AhlulBayt News Agency: Imam Abu Jafar (al-Baqir) researched many theological matters during his
lectures. He was asked about the most complicated matters in this science. He
answered them. Worth mentioning, the time of the Imam was the most sensitive of
all the times. That is because the Islamic conquer included most areas of the
world and the peoples of the earth. That moved a wave of spite in the souls of
the enemies of Islam, from the helpless peoples and other than them. Thus, they
launched a propagating campaign against the Islamic thought. They proclaimed
doubts and imaginations among the children of the Moslems.
Meanwhile the Umayyad governments encouraged anti-Islam thoughts. No one has
mentioned that the Umayyad rulers resisted these thoughts and prevented them
from spreading among the Moslems. In the meantime nobody was ready to save the
Moslems from these thoughts except Imam Abu Jafar (al-Baqir), peace be on him,
who refuted them with strong proofs. We will mention that in detail when we talk
about the time of the Imam.
However, the following are some of the theological researches which the Imam
did:
Monotheism
Imam Abu Jafar (al-Baqir), peace be on him, studied the most important matters
of monotheism. He uncovered them. He refuted the doubts and imaginations which
were raised about them. Among what he studied are:
1. Allah is not attained through Reason
The unquestionable thing is that man is unable to know with all his intellectual
the reality of Allah, for reason has limited imaginations. Al-Sha`fi'i said:
"Indeed reason has a limited end as the eye has.
All things which man senses are found at a certain place and time. Reason cannot
imagine beings without a place or things without time. Thus, reason is unable to
attain the reality of Allah, for neither time nor place can encompass it. In
other words, Allah created the time and the place. Besides reason is unable to
understand the reality of many things in the universe. Among them is the unseen
reality which reason has not understood yet.
The conceptualization of the heart, though it has vast imagination, is unable to
attain the essence of Allah. The eye is unable to attain it, too. Imam Abu Jafar
(al-Baqir), peace be on him, stated that when he was asked about these words of
Allah, the Exalted: "The eyes attain Him not, but He attains the eyes.
(The Holy Quran, al-An'am, 203)
He, peace be on him: "The conceptualization of hearts are keener and sharper
than the perceptions of the eyes. Through the conceptualization of the heart you
can perceive countries like Sind, Hind (India) and other cities which you have
never visited, although you have not seen them with your eyes. How can your eyes
see Him when the conceptualization of your heart cannot attain Him?
Indeed the eye shall come back confused and fatigued when it tries to perceive
the essence of Allah, the Most High, the Creator of the cosmos, and giver of
life. Ibn Abi al-Haddid said:
O Miracle of the cosmos, thinking has become unsound concerning You.
Whenever my thinking moves toward You a span of the hand, it escapes for a mile.
You have perplexed men of understanding and confused intellect. (Sharh
Nahjul-Balagha, vol. 13, p. 51)
There is nothing remoter than attaining the essence of Allah, the Exalted, for
reason is unable to attain it. Thus, 'Abd al-Rahma`n b. Abi al-Najra`n asked Abu
Jafar (al-Baqir), peace be on him, about Allah, the Most High. He said:
"Should I think of anything (to understand Allah)?" The Imam, peace be on him,
replied: "Yes, but you have to imagine a thing which the mind cannot contain and
which is without limit. He is unlike whatever comes into your mind. Nothing
resembles Him nor can any thought reach Him. How can He be perceived when He is
totally different from whatever is conceived and is the reverse of whatever is
imagined. (Because Allah cannot be limited through the limitations of the mind
or the senses.) Certainly, the thing which cannot be encompassed by the mind and
which is without limits is that which should be imagined. (Usul al-Kafi, vol. 1,
p. 82)
2. The Eternity of the Necessary Being
As for the Eternity of the Necessary Being, it is among the keenest theological
and philosophical studies. A man asked Imam Abu Jafar (al-Baqir), peace be on
him: "Tell me from when your Lord has been in existence?" The Imam replied: "Woe
unto You! The question when and how long arises only in respect of things that
(previously) were non-existant. Verily, my lord, the Blessed and Exalted, has
always been Ever-living, without time or modality.
Coming into existence does not apply to Him Who exists eternally nor does 'how
He exists' apply to His existence nor does 'where He exists' apply to him, for
He is neither in a thing nor on a thing. He did not invent a place for His
location, nor was there any enhancement in His might after He had created the
universe, nor had He been weak before its creation, nor was He alone before His
act of creation, nor does He resemble anything that can be remembered, nor was
He without dominion before creating the universe, nor will He be bereft of
dominion after the universe passes away.
He is Ever-living, Self-subsisting, the Almighty Lord without the category of
life. He was the Almighty Lord before creating things, and He is the Absolute
Lord after the creation of the universe. None of the categories of 'how' or
'where' or 'when' or 'how much' nor any 'limit' apply to his existence. He is
not recognized by resemblance with anything nor does He become decrepit due to
His endless existence. Nothing can strike awe in Him.
Rather, all things are awe-struck by fearing Him. He was in existence before the
appearance of life as such. Neither is He in existence such as can be described,
nor can it be confined to any state and condition. He does not rest anywhere nor
does He abide at a place that is in the neighborhood of another place. However,
He is known as Living, the Lord whose might and dominion will never end. He has
created of His own will whatever and whenever He desired. He can neither be
confined, nor fractioned, nor can He be destroyed. He is the First without any
modality and the Last without any space. 'And all things are perishable except
His face.' His are the creation and the command. Blessed be Allah, the Lord of
all beings.
O Questioner, woe unto you! Surely, my Lord can never be encompassed by the
imagination. Doubts cannot descend upon him. Nor can He be affected (by
anything). Nor is He anybody's neighbor. Nor can events happen to Him. He can
neither be questioned about anything nor is He ashamed of anything. 'Slumber
seize Him not, neither sleep.' To Him belong all that is in the heavens and the
earth and all that is between them, and all that is underneath the soil. (Usul
al-Kafi, vol. 1, p. 88-89)
This wonderful paragraph of the speech of the great Imam has encompassed the
eternity of the Necessary Being and His Unity. It has deemed Him far above
comparison with His creatures which genus and species limit, and which are in
need of the cause in their existence and non-existence.
Moreover, they are in need of time and place. Allah is far above all that, for
He is the first and the last, outward and inward, and He knows all things. A
researcher asked the Imam: "Who is Allah?" He replied: "The One and Only." It
was said to him: "How is He?" He answered: "He is a Powerful King." It was said
to him: "Where is He?" He replied: "He is watching." So, the researcher said: "I
am not asking you about this." He said: "These are the attributes of Allah.
Other than them are the attributes of creatures.
They wanted to know the essence of Allah through their senses and reason. They
did not know that He was far above what reason attains and what
conceptualization perceives. There is no god but He, the Ever living, the
Self-subsisting.
However, in this speech, the Imam, peace be on him, discussed the most important
theological matters which no one of the Moslem theologians and philosopher had
discussed before him except his grandfather Imam Ali, the Commander of the
Faithful, peace be on him. As for encompassing and explaining the speech of the
Imam, peace be on him, it needs a detailed study. The Moslem philosophers have
taken care of the points which the Imam has mentioned in his speech. They have
produced evidence in support of them.
3. Talking about the Essence of Allah is forbidden
Imam Abu Jafar (al-Baqir), peace be on him, prevented Moslems from talking about
the essence of Allah, the Most High. That is because that depends on a deep
philosophy which the reason of the simple people is unable to understand. In
other words they have little knowledge. Thus, they fall into the tricks of the
Satan. Then they go out of belief and come into polytheism. In this connection
the Imam, peace be on him, said: "Talk about all things, but do not talk
about the essence of Allah." (Usul al-Kafi, vol. 1, p. 29)
He, peace be on him, said: "Talk about the creation of Allah, but do not talk
about Allah Himself, for that increases the owner of the talk nothing except
perplexity." (Usul al-Kafi, vol. 1, p. 29)
Indeed talking about the essence of Allah increases man nothing except
perplexity and throwing destructive manners and doubts. As for thinking of the
creation of Allah and considering carefully the universe, they will lead man to
belief in Allah. That is because the creation of all creature indicates the
Great Creator. Darwin said: "It seems that all the creatures that live in the
earth belong to one eternal shape. The Creator has breathed life into them.
(Al-Nishu' wa al-Irtiqa', p. 47)
It is false to say that chance has created all these worlds. It is impossible
for chance to find a well-woven regulation that depends on knowledge. Why does
chance not create the plane and modern sets which thinking and science have
found?
4. The Knowledge of Allah
The knowledge of Allah has encompassed all things. The knowledge of Allah is the
same before and after the creation of things. That is because He has created
them. He knows what souls and hearts have. Mohammed b. Moslem reported on the
authority of Abu Jafar (al-Baqir), peace be on him, who said: "Allah, the
Great and Almighty, was there when nothing else existed. He has been eternally
knowing whatever come into being. And His knowledge of a thing before it comes
into being is exactly the same as it is after its being." (Usul al-Kafi,
vol. 1, p. 107)
5. The Essence of Monotheism
Ja`bir b. Yazid al-Ju'fi asked Imam Abu Jafar (al-Baqir), peace be on him, to
teach him something of monotheism. So, he, peace be on him, said: Indeed Allah,
whose names are blessed and Who is Exalted in the transcendence of His Essence,
is the One (the only One). He is unique in Oneness, and He attributed Oneness to
Himself when He was alone. Then, He made His Unity evidently known to His
creatures. Thus, Allah is One, Unique, Self-dependent, and All-holy. All things
worship Him and turn to Him in repentance. And His knowledge embraces all
things. (Usul al-Kafi, vol. 1, p. 123)
6. The Attributes of Allah
Surely, the attributes of the Wise Creator are exactly the same as His Essence.
There is no number among them, as it has been proved in theology. Some Iraqis
deviated from the right path. So, they proclaimed that Allah, the Most High,
heard with other than with He saw, and saw with other than with He heard. In
that He is similar to His creatures. Mohammed b. Moslem told Imam Abu Jafar (al-Baqir),
peace be on, about that. So, the Imam said:
"They have told lies, become atheists, and likened (Allah to His creatures). Far
is Allah above that. Indeed He is All-Hearing, All-Seeing. He hears with what He
sees, and sees with what He hears. Then Mohammed b. Sa`lim said:
"They claim that He sees according to what they think." So, the Imam, peace be
on him, refuted their claims, saying: "Be Allah Exalted, the one who has the
attribute of the creature perceive, but Allah is not such." (Usul al-Kafi, vol.
1, p. 123)
7. Doubt and Unbelief
Surely, the doubt and unbelief in Allah, the Creator of the skies and the earth,
have bad final results. Among them is that no deed is accepted from the one who
doubts Allah and the one who disbelieves in Him. Their deeds will not avail them
on the Day of Judgment. For this reason, the Imam, peace be on him, said:
"The deed with doubt and unbelief is useless." (Jami'al-Sa'adat, vol. 1, p.
117)
/129
source : Maaref News
Saturday
3 August 2024
10:28:21 AM
1476268
Imam Abu Jafar (al-Baqir) researched many theological matters during his lectures. He was asked about the most complicated matters in this science. He answered them. Worth mentioning, the time of the Imam was the most sensitive of all the times. That is because the Islamic conquer included most areas of the world and the peoples of the earth. That moved a wave of spite in the souls of the enemies of Islam, from the helpless peoples and other than them.