1253 - عَجزُ العُقولِ عَن مَعرِفَةِ كُنهِهِ‏

1253. THE INTELLECTS’ INCAPACITY TO FATHOM HIS ESSENCE

4099.الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام : فلَسنا نَعلَمُ كُنهَ عَظَمَتِكَ، إلّا أنّا نَعلَمُ أنَّكَ حَيٌّ قَيّومٌ ، لا تَأخُذُكَ سِنَةٌ ولا نَومٌ ، لَم يَنتَهِ إلَيكَ نَظَرٌ ، ولَم يُدرِكْكَ بَصَرٌ .¹

4099.Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘We do not know the essence of Your greatness. All that we do know is that You are Ever-Living and Self-Subsisting through Whom all things subsist. Drowsiness and sleep do not overtake You, vision does not reach You and sight cannot perceive You.’²

4100.الإمامُ عليٌّ عليه السلام - في صِفَةِ المَلائكَةِ - : وإنَّهُم عَلى‏ مَكانِهِم مِنكَ ، ومَنزِلَتِهِم عِندَكَ ، واستِجماعِ أهوائهِم فيكَ ، وكَثرَةِ طاعَتِهِم لَكَ ، وقِلَّةِ غَفلَتِهِم عَن أمرِكَ ، لَو عايَنوا كُنهَ ما خَفِيَ عَلَيهِم مِنكَ لَحَقَّروا أعمالَهُم ، ولَزَرَوا عَلى‏ أنفُسِهِم ، ولَعَرَفوا أ نَّهُم لَم يَعبُدوكَ حَقَّ عِبادَتِكَ ، ولَم يُطيعوكَ حَقَّ طاعَتِكَ .³

4100.Imam Ali (AS) said in his description of the angels, ‘With all the positions they possess, and with their rank near You and all their love for You, and with their abundant servitude and worship for You, and their lack of ignorance about You, yet if they were to witness the essence of what is hidden about You from them, they would regard their deeds insignificant, they would reproach themselves and would realize that they have not worshipped You as You deserve to be worshipped, and have not obeyed You as You deserve to be obeyed.’⁴

4101.الإمام زينُ العابدينَ عليه السلام - في الدّعاءِ - : عَجَزَتِ العُقولُ عَن إدراكِ كُنهِ جَمالِكَ ، وانحَسَرَتِ الأبصارُ دونَ‏النَّظَرِ إلى‏ سُبُحاتِ وَجهِكَ، ولَم تَجعَلْ لِلخَلقِ طَريقاً إلى‏ مَعرِفَتِكَ إلّا بِالعَجزِ عَن مَعرِفَتِكَ .⁵

4101. Imam Zayn al-Abidin (AS) said in one of his supplications, ‘The intellects are incapable of fathoming the essence of Your Beauty, the sights are restricted to looking at other than the splendour of Your Countenance, and You have not set aside any means for Your creation to get to know You except through their complete incapacity of knowing You.’⁶

4102.الإمامُ الرِّضا عليه السلام : كُنهُهُ تَفريقٌ بَينَهُ وبَينَ خَلقِهِ .⁷

4102.Imam al-Rida (AS) said, ‘His essence is a partition [distinction] between Him and His creation.’⁸

4103.الإمامُ الرِّضا عليه السلام - في صِفَةِ اللَّهِ سُبحانَهُ - : هُوَ أجَلُّ مِن أن يُدرِكَهُ بَصَرٌ ، أو يُحيطَ بِه وَهمٌ ، أو يَضبِطَهُ عَقلٌ .⁹

4103. Imam al-Rida (AS) said in his description of Allah, Glory be to Him, ‘He is too exalted for sight to be able to perceive Him, for imagination to be able to fathom Him, and for the intellect to be able to grasp Him.’¹⁰