heard from Yunus b. Ya`qub who narrated from Sinan b. Turayf from Abi `Abdillah al-Sadiq (as). He said: He said: We are the first family that Allah mentioned by our names. Surely, when Allah created the heavens and the Earth, He ordered a caller [to call out], so he called out: “I bear witness that there is no god but Allah” three times, “I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah” three times, and “I bear witness that `Ali is truly the Commander of the Faithful” three times.

I asked Abu `Abdillah (AS): “May I be your ransom! What used to make the Messenger of Allah (sw) swoon when he received the revelation?” He (AS) answered: “That happened when there was no one between him and Allah. That happened when Allah manifested Himself to him.” He says that he (AS) then added: “Such is prophethood, O Zurarah! Accept it with humility.”

(It means) comprehension by the imagination (is impossible for Him). Do you not see His words: “There have come to you insights (Basair) from your Lord” (6:104) - He does not mean sighting of the eyes. “Whosoever will see (Absara) then it will be for his own self” (6:104) - He does not mean by (the word) ‘see’ through his eye. “and whoever is blind is against it” (6:104) - He does not mean the blindness of the eyes. He means comprehension by the imagination - as is said: So-and-so is insightful (Basir) in poetry, So-and-so is insightful in jurisprudence, So-and-so is insightful in coins (telling forgeries from the real thing), So-and-so is insightful in clothes. Allah is greater than to be seen by the eye.

about the words of Allah. “No mortal eyes can see Him, but He can see all eyes. He is All-kind and All-aware.” (6:103) It means within what is called al-Wahm which in terms of the degrees of knowledge is less than fifty percent. Consider the words of Allah in: “Clear proofs have certainly come to you from your Lord.. .” (6:104) It does not mean eye-witnessed knowledge. Also consider, “Whosoever sees clearly, it is to his own gain.” (ibid) does not mean seeing with the eyes and in “Whosoever is blind, it is to his own loss’ (ibid ). Blindness does not mean deprivation of eye-sight. It means within the range of Wahm (mentioned above). As is commonly said, so and so is very keen-sighted in matters of poetry, and so and so is very keen-sighted in religion and jurisprudence. So and so has a keen eye for money, and so and so an eye for clothes. Allah is far great and above being eye-witnessed by people.”

I was in the presence of Abu Ja`far al-Baqir (AS) when a Kharijite entered his presence and asked him: “O Abu Ja`far, who do you serve?” He (AS) replied: “Allah.” He questioned: “Have you seen Him?” He (AS) answered: Eyes cannot see him through vision, but hearts can see Him through certainty of faith. He is neither recognized with analogy, nor perceived with the senses, and cannot be compared to people. He is attributed through signs and recognized through indications. There is no oppression in His Judgement. Such is Allah; there is no god but Him. He said: “Then the man left while saying that `Allah knows best where to place His Message.”

I was with Aba Ja`far Muhammad b. `Ali al-Baqir (as) when a man visited him from the Khawarij. So, he said: O Aba Ja`far! What do you worship? He said: Allah. He said: Did you see Him? He said: The vision of eyes cannot comprehend Him. Rather, it is the hearts that will see Him through the realities of faith. He is not known by analogies, nor is He comprehended by the senses, nor can He be compared to the people. He is described by His signs and He is known by His indicators. He does not oppress in His wisdom – surely, this is Allah, there is no deity except Him. So the man left while saying, “Allah is most knowing of where He places His message” (6:124).

“Verily, Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He, has given the believer a guarantee.” I asked, “What is it?” He replied, “If a believer professes his (Allah’s) divinity, Muhammad’s (sw) prophethood, and `Ali’s (as) Imamate, and carries out his duties, He guarantees him eternal life in His Presence [jiwar].” I said: “By Allah! This is a blessing with which none of the blessings bestowed upon the children of Adam can compare!” Abu 'Abdillah (AS) replied, “Do little, and you will enjoy much.”

“Abu Ja’far (a.s.) has said, ‘Whoever says before dawn, “No one deserves to be worshipped except Allah alone, Who has no partner, to Him belongs the kingdom and all praise, He gives life, causes death, causes death and gives life. He is living and does not die, in His hand is all good and He has power over all things,” ten times and says, ‘O Lord, grant al-Salat (favors) upon Muhammad and his family,’ ten times, and says, ‘Allah is free of all defects,’ thirty-five times, ‘No one deserves to be worshipped except Allah,’ thirty- five times, ‘All praise belongs to Allah,’ thirty-five times, he will not be written that morning among the careless ones and if he says this in the evening, he will not be written of the careless ones in that night.’”

so and so has the vision of poetry, so and so has the vision of jurisprudence, so and so has the vision of coins, and so and so has the vision of clothes. Allah is far above visual perception.

We are the Oft-Repeated1 Ones that Allah bestowed to our Prophet (sw). We are the Face [wajh] of Allah. And (wih all this) we live among you. Whoever recognizes us, and whoever is ignorant of us faces certain death [yaqin]. The Compiler of this book, may Allah be pleased with him, says: The meaning of his (AS) statement: “We are the oft-repeated” is that we are the ones that the Prophet (sw) joined with the Qur`an, and made a will to remain attached to the Qur`an and to us. Hence, he (sw) informed his Ummah that we will not separate from each other, until we meet him at the Pool (of Kawthar in Paradise).

I heard Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah say The Command of the Faithful (AS) related to me: “The Messenger of Allah (SA) will take hold of Allah’s Waistband [hujzah]. We will take hold of the Prophet’s Waistband, and our Shi`ites will take hold of our Waistband.” I asked, “O Commander of the Faithful, what is the Waistband.” He answered, “Allah is greater than being characterized with a waistband or other than that. However, the Messenger of Allah (SA) will take hold of Allah’s Affair [amr]. We will take hold of the Prophet’s Affair, and our followers [Shi`ah] will take hold of Our Affair.”

I asked al-Sadiq Ja`far ibn Muhammad (AS), “Inform me about Allah, the Blessed and Exalted. Has He sempiternally been All-Hearing, All-Seeing, All-Knowing, and All-Powerful?” He (AS) replied, “Of course.” Hence, I asked him, “There is a man who professes to be a friend of the Household of the Prophet (AS) and says: `Verily, Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, has always been All-Seeing with an ear, All-Hearing with an eye, All-Knowing by Knowledge, and AllPowerful with power.” He (AS) became angry and then said: “Verily, whoever says this and believes in it, is a polytheist and is not under our Guardianship at all. Verily, Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, is the Possessor of the Knowledge of Hearing, Seeing, and Omnipotence.”