عبد الله

Imam abu ‘Abdallah has said the following. “Allah created us and made it well. He gave us our form and formed it well. He made us His eyes among His servants and His speaking tongue in His creatures. He made us His open hands over His servants with kindness and mercy. He has made us his face through which He is approached and his door that shows the way leading to Him. He made us His treasurers in the heavens and on earth. Through us the trees give fruit and the fruits ripen and the canals flow. Through us the skies send rain and plants grow on earth. Through our worship Allah is worshipped and were we not there Allah would not have been worshipped.”

“Verily, predestination, and the Divine Decree are creations from the creation of Allah. Allah increases for the creation whatever He wills.”

Imam has traveled to the city of Makkah. He then left for Makkah and we were with Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) when we came across him during our performing Tawaf (the seven times walking around the Ka‘bah). The man’s name was ‘Abdul Malik, and his kunya was Abu ‘Abdallah.
He touched Imam Abu ‘Abdillah’s (as) shoulder with his shoulder as he walked along. Abu ‘Abdillah (as) asked him, “What is your name?” He replied, ”It is ‘Abdul Malik (meaning slave of the King).” He further asked, “What is your kunyah?” He replied, “It is Abu ‘Abdallah (meaning father of slave of Allah).” Abu 'Abdillah (as) then asked, “Who is this king whose slave you are? Is he of the earthly kings or of the heavenly ones? Tell us about your son. Is he a slave of the Lord of the heavens or a slave of the Lord of the earth? Say whatever you may, it will be against you.” Hisham has said that I asked him (the heretic man), “Why do you not answer?” The man seemed to dislike my words.
Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) then told him, “Meet us when we finish our Tawaf.” The heretic man came to Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s) later and sat in front of the Imam (a.s.) and we were all gathered around him. Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) then asked him, “Do you know that the earth has an underside and an upperside?” The man replied, “Yes, I know it.” The Imam then asked, “Have you gone in the underside of the earth?” The man replied, “No, I have not gone there.” The Imam (a.s.) then asked, “Do you know what is therein?” He said, “I do not know but I guess there is nothing therein.” The Imam (a.s.) then said, “Guessing is weakness. Why do you not acquire certainty?” The Imam (a.s.) then asked, “Have you climbed up into the sky?” The man replied, “No, I have not done so.” The Imam (a.s.) then asked, “Do you know what is up there?” He replied, “No, I do not know.” The Imam (a.s.) said, “It is very strange. Without reaching the East or West, without going under the earth or climbing up the sky and not even have crossed anything to know what is behind you deny what is in them. Does any man of reason deny what he does not know?” The heretic man then said, “No one has ever come up with such statements to me as you have.” The Imam (a.s.) then said, “So you are uncertain about Him. Perhaps He is or may be He does not exist.” The heretic man then said, “Perhaps He is.”
The Imam then said, “O man, one who does not know has no authority over the one who knows. O Egyptian brethren, listen carefully. We have no doubts in the existence of Allah. Think about the sun, the moon, the day and the nights follow each other and do not miss their turns or become confused. They each have its place and do not have any choice. If they had any other choice they would not come back again. If they had a choice the day would not end with night and the night would not end in the day. They are forced to continue, O Egyptian brethren, I swear by Allah. The One who has forced them is stronger than them and greater. What people speak of and you guess it is (dahr) motionless time if it was so, then when it would take them away it would not return them and if time have returned them then why it is not taking them away? These things, O Egyptian brethren, are compelled. Why the sky is up high and why the earth is low? Why the sky does not fall down on earth? Why the earth does not flow one layer over the other and the two do not stick to each other and why those on it do not stick to it?”
The man then said, “God their Lord has made them to hold together.” Hisham has said, “He professed belief in God in the presence of Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.).” Humran then said to the Imam, “May Allah take my soul in service for your cause, if heretics profess belief in Allah before you, it is because the unbelievers converted to faith because of your father.” The man who had just professed belief in Allah requested Abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) to allow him to become one of his students. The Imam then asked Hisham to teach him. Hisham taught him well and he became a teacher for the people in Syria and Egypt. His purification was very well and the Imam (a.s.) became happy with him.”

Abu Abdallah (as) has said, ‘Allah (swt) created us and He made our creation the best [of all creations]. He formed us and made our form the best [of all forms]. He made us the treasurers of His heavens and His earth. For our [sake] the tree spoke, by our worship Allah (swt) is worshipped. Had we not been in existence, Allah would not have been worshipped.”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that ’Amir al-Mu’minin has said, ‘A child (born after) six, seven or nine months lives but one who is born after eight months cannot live.’”

“He is in Mecca.” So the atheist left for Mecca. While we were with Abu `Abd Allah (AS), the atheist came close to us while we were circumambulating [tawaf] the Ka`bah. The atheist bumped shoulders with Abu `Abd Allah (AS), so the Imam (AS) asked him “What is your name?” He replied, “My name is `Abd al-Malik.” The Imam (AS) said: “Then what is your agnomen [kunya]?” He answered, “Abu `Abd Allah.” The Imam (AS) asked, “Who is the Sovereign (al-Malik) whom you serve? Is He the Sovereign of the Heavens, or is he one of the sovereigns of the earth? And tell me about your son. Is the servant [`abd] of the God of Heaven, or a god of the earth?” The atheist kept quiet. So Abu `Abd Allah (AS) continued, “Say whatever you wish to, you will be defeated.” Hisham ibn al-Hakam says: Isaid to the atheist: “Will you not refute him?” Thus, he disliked what I said. Therefore, Abu `Abd Allah (AS) said to him, “Once I complete the circumambulation, come and see me.” Once Abu `Abd Allah (AS) finished, the atheist came to him and sat down in front of him, while we had gathered before him. Thus, he (AS) addressed the atheist, “Do you know that the earth has a top and a bottom?” He replied, “I do not know, but I certainly think there is nothing below it.” Abu `Abd Allah (AS) said: “Thinking [zann] is incapability unless you achieve certainty. Have you ascended to the heavens?” He answered, “No.” The Imam (AS) asked, Then do you know what is in it?” He replied, “I do not.” The Imam (AS) said: “Then have you been to the east and the west and seen what is behind them?” He replied, “No.” The Imam (AS) responded, How strange! You have not been to the east or the west. You have not descended below the earth. You have not ascended to heaven. You do not have any knowledge of what surrounds them. However, you re in denial of what is in them. Does a wise man deny what he knows not? The atheist said: “No one but you has eve said such a thing to me.” Abu `Abd Allah (AS) said: “You are in doubt as to whether He exist or not.” The atheist replied, “That might be it.” Abu `Abd Allah said: O man! There is no authority for the one who knows over the one who knows not. Likewise, there is no authority for the ignorant over the learned. O my Egyptian brother! Understand this from me! We never doubt in Allah. Do you not see the sun and the moon, and the night and day? They have recourse, but they do not make mistakes. They come and they go. They are both compelled. There is not place for them except their own place. If they both had the power to leave, and not come back, then why do they come back? If they both are not compelled, then why does the night change into the day, and the day into night? By Allah, O Egyptian brother, they are both compelled to continue their routine. Surely, their Compeller is Wiser and Greater than they are! The atheist said: “You are right.” Abu `Abd Allah (AS) then said: O Egyptian brother! They way you atheists reason is wrong. Time does not bring anything into existence. If the passage of time can take then away, then why does it not return them? And if the passage of time can return them, when why does it not take them away? They are compelled, O Egyptian brother! The sky has been raised, and the earth has been set down. Why is it that the sky does not collide with the earth? And why is it that the earth does not collide with the sky? Why is it that the earth does not go out of its orbit? Who holds them together and who holds together what is between them? The atheist said: “By Allah! Their Lord and their Master holds them together!” Thus, the atheist came to believe through his contact with Abu `Abd Allah (AS). Humran ibn A`yun said to him (AS). “May I be your ransom! Atheist become believers through you, just like the unbelievers use to become believer through your father (AS).” The believer, who had believed thanks to Abu `Abd Allah (AS), said: “Make me of your students.” Abu `Abd Allah (AS) said to Hisham ibn al-Hakam, “Take him with you and teach him.” Thus, Hisham taught him, and then he became the teacher of the Egyptians, and the people of the northern region (Syria, Jordan, Palestine and Lebanon). He was trained spiritually and academically until Abu `Abd Allah (AS) was pleased with it.

Yūnus ibn Żabyān, Mufaďďal ibn ‘Umar, Abū Salamah Al-Sarrāj, and I were sitting with Abī ‘Abdillāh (Imam Sādiq (a.s.)). Yūnus was the eldest amongst us and he spoke (to the Imam (a.s.)) on our behalf. Imam (a.s.) said to us – as part of a longer Ḥadīth: Verily when Abū ‘Abdillāh, (Ḥusain ibn ‘Ali (a.s.)) died, the seven heavens, the seven earths, everything within them, everything between them, everything in Paradise and Hell from the creation of our Lord, and everything that can be seen and everything that cannot be seen, cried over Abī ‘Abdillāh (Imam Ḥusain (a.s.)) except three things. I (Ḥusain ibn Thuwayr) asked, “May I sacrifice myself for you! What are those three things?” Imam (a.s.) replied, “Basra, Damascus, and the family of ‘Uthmān ibn ‘Affān.”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that the height of al-Ka‘bah at the time of Ibrahim was nine yards and it had two doors. ‘Abd Allah ibn Zubayr raised it to eighteen yards. Hajjaj destroyed it and raised it to twenty-seven yards.”

God the Exalted the Sublime has not created any certitude in which there is no doubt similar to the doubt about death in which there is no certitude.”

“Ibn abu al-‘Awja' said to abu ‘Abdillah (a.s.) in one of their conversations, ‘You spoke of Allah and referred to an unseen.’” Abu 'Abdillah (a.s.) said, “What you said is not proper. How would He be unseen when He is present with His creatures and is closer to them than their jugular vein? He hears their speeches, sees their persons and knows their secrets.” Ibn abu al-‘Awja then asked, “Is He everywhere? If He is in the heavens, how can He be on earth? And if He is on earth, then how can He be in the heavens?” Abu 'Abdillah (a.s.) said, “You spoke only of a created being that, by changing place, becomes occupied with a place, and another place is vacated from him, so it does not know ,when he is in the place in which he came to be in, what has happened to the place where it used to be. As for Allah, Magnificient of Glory, and the Sovereign Judge, no place is without Him and He does not occupy any place, and He is not nearer to one place than another place.”

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.) has said, ‘Allah, the Most Blessed, the Most High, has, of the moral behavior of His friends, lent to His enemies so that His friends can live with His enemies in their governments.’” In another Hadith it is stated that had it not been as such they would not have left any of Allah’s friends alive.

“Abu ‘Abd Allah (a.s.), has said that ’Amir al-Mu’minin has said, ‘Men are created from earth, their ambition is in earth, and women are created from men and their ambition is to find men; so keep your women, O community of men.’”

“Verily, Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, is the Alone, the Needless, without an interior. Verily, the Spirit is a creation from His Creations. It is a helper, aid, and a source of strength. Allah places it is in the hearts of the messengers and the Believers.”

“I asked him about the words of Allah, the Majestic, the Glorious, ‘The invention of Allah (had a certain) nature with which He created all people. . . .’ (30:30) What is that creation (and nature)? The Imam said, ‘It is al-Islam. Allah created them with such nature at the time He made a covenant with them to believe in Oneness of Allah as He asked them all, “Am I not your Lord?” when all the believers and the unbelievers were there.’”

“‘Abdallah al-Daysani asked Hisham ibn al-Hakam, ‘Do you have a God?’” He replied, “Yes, I have a God.” He then asked, “Is He powerful?” Hisham then replied, “Yes, He is powerful and the most powerful One.” The man then asked, “Can He fit the whole world inside an egg without any change in the size of either one?” Hisham then said, “Give me a little time.” The man said, “I give you one whole year and he left.” Hisham then went to see Imam abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) for an Answer. After asking permission that he was granted Hisham explained, “Al-Daysani asked me a question today and I see no one except Allah and yourself to answer it.” The Imam then asked, “What is the question?” Hisham restated the question that al-Daysani had asked. The Imam then said, “O Hisham, how many are your senses?” He replied, “They are five.” The Imam then asked, “Which one is the smallest?” He replied, “The seeing sense.” The Imam then asked, “How big is its size?” He replied, “It is about the size of the pupil or smaller.” The Imam then said, “O Hisham, look in front of you and above you and then tell me what you have seen.” Hisham then replied, “I can see the sky, the earth, the houses, the buildings, the land, the mountains and the water canals.” The Imam then said, “The One who has been able to fit all that you can see in a pupil or even a smaller thing is also able to fit the whole world in side an egg without any change in the size of any one of them. Hisham bowed down and kissed the feet, the hands and the head of the Imam (a.s.) saying, “This is enough for me O descendant of the holy Prophet and then left for his home. The next day al-Daysani met him and said, “I have come just to say greetings to you and not for an answer to my question” Hisham then said, “Even if you may have come for an answer it is ready.” Al-Daysani then left to meet Imam abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) and after asking permission for a meeting which was granted he sat down and said, “O Ja‘far ibn Muhammad, “Guide me to my Lord.” The Imam then asked, “What is your name?” He then left without answering the Imam and his people asked him, “Why did you not answer the Imam?” He replied, “Were I to tell him that it is ‘Abdallah he would then ask that who is this Lord whose slave are you?” They then said, “Return to him and ask him to guide you to your Lord without asking your name.” He then returned back to the Imam and asked, “O Ja‘far ibn Muhammad, “Guide me to my Lord but do not ask my name.” The Imam asked him to sit down. A young boy, son of the Imam was there playing with an egg in his hand and the Imam asked, “Fetch me the egg O young man. The boy gave the egg to the Imam who said, “O Daysani, this is a secure castle. It has a thicker outer shell and inside of it there is much finer shell inside of which there is liquid gold and flowing silver. The liquid gold does not mix with the flowing silver nor does the flowing silver mix the liquid gold. Such is its condition no expert comes out therefrom to find out what is beneficial to it to report back all about it nor any corrupting agent enters therein so that its problems would be reported. No one knows if it is created for a male or a female. It will burst out with colors of a peacock. Do you think there is someone to design and manage it? Al-Daysani thought quietly and said, “I testify that there is no god but Allah Who is the only Lord and has no partner. I testify that Muhammad (s.a) is His servant and messenger and that you are the Imam and an authority from Allah over his creatures and I repent because of previous beliefs.”

I asked Abu Abdillah, peace be upon him, about the saying of Allah, Exalted and Glorious is He: «And whatever afflicts you of a calamity, it is due to what your hands have acquired, and He pardons much.» (42:30) Have you seen that which afflicted Ali and his Household, was it due to what their hands acquired, while they are a Household of Purity and are Infallible? He said: Indeed, the Messenger of Allah, Allah’s blessings be upon him and his Family, used to repent to Allah, Exalted and Glorious is He, and seek forgiveness from Him every day day and night a hundred times without a sin. Indeed, Allah, Exalted and Glorious is He, specifies His Allies with calamities in order that He might reward them for them without (them having committed) a sin.

Imam Abu ‘Abdullah (a.s.) said the following. “O son of Abi Ya'fur, indeed Allah is One, unique in His Oneness. He alone issues His command. He created a creation and appointed and measured them for that command (Amr, task). So, we, O son of Abu Ya‘fur, are that creation. We are the authority of Allah among His servants, the treasurers of His knowledge, and the guardians of it.”

The Honorable the Exalted God created the twelve months which are three-hundred and sixty days. However, the six days during which the heavens and the two Earths were created were subtracted. Therefore, some (lunar) months are less than thirty days.”

“There is nothing in the heavens and on earth without these seven charateristics: the wish, the will, the measure, the decree, the permission, the record and duration.Whoever thinks that he can do without any one of these he has become a unbeliever.” From Ali ibn Ibrahim from his father from Muhammad ibn Hafs from Muhammad ibn ‘Ammara from Hariz ibn ‘Abdallah and ibn Maskan a similar Hadith is narrated.

God’s Prophet (s) said,“White hair in front of the head is a good omen, on the side of the face it is a sign of generosity, on the forehead it is a sign of braveness, and on the back of the head it is a bad omen.”