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Imam al-Ridha’s Sermon on the Unity of God
Source: Uyun Akhbar Ar-Ridha Volume 1
11-51 Muhammad ibn Al-Hassan ibn Ahmad ibn al-Waleed - may God be pleased with him - narrated that Muhammad ibn Umar al-Katib quoted on the authority of Muhammad ibn Ziyad al-Qolzomy, on the authority of Muhammad ibn Abi Ziyad al-Jadiy, on the authority of Muhammad ibn Yahya ibn Umar ibn Ali ibn Ali Talib (a.s.), “I heard Abul Hassan Al-Ridha’ (a.s.) say these things in the presence of Al-Ma’mun on the subject of Unity. Ibn Abi Ziyad and others such as Ahmad ibn Abdullah Al-Alawi (the Alawid) have quoted on the authority of Al-Qasim ibn Ayyoub Al-Alawi, “When Al-Ma’mun decided to empower Al-Ridha’ (as his successor), he gathered the Hashemites together and told them, “Verily I have decided to empower Al-Ridha’ to run the affairs after me.” The Hashemites73 envied Al-Ridha’ (a.s.) and said, “Will you appoint an ignorant man who does not possess the necessary insight to run the affairs of the Caliphate? Send someone after him so that he is brought to us. Then you can see his ignorance as a proof against him.”
Al-Ma’mun sent someone after him and he came. The Hashemites told him, “O Abul Hassan! Climb up the pulpit74 and display for us a sign whereby we may worship God.” So he (a.s.) climbed up the pulpit and sat there for a long time with his head bowed down in silence. Then he trembled - a great trembling - and stood up straight, praised the Sublime God, and recited God’s praises and asked for His blessing for His Prophet and the Members of the Holy Household.
Then he (a.s.) said, “The first element in the worship of the Sublime God is His recognition. The root of recognition of God is to profess to His Unity. The order for professing the Unity of God is to deny He has any attributes, since the powers of reasoning testify that every attribute and everything which possesses an attribute are created. Everything that is created testifies that it has a Creator which is neither an attribute nor does it possess any attributes. Every attribute and everything possessing an attribute testify to the association between the attribute and that to which it is attributed. Any association testifies to temporality (hadath). And temporality testifies that it accepts not the Beginningless which accepts not the temporal.
So it is not God whose Essence is recognized through striking similitude. It is not His Unity that is professed by someone who attempts to fathom Him. It is not His reality (haqiqa) that is attained by someone who strikes a similitude for Him. It is not He who is confirmed (tasdiq) by him who professes an end for Him. If one points to Him, it is not God that is pointed to. It is not He who is meant by him who compares Him (to something). It one ascribes parts to God, he has not indeed humbled himself in the presence of God. And it is not God who is desired by one who conceives of God in his imagination.
Everything that can be known in itself (binafsih) is fashioned (masnu’). All that stands apart from Him is an effect (ma’lul). God is inferred from what He fashions, the recognition of Him is expedited by the powers of reasoning, and the argument (hujja) for Him is established by (man's) primordial nature (fitrah).
God's creating of the creatures is a veil between Him and them. His separation (mubayana) from them is due to the fact that He is disengaged from their localization (ayniyyah). That He is their origin (ibtida’) is proof for them that He has no origin, for none that has an origin can originate others. That He has created them possessing means (of accomplishing things) is proof that He has no means (adapt), for means are witness to the poverty of those who use them.
So His names are an expression (ta’bir), His acts (af’al) are (a way) to make (Him) understood (tafhim), and His Essence is Reality (haqiqa). His innermost center (kunh) separates Him from Creation, and His otherness limits what is other than Him. Therefore ignorant of God is he who asks for Him to be described! Transgressing against Him is he who seeks to encompass Him! Mistaken is he who imagines to have fathomed Him!
Whoever asks 'how?' has compared Him (to something). Whoever says 'why?' has professed for Him a cause. Whoever says 'when?' has determined Him in time. Whoever says 'in what?' has enclosed Him. Whoever says 'to what?' has professed for Him a limit. Whoever says 'until what?' has given Him an end. Whoever gives Him an end has associated an end with Him. Whoever associates an end with Him has divided Him. Whoever divides Him has described Him. Whoever describes Him has deviated from the straight path concerning Him.
God does not change with the changes undergone by Creation, just as He does not become limited by delimiting that which is limited (mahdud).
He is One, not according to the explanation offered by number; Outward, not according to the explanation of being immediate (to the senses); Manifest, not through the appearance of a vision (of Him); Inward (batin), not through separation (muzayala); Apart (muba’in), not through distance; Near, not through approach; Subtle, not through corporealness75; Existent, not after nonexistence; Active, not through coercion; Determining, not through the activity of thought; Directing (mudabbir), not through movement; Desiring, not through resolution; Willing (a.s.ha’a), not through directing attention (himmah); Grasping (mudrik), not through touch (majassah); Hearing, not through means; and Seeing, not through organs.
Times accompany Him not, places enclose Him not, slumber seizes Him not, attributes delimit Him not, and instruments (adawat) are of no use to Him. His Being (kawn) precedes times (awqat), His Existence (wujud) precedes non-existence and His Beginninglessness (azal) precedes beginning (ibtida’).
By His giving sense to the sense organs it is known that He has no sense organs. By His giving substance to substances it is known that He has no substance. By His causing opposition among things it is known that He has no opposite. By His causing affiliation among affairs it is known that He has no affiliate. He made darkness opposite to light, obscurity to clarity, moisture to dryness, and heat to cold. He joins together those things which are in total contradiction with one another and separates those which are near. They prove (the existence of) their Separator by their separation and their Joiner by their junction. That is (the meaning of) the Sublime (God’s) words, ‘And of every thing We have created pairs: That ye may receive instruction.’76
So through them He separated 'before' and 'after' that it might be known that He has no before and after. They testify with their temperaments that He who gave them temperaments has no temperament. They prove by their disparity that He who made them disparate has no disparity. They announce by their subjection to time that He who subjected them to time is not subject to it Himself.
He veiled some of them from others, so that it might be known that there is no veil between Him and them other than them. His is the true meaning of lordship (rububiyyah) when there was none over whom He was Lord; the reality of Godhood (ilahiyyah) when there was nothing for whom He was God; the true meaning of All-Knower when there was nothing to be known; the true meaning of Creator when there was nothing created and the interpreter of hearing when there was nothing to be heard. It is not because He created that which makes Him deserve the true meaning (of the term) 'Creator' and not because He brought the creatures into being that the true meaning of 'making' is derived.
How (could it not be so)? For using such words as ‘ago’ (mudh) conceals Him not, 'already' (qad) brings Him not near, ‘perhaps’ (li’alla) veils Him not, 'when' (mata) limits Him not in time, 'at the time of' (heen) contains Him not, and 'with' (ma’a) associates Him not.
Instruments limit only themselves and means are only effective upon other similar means. Their activities are found only in things. The word ‘ago’ keeps things from being eternal (qidmah); the word 'already' shields them from beginninglessness; and the words 'if only' (lawla) wards off perfection (takmilah). Things become separate and thus they prove (the existence of) their Separator. They become distinguished and thus they prove their Distinguisher (muba’in). Through them their Maker manifests Himself to the powers of reasoning, and He becomes veiled to the sight through these powers. To these powers of reasoning imaginations appeal for a decision. And in them is substantiated (only) other than Him. From them is suspended the proof and through them He has revealed to them the acknowledgement (iqrar) of His Unity.
Confirmation (tasdiq) of God is made fast by the powers of reasoning, and faith in Him attains perfection through acknowledgment. There is no religiousness (diyanah) except after recognition (ma’rifah), no knowledge except through sincerity and no sincerity along with striking similitude. If one ascribes attributes for God, then he has indeed drawn a similitude.
So nothing in Creation is found in its Creator. All that is possible in it is impossible in its Maker. Movement (harakah) and stillness (a.s.ukun) do not affect Him. How should that which He affects (in others) have any effect upon Him, or that which He has originated recur for Him? Then His Essence would be disparate, His innermost center would be divided and His being Eternal would become an impossibility. How would then the Creator have a meaning different from the created?
If something from behind limited Him, then something in front would limit Him. If perfection (tamam) were seeking Him, imperfection would be upon Him. How should that which does not transcend (imtina’) temporality be worthy of (the Name) 'Beginningless'? How should that which does not transcend being produced (insha), produce the things (of the world)? There they would have arisen in Him a sign of having been made (masnu’) and He would become a proof (dalil) after having been the proven (madlul al-Ayah).
There is no argument in absurd opinions77; there is no answer when it (absurdity) is asked about; and there is no glorification of Him in its meaning. Nor is there any absurdity in distinguishing Him from Creation, unless it be that the Independent accepts not to be made into two, nor does the Beginningless accepts to have a beginning.
There is no god but God, the All-High, and the Tremendous. They have cried lies that ascribe equals to God! They have gone astray into far-reaching error and suffered a manifest loss! May God’s Blessings be upon Muhammad and his Pure Household.
73. A respectable Iranian researcher and translator -Mr. Ghaffari - has commented that this refers to the Abbasids. God knows best!
74. The Muslim pulpit is a wooden form haven several steps to the top where the preacher sits.
75. Corporeal means having, consisting of, or relating to a physical material body. It also means not spiritual, being of a physical or worldly nature.
76. Qur’an, 51:49
77. Such as those presented above
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