Second Session

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي لَا يَبْلُغُ مِدْحَتَهُ الْقَائِلُونَ، وَلَا يُحْصِي نَعْمَاءَهُ الْعَادُّونَ، وَلَا يُؤَدِّي حَقَّهُ الْمُجْتَهِدُونَ، الَّذِي لَا يُدْرِكُهُ بُعْدُ الْهِمَمِ، وَلَا يَنَالُهُ غَوْصُ الْفِطَنِ، الَّذِي لَيْسَ لِصِفَتِهِ حَدٌّ مَحْدُودٌ، وَلَا نَعْتٌ مَوْجُودٌ، وَلَا وَقْتٌ مَعْدُودٌ، وَلَا أَجَلٌ مَمْدُودٌ. فَطَرَ الْخَلَائِقَ بِقُدْرَتِهِ، وَنَشَرَ الرِّيَاحَ بِرَحْمَتِهِ، وَوَتَّدَ بِالصُّخُورِ مَيَدَانَ أَرْضِهِ. أَوَّلُ الدِّينِ مَعْرِفَتُهُ، وَكَمَالُ مَعْرِفَتِهِ التَّصْدِيقُ بِهِ، وَكَمَالُ التَّصْدِيقِ بِهِ تَوْحِيدُهُ، وَكَمَالُ تَوْحِيدِهِ الْإِخْلَاصُ لَهُ، وَكَمَالُ الْإِخْلَاصِ لَهُ نَفْيُ الصِّفَاتِ عَنْهُ.

The Sermon on Divine Unity and Its Place in Nahj al-Balagha

In the previous session, we read one page of the first sermon of Imam Ali (a) and pointed out some of its finer points. This is the most important sermon in Nahj al-Balagha, and explaining it requires a great deal of time. In scholarly terminology, knowledge is a gradational concept with different levels; each person understands what is presented according to the extent of their own understanding and knowledge. Therefore, we too will explain it according to the measure of our limited knowledge. Anyone who wished to explain this sermon fully would need at least seventy or eighty sessions. Over a few sessions, we will swiftly consider some of its important points.

The choice of the first sermon by Sayyid al-Radi (may God have mercy on him) was a special one. In literary studies, scholars use a term called «براعت استهلال». This graceful opening is used in both poetry and prose. A poet usually places their most beautiful poem, or a fitting opening verse, at the beginning of their collection; that opening is called a graceful opening. The sermon Sayyid al-Radi placed at the beginning of Nahj al-Balagha is likewise the graceful opening of Nahj al-Balagha. We may call it the “Sermon on Divine Unity,” because such elevated and comprehensive concepts about divine unity are rarely found in the words and statements of the Imams (a).

In this sermon, Imam Ali (a) sets out the various dimensions of divine unity. Of course, it is not easy to understand all these points precisely; some of the sermon’s words and arguments are scholarly and technical, and understanding them requires scholarly knowledge. What we offer is mostly a translation and explanation of some of the words. Presenting the profound mystical concepts that concern mystics would take a great deal of time, and they are not comprehensible to everyone. We will present the material at a level from which everyone can benefit; the deeper discussions belong to the great philosophers and mystics.

There is meaning in placing this sermon at the beginning of Nahj al-Balagha. Sayyid al-Radi could have placed it elsewhere in the book, for example; but its position at the beginning shows that the discussions that follow rest on this sermon. The ethical discussions, Imam Ali’s (a) letters, historical material, and the discussion of the Imamate, including in the Sermon of al-Shiqshiqiyya, all depend on the discussion of divine unity. If someone resolves the discussion of divine unity, they will understand the later discussions more clearly as well. This sermon is the foundation and basis, which is why it appears at the beginning of Nahj al-Balagha. Understanding the other sermons also becomes clearer through understanding this one. This is the most difficult sermon in Nahj al-Balagha, and even those who have worked on commentaries on Nahj al-Balagha have found its concepts difficult to understand.

The Qur’an, too, has a graceful opening, and Surat al-Fatiha holds this place. Surat al-Hijr says:

﴿

وَلَقَدْ آتَيْنَاكَ سَبْعًا مِنَ الْمَثَانِي وَالْقُرْآنَ الْعَظِيمَ

﴾

We have given you the Opening and the Great Qur’an.

«سبع مثانی» means Surat al-Fatiha. It is as if Surat al-Fatiha is the essence of the Qur’an: the Qur’an on one side, and Surat al-Fatiha on the other. For this reason, no prayer, whether obligatory or recommended, is without al-Fatiha.

لَا صَلَاةَ إِلَّا بِفَاتِحَةِ الْكِتَابِ

A prayer without Surat al-Fatiha is no prayer.

If someone were to begin their prayer with “Allahu akbar” instead of al-Fatiha and then recite Surat al-Nas, their prayer would not be a prayer. Thus every prayer, whether obligatory or recommended, must begin with Surat al-Fatiha. This, too, is an example of a graceful opening: the Qur’an’s central purpose is contained in Surat al-Fatiha. In the same way, Imam Ali’s (a) purpose in Nahj al-Balagha appears in its first sermon, the Sermon on Divine Unity: divine unity is the foundation, and all other matters are branches of it.

Divine Unity, the Foundation of Religion

Sometimes books of doctrine say that the principles of religion are five, and sometimes they say they are three; but researchers and specialists say that religion has only one foundation: divine unity. The other classifications are terms used by scholars of theology; the foundation of religion is divine unity.

Prophethood and the Imamate, according to the principle of divine grace, are manifestations of God’s grace. God is Gracious, and out of grace, He sends prophets and Imams to guide humanity. Therefore, prophethood and the Imamate are branches of God’s attribute of grace, not the foundation of religion. Justice, too, is one of God’s attributes.

The Resurrection, too, is connected to God’s wisdom. God is Wise, and those who do good should not be equal to those who do evil. The human intellect says the same:

﴿

قُلْ هَلْ يَسْتَوِي الَّذِينَ يَعْلَمُونَ وَالَّذِينَ لَا يَعْلَمُونَ

﴾

Are those who know equal to those who do not know?

Those who do good are not equal to those who do evil. So one group must receive reward and recompense, and another punishment and retribution. The full consequence of deeds becomes clear in the end, that is, in the Hereafter. Resurrection means return; in this world, it is not possible for everyone to receive the full recompense for their actions.

For example, consider someone who has killed a hundred people or caused many children to perish in a bombing. How could they be punished fully in this world? It is impossible. Or consider someone who has saved a hundred people from death: how could they be fully rewarded for their actions in this world? Suppose a lifeguard had saved a hundred people at sea; the reward for such an act cannot be paid in money alone. There must be a world in which people receive complete punishment and complete reward. That world is called the Day of Resurrection.

Thus the Resurrection and these other matters are branches of God’s attributes. God is Wise, and so there must be a world in which complete reward and punishment are realized. From a scholarly perspective, there is one foundation, and that is divine unity. Sayyid al-Radi therefore placed this sermon at the beginning of Nahj al-Balagha with care. He did not arrange the book arbitrarily; this choice was the work of an expert. A graceful opening means that the central purpose of a work is presented at its beginning, just as a poet expresses their purpose in the opening verses of their collection, and someone skilled in poetry can recognize the poet’s ability and mastery from the very beginning.

Thus, the first sermon is the graceful opening of Nahj al-Balagha, just as Surat al-Fatiha is the essence of the Qur’an and expresses its purpose. The first point is that divine unity is the foundation; in matters of doctrine, too, the foundation is divine unity.

Categories of Divine Unity

Books of doctrine usually identify four categories of divine unity:

• Unity of essence
• Unity of attributes
• Unity of acts
• Unity in worship

Divine unity means belief in one God. Its first category is the unity of essence, meaning that God is one in His essence. Opposed to the unity of essence is associating partners with God in His essence, that is, believing in multiple gods. There are people in the world who believe in multiple gods. The unity of essence means that there is more than one God in essence.

In theology, many proofs and arguments have been offered for all the categories of divine unity. Various arguments are used to establish God’s oneness: the argument from order, the argument from motion, and others. But the highest proof brought by the Imams (a) is the proof of the veracious. «صدیق» means truthful, and the Imams (a) are truthful; for this reason, this proof is called the proof of the veracious.

Many arguments proceed from the lower to the higher, from the created to the Creator. For example, a person observes the order among created things and moves from that order to the One who orders them. They consider the body’s organs and how they work together, and infer from this order the existence of the One who orders them. This is one method of reasoning in the knowledge of God.

In the proof of the veracious, however, the reasoning proceeds from the higher to the lower. To give a brief explanation of this proof, instead of beginning with created things, we begin with existence. In the universe, there is only one infinite existence. Infinite existence is one, and all other existences are finite. This is a brief account of the proof of the veracious, although it is difficult to understand and its scholarly explanation requires another occasion.

In theological terminology, this infinite existence is called “the Necessary Existent.” God alone is infinite existence, and all other existences are limited. Thus, the first category of divine unity is the unity of essence: infinite existence is one, and that existence is God.

Unity of Essence and the Categories of Associating Partners with God

All existing things have limits, dimensions, and extent; everything has a time, a place, and other properties mentioned earlier. One category of divine unity, then, is the unity of essence, opposed to which is associating partners with God in His essence: believing that there is a partner in God’s essence and believing in multiple gods.

Unity of Attributes

What we have read so far from Imam Ali’s (a) words describes humanity’s inability and incapacity to know and praise God:

الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي لَا يَبْلُغُ مِدْحَتَهُ الْقَائِلُونَ، وَلَا يُحْصِي نَعْمَاءَهُ الْعَادُّونَ، وَلَا يُؤَدِّي حَقَّهُ الْمُجْتَهِدُونَ

Those who speak are incapable of praising God; those who count cannot enumerate His blessings, and those who strive cannot fulfil what is due to Him. Even when human thought and aspiration soar, they cannot reach an understanding of God’s essence. These words describe humanity’s incapacity before God’s essence and refer to the unity of essence.

From this point onward, the discussion turns to the unity of attributes. «أَوَّلُ الدِّينِ مَعْرِفَتُهُ»; the beginning of religion is knowledge of God. Religion has various dimensions: beliefs, ethics, and rulings and laws; but the foundation of all these is knowledge of God, and all other matters return to this knowledge.

The perfection of knowing God is to believe in Him. Many people know God, but do not believe in Him. The next stage is affirming His unity: the perfection of belief in God is to regard Him as one. Someone may say that God exists and believe in His existence, yet not regard Him as one and believe in multiple gods. Such belief is incorrect. The perfection of sincerity, too, lies in regarding God as one and being sincere toward Him; this is difficult to do.

May God have mercy on Ayatollah Borujerdi. It is said that toward the end of his life he wept a great deal. Some of his students and the notable scholars around him would ask, “You are a marjaʿ al-taqlid; why do you do this?” He would say, «أَخْلِصِ الْعَمَلَ، فَإِنَّ النَّاقِدَ بَصِيرٌ»; purify your deeds, for the One who examines them is All-Seeing and can distinguish even a hair from the dough.

Open and Hidden Association of Partners with God

Opposed to divine unity is associating partners with God. Each category of divine unity has its opposite: the unity of essence is opposed to associating partners with God in His essence, the unity of attributes to associating partners with God in His attributes, the unity of acts to associating partners with God in His acts, and unity in worship to associating partners with God in worship. These are categories of open association of partners with God.

Some associate partners with God in His essence and believe in multiple gods; some associate partners with Him in His attributes or acts, and some in worship. For example, Hindus worship many gods. Unity in worship means that a person worships the one God; if they worship multiple gods, they have fallen into associating partners with God in worship.

In contrast to open association of partners with God, hidden association of partners with God also exists. Imam Ali (a) compares it to the movement of an ant on a black rock on a dark night: a movement that is difficult to see. Many of us are afflicted by hidden association of partners with God, but do not realize it. It is even said that ninety percent of Muslims are afflicted by it, although their association of partners with God is not open and they are unaware of it. Divine unity is of great importance and is one of the pillars of religion.

The Meaning of the Unity of Attributes

To understand the unity of attributes, one must note that God is the Necessary Existent and that His attributes differ from the attributes of contingent beings. Sincerity in divine unity means negating the attributes of contingent beings from God; that is, declaring God free from the characteristics of created beings. “Glorification” means declaring God free from the attributes of created and contingent beings.

This does not mean that God has no attributes. God’s attributes are identical with His essence, whereas the attributes of contingent beings are added to their essences and are separate from them. Created beings have colour, bodies, and other characteristics, and these characteristics are incidental. Thus, perfection in the unity of attributes means negating the attributes of contingent beings from God.

وَكَمَالُ الْإِخْلَاصِ لَهُ نَفْيُ الصِّفَاتِ عَنْهُ

This does not mean denying God’s attributes; God’s attributes are identical with His essence. The attributes of created beings, unlike God’s attributes, are additional to their essences. This distinction is the basis of the unity of attributes.

There may be people among the Muslims who do not consider God’s attributes identical with His essence and regard them as additional to His essence. The Ashʿarites hold this view. God is Living, Knowing, and Powerful; these are attributes of His essence and are identical with His essence. It is not that God has one essence and that life, knowledge, and power are each separate existents. In created beings, however, attributes are additional to their essences; an existent may acquire an attribute it did not previously possess.

Here, one must pay attention to the difference between existence and quiddity. We usually attend to the quiddity of things. All existents share in existence: the human being exists, the animal exists, and the tree exists as well. This existence is what they have in common. But a human being differs from an animal and a tree, and each has its own distinct whatness. These differences are called quiddity, or whatness.

When people ask what something is, we usually describe its characteristics and whatness, not merely its existence. God has no quiddity; He is pure existence, whereas other existents have both existence and quiddity. When describing existents, we state their characteristics, but God cannot be defined by the characteristics of contingent beings. Therefore, sincerity in knowing God means negating the attributes of contingent beings from Him.

The Qur’an says:

﴿ اللَّهُ نُورُ السَّمَاوَاتِ ﴾

God is the Light of the heavens

God is pure Light. Every light we see in the world comes from God. Things have light, but they are not themselves light; they have received their light from elsewhere. The light of all the heavens belongs to God.

Some people did not understand these Qur’anic teachings and considered God’s attributes additional to His essence. If we regard God as Powerful and consider power something separate from His essence, then we have posited two things for God; this is associating partners with Him. The Ashʿarites hold this view. The Muʿtazilites hold a different view on this matter. They do not consider the attributes additional to the essence, but they say that God created human beings, then left them to themselves and no longer intervenes in their affairs. This view is called delegation, meaning leaving something to another.

The Ashʿarites, on the other hand, inclined toward determinism and attributed human actions to God. This view can lead to a statement such as «لَيْسَ فِي جُبَّتِي إِلَّا اللَّهُ», a phrase attributed to Mansur al-Hallaj. These interpretations result from distancing oneself from the sound teachings of the Ahl al-Bayt (a). If we hold fast to the Qur’an and the Ahl al-Bayt together, we will not fall into these deviations. The Prophet (s) said:

مَا إِنْ تَمَسَّكْتُمْ بِهِمَا لَنْ تَضِلُّوا أَبَدًا

As long as you hold fast to these two, you will never go astray

These deviations arose from separating the two from one another.

Thus, one must distinguish between Unity of Essence and Unity of Attributes. The attributes of God are identical with His Essence; nevertheless, one should bear in mind that attributes fall into two categories: attributes of Essence and attributes of action. Essential attributes, such as life, knowledge, and power, pertain to the Essence of God. His knowledge and wisdom are not separate from His Essence; these attributes are not multiple or distinct from one another, but are identical with His Essence.

Attributes of Action and Unity of Acts

Alongside the attributes of Essence, we also have attributes that pertain to God’s actions. God is the Provider; being the Provider pertains to creatures and to God’s act, and this category is called the attributes of action.

A person first considers beings and then says that God provides them with sustenance, has given them instincts, and has placed various resources at their disposal. These are attributes of action, and they differ from the attributes of Essence. The essential attributes of God, such as life, knowledge, and power, are identical with His Essence.

Thus, Unity can be divided into Unity of Essence, Unity of Attributes, and Unity of Acts. Unity of Acts means that every action and reaction that takes place in this world is by the will of God, and occurs with His permission. Unless God permits it, not even a leaf falls from a tree. If a person says that an act has nothing to do with God and pertains only to that person, they have claimed independence for themselves in relation to God, and this is polytheism in opposition to Unity of Acts.

Unity in Worship also means worshipping God. These are among the well-known divisions of Unity; there are other divisions as well: Unity in Creation, Unity in Ownership, Unity in Sovereignty, and Unity in Legislation.

We have only one Creator. God is the owner of everything, not only on the Day of Judgement. He is the absolute Sovereign, and sovereignty belongs to Him. Legislation, too, belongs exclusively to God; the law that is worthy and valid is divine law. The prophets came to convey the divine laws to the people and to serve as intermediaries in transmitting them. Unity in Legislation means Unity in lawmaking.

Unity in Purpose and Divine Decree and Measure

Another point I wish to mention is Unity in Purpose: a person should direct their path solely towards God. We are all moving towards God, step by step. Our existence began with God; God created us, and we too are moving towards Him along that same path.

﴿

إِلَى اللَّهِ الْمَصِيرُ

﴾

To God is the return

Both our being comes from God and our becoming and movement proceed in that same direction. Sometimes we imagine that we are moving forward by our own choice, but our becoming, too, is in God’s hands. This matter is connected with divine decree and measure, a phrase we have heard often. Decree means God’s knowledge that something is inevitable, and measure means its extent. Thus, divine decree and measure pertain to God’s knowledge, and everything has its decree and measure.

To clarify the matter, consider a spring. Anyone can stretch it as far as their strength allows, but the spring has a final extent and a limit beyond which it cannot be stretched. Stretching the spring to different lengths is like the various measures that things have; its final extent, however, can be compared to decree.

Every human being has an inevitable death, which is decree; but the measure of one’s lifespan is also related to one’s conduct. If you maintain ties of kinship, your lifespan will be extended; if you give charity, your lifespan will be extended; if you show respect to your parents, your lifespan will be extended. Failing to do these things can also shorten one’s lifespan. These measures exist in both material and spiritual matters. God knows both what is inevitable and the measures: His knowledge of what is certain is decree, and His knowledge of the measures is divine measure.

The Night of Decree is also connected with these measures. On this night, a person can pray for their destiny, supplicate, and seek recourse. To some extent, the measures are in our own hands; we must increase our ability. Supplication itself has an effect and is one of the things that determines the measures. A person must ask and pursue what they ask for; supplication means asking.

Supplication is not merely these words that a person recites continuously on the Night of Decree. Attentiveness of the heart and reflecting on God, creation, and the act of creation are also important. It is said of Abu Dharr that his greatest act of worship was contemplation. If a person recites supplications for two hours but pays no attention at all, the supplication is of no benefit; what matters is the spirit of supplication.

Making God the Aim in All Our Actions

If only we could direct all our aims and actions towards God. True knowledge of God means that a person directs everything towards God.

Someone was asked, “If you were Satan and wanted to deceive the youth, what would you do?” He replied, “I would make them feel empty; I would take away their purpose.” There is a connecting link between purpose and truth. If this link is severed, a person becomes aimless and worships themselves instead of God; they become constantly preoccupied with themselves, their mind, and their imagination, saying, “I did what I had to do.” They are told, “Always be happy”; but this happiness without purpose is empty.

If a person reaches the point of reducing everything to themselves and imagining that no truth exists, and that whatever others or books say is a fable, they are in great danger. This is what Satan wants: for a person to reach the point of saying that everyone is lying.

A person should see all their actions as being for God: they should make eating, thinking, walking, and sitting for God, and even speak with their spouse for God. Reaching such a stage is extremely valuable. This is called worship in its general sense. Worship in its specific sense means prayer, fasting, khums, zakat, and the like; worship in its general sense means that a person gives every action a divine aspect.

A person can say, “O God, I take this morsel so that I may remain alive and be able to worship You. I drink this water because You have told me to do so.” What matters is that a person emerge from heedlessness. The root of all sins is heedlessness: a person sins because they become heedless of God and of paying attention to Him. If they can dispel heedlessness from themselves and keep God in mind at every moment, while breathing, walking, and thinking, their path will change.

Daily invocations have an effect, but the invocation that brings peace is paying attention to God with the heart. The Qur’an says:

﴿

أَلَا بِذِكْرِ اللَّهِ تَطْمَئِنُّ الْقُلُوبُ

﴾

Indeed, hearts find peace in the remembrance of God

The heart finds peace through attentiveness to God. In times of hardship and difficulty, if a person turns their attention to God, they find peace; but if remembrance remains only on the tongue, even saying “Subhanallah” a thousand times has no effect. The prayer that brings peace, too, is prayer performed with attentiveness. If, during prayer, our attention is on anything other than God, we will not find peace.

The Goodness of the Act and the Goodness of the Agent

A good deed has two aspects: the goodness of the act and the goodness of the agent. Sometimes people ask how God will deal with figures such as Edison and the great inventors and innovators who were not Muslims. From a scholarly perspective, it must be said that they served others; they invented electricity and did other useful things. These are good deeds, but every good deed has two dimensions.

Praying, fasting, and giving charity all have two dimensions. One dimension is the outward and apparent aspect of the action, which is called the goodness of the act; the other is its inward aspect, which is called the goodness of the agent. Others can see prayer, fasting, and charity. Likewise, a scholar’s service and invention can be seen; these are the goodness of the act.

The goodness of the agent, however, is a person’s intention and motivation, and it cannot be seen. With what motivation does a person pray? So that others will see, or with some other intention? With what intention do they give money to the poor? With what intention do they build a mosque? Intentions cannot be seen, but the essence of the action is connected to this inward dimension.

إِنَّمَا الْأَعْمَالُ بِالنِّيَّاتِ

Indeed, the value of deeds lies in intentions

We must consider the intention with which that inventor and innovator made their invention. If their aim was to attain wealth or fame, they attained it in this very world; God granted it to them. But if they truly intended only to serve people and were not pursuing wealth, status, or fame, the reward for such an action is not lost. We do not know people’s ultimate intentions; God knows them.

Thus, every good deed and every act of service has two dimensions: an outward and apparent dimension that others see, and an inward dimension connected to motivation and intention. God looks at your hearts:

إِنَّ اللَّهَ يَنْظُرُ إِلَى قُلُوبِكُمْ

God looks at your hearts

God sees with what intention you have recited supplications over these years; why you came there on the Night of Decree, sat down, and wept and lamented.

That is, was your real motivation to connect with Me, or were other motives what brought you to that gathering? Motives are very important. This is what it means that God, the Exalted, looks at hearts. The essential point is what has been said about intention: it must be sincere. Make your action sincere. Praying, fasting, doing good deeds, and spending money for good causes are things everyone can do; what matters is the motivation with which you do them. God willing, may we be able to correct our motivations.

I will now go through this page quickly so that, God willing, we can read part of the next page in the coming session. The discussion is extensive, and “one word leads to another”; it advances and continues. A preacher once went up to the pulpit and would not come down; and we too, however much we want to bring the discussion to a close, keep going.

The Perfection of Sincerity and the Negation of Attributes from God

The Commander of the Faithful (a) says:

وَكَمَالُ الْإِخْلَاصِ لَهُ نَفْيُ الصِّفَاتِ عَنْهُ، لِشَهَادَةِ كُلِّ صِفَةٍ أَنَّهَا غَيْرُ الْمَوْصُوفِ، وَشَهَادَةِ كُلِّ مَوْصُوفٍ أَنَّهُ غَيْرُ الصِّفَةِ.

The perfection of sincerity in Unity lies in negating the attributes of contingent beings from God. By “negating attributes from Him” is meant negating the attributes of contingent beings. Why? Because every attribute testifies that it is other than the thing described, and every thing described testifies that it is other than its attribute. The thing described and its attribute are two things. When we say that this chador is black, the chador is one thing and blackness is another. Every attribute testifies that it is other than the thing described, and the thing described also testifies that it is other than the attribute.

Then the Commander of the Faithful (a) says:

فَمَنْ وَصَفَ اللَّهَ سُبْحَانَهُ فَقَدْ قَرَنَهُ، وَمَنْ قَرَنَهُ فَقَدْ ثَنَّاهُ، وَمَنْ ثَنَّاهُ فَقَدْ جَزَّأَهُ.

Whoever describes God, the Glorified, with the attributes of contingent beings has assigned Him a counterpart. When we describe something by an attribute, we make the two counterparts of one another; for example, we say, “This chador is black.” In this case, the chador and blackness are two things. Thus, if we describe God like contingent beings, we have assigned Him a counterpart and, in effect, conceived of Him as two things. Whoever assigns a counterpart to God has conceived of Him as twofold; and whoever conceives of God as twofold has considered Him to have parts and has divided Him.

The Commander of the Faithful (a) continues:

وَمَنْ جَزَّأَهُ فَقَدْ جَهِلَهُ، وَمَنْ جَهِلَهُ فَقَدْ أَشَارَ إِلَيْهِ.

Whoever assigns parts to God is ignorant of Him. One who considers God to have parts like contingent beings has also considered Him subject to being pointed at, just as other beings can be pointed at.

Then he says:

وَمَنْ أَشَارَ إِلَيْهِ فَقَدْ حَدَّهُ، وَمَنْ حَدَّهُ فَقَدْ عَدَّهُ.

Whoever points to God has assigned Him a limit and boundary; and whoever assigns Him a limit has considered Him countable.

The Commander of the Faithful (a) says:

وَمَنْ قَالَ فِيمَ فَقَدْ ضَمَّنَهُ، وَمَنْ قَالَ عَلَامَ فَقَدْ أَخْلَى مِنْهُ.

If someone asks, “What is God in?”, they have placed God inside something, as if to say that God is in this room. If they ask, “What is God upon?” and assign Him a place, they have placed God somewhere and considered other places to be empty of Him.

Some people imagine, regarding the verse “الرَّحْمَٰنُ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ اسْتَوَىٰ”, that God is positioned upon the Throne as though it were a specific location. Some have also said things about the Throne that differ from what the Imams (a) have said about it. What the Commander of the Faithful (a) means is that we should not assign a position or place to God.

﴿

الرَّحْمَٰنُ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ اسْتَوَىٰ

﴾

The All-Merciful established Himself upon the Throne

Thus, what is meant by negating attributes is negating from God the attributes of contingent beings: attributes that we see in contingent beings and that are additional to their essences. It was mentioned earlier that the difference is this: the attributes we apply to God are identical with His Essence, whereas in other beings they are additional to their essences. Even form is a characteristic of a body and must be negated of God. Likewise, the light we see in contingent beings is not the same light that can be attributed to God in the way attributes are attributed to beings.

The Commander of the Faithful (a) says:

كَائِنٌ لَا عَنْ حَدَثٍ، مَوْجُودٌ لَا عَنْ عَدَمٍ.

God exists, but not through origination; that is, He is not an originated being. Other beings are originated, but God is eternal, without beginning or end. He exists, but not after nonexistence. Other beings did not exist before and then came into existence; God, however, has existed from the beginning and will exist to the end. Neither past nonexistence nor future nonexistence can be posited for Him; His existence has neither beginning nor end.

Then the Commander of the Faithful (a) says:

مَعَ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ لَا بِمُقَارَنَةٍ، وَغَيْرُ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ لَا بِمُزَايَلَةٍ.

God is with everything, but not by way of conjunction; not in the way we imagine one thing to be alongside another. He is other than everything, but not in the sense of being separate and unrelated to it. Thus, He is neither conjoined with anything nor separate and unrelated to it.

The Commander of the Faithful (a) says:

فَاعِلٌ لَا بِمَعْنَى الْحَرَكَاتِ وَالْآلَةِ.

God is the agent and doer, but not through movement or instruments. The actions we perform in this world take place through movement, displacement, and instruments; God’s action, however, is not like this. God willing, we will read further on that God’s action is creation and bringing into being. We do not bring things into being in this world; our actions consist of combining and joining things, whereas God brings things into existence from nothing.

The Commander of the Faithful (a) says:

بَصِيرٌ إِذْ لَا مَنْظُورَ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ خَلْقِهِ.

God sees, but not in the sense of looking at something to fulfil a need. When people look closely at something, they usually have a need; but God is All-Seeing, and His vision is identical with His Essence, not for the fulfilment of a need.

He also says:

مُتَوَحِّدٌ إِذْ لَا سَكَنَ يَسْتَأْنِسُ بِهِ، وَلَا يَسْتَوْحِشُ لِفَقْدِهِ.

God is One and has no need of a companion with whom to find intimacy. We need someone with whom to feel at ease and overcome our fear; but neither fear nor the need to find solace in another can be conceived of in relation to God.

وَصَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَى مُحَمَّدٍ وَآلِ مُحَمَّدٍ.