Reference:[From Mizan al Hikmat -- Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 9864]
Description: Imam Ali (a.s.) said, ‘I would not be pleased to die as a child and be made to enter Paradise without being able to grow up and get to know my Lord, Mighty and Exalted.’
الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): ما يَسُرُّني لَو مِتُّ طِفلاً واُدخِلتُ الجَنَّةَ ولم أكبُرْ فأعرِفَ رَبّي عَزَّوجلَّ.
Reference:[From Mizan al Hikmat -- Kanz al-’Ummal, no. 36472]
Description: Imam Ali (a.s.) said, ‘The fruit of knowledge is attaining inner knowledge of Allah.’
Reference:[From Mizan al Hikmat -- Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 8896]
Description: Imam al-Sadiq (a.s.) said, ‘If people knew the virtue of knowing Allah, Mighty and Exalted, they would never extend their gaze to the splendour and bounties of the life of this world that Allah has granted to the enemies. They would then regard such people’s worldly goods to be more insignificant that the dust under their feet, and they would take great pleasure at attaining knowledge of Allah, Mighty and Exalted, and would savour it as if they were tasting the experience of being in the gardens of Paradise with the friends of Allah. Verily the inner knowledge of Allah is an intimate companion in every type of desolation, a friend in every type of loneliness, a light in every darkness, a source of strength from all weakness, and a cure for all ailments.’
Reference:[From Mizan al Hikmat -- al-Kafi, v. 8, p. 247, no. 347]
Description: The Prophet (S) said, ‘He who attains inner knowledge of Allah and aggrandizes Him forbids his mouth from speaking [vain] and his stomach from eating, and satisfies himself through fasting and praying.’
Reference:[From Mizan al Hikmat -- Amali al-Saduq, p. 444, no. 6]
Description: The Prophet (S) said, ‘If you truly knew Allah as He is worthy of being known, you would be able to walk on the seas and the mountains would fall by your command.’
Reference:[From Mizan al Hikmat -- Bihar al-Anwar, v. 70, p. 393, no. 64]
Description: Imam al-Baqir (a.s.) said, ‘The creature of Allah most eligible for submission to the decree of Allah, Mighty and Exalted, is he who knows Allah, Mighty and Exalted.’
Reference:[From Mizan al Hikmat -- al-Kafi, v. 2, p. 62, no. 9]
Description: Imam al-Sadiq (a.s.) said, ‘He who attains inner knowledge of Allah fears Allah, and he who fears Allah restrains himself from this world.’
Reference:[From Mizan al Hikmat -- Ghurar al-Hikam, no. 664]
Description: Imam Ali (a.s.) said, ‘Crying much due to fear of Allah for any possible distance between oneself and Allah is the regular worshipful state of the gnostics.’
Reference:[From Mizan al HikmatTuhaf al-’Uqul, no. 376]
Description: Imam al-Kazim (a.s.), when he was asked about the lowest degree of inner knowledge, replied, ‘It is to affirm that there is no god but He, and that He has no likeness or match, and that He is eternal, positively proven to exist, present and not absent, and that there is nothing like Him.’
الإمامُ الكاظمُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) ـ لَمّا سُئلَ عَن أدنَي المَعرِفةِ ـ: الإقرارُ بأ نَّهُ لا إلهَ غَيرُهُ ، ولا شِبهَ لَهُ ولا نَظيرَ وأ نَّهُ قَديمٌ ، مُثبَتٌ ، مَوجودٌ ، غَيرُ فَقيدٍ ، وأ نَّهُ لَيسَ كَمِثلِه شَيءٌ .
Reference:[From Mizan al Hikmat -- al-Kafi, v. 1, p. 86, no. 1]
Description: Imam Ali (a.s.) said, ‘Get to know Allah through Allah, and the Prophet through the message he brought, and those vested with authority through their command to do good, their justice and righteousness.’
Reference:[From Mizan al Hikmat -- al-Kafi, v. 1, p. 85, no. 1]
Description: Imam Zayn al-Abidin (a.s.) said in one of his supplications, ‘I have attained knowledge of You through You, and You are the One Who indicated me to Yourself and called me to Yourself, and were it not for You, I would not know who You are.’
الإمامِ زينِ العابدينَ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) ـ في الدّعاءِ ـ: بِكَ عَرَفتُكَ و أنتَ دَلَلتَني عَلَيكَ و دَعَوتَني إلَيكَ ، و لَولا أنتَ لَم أدرِ ما أنتَ.
Reference:[From Mizan al Hikmat -- Iqbal al-A’amal, v. 1, p. 157]
Description: The Prophet (S) said, ‘Ponder about the creation of Allah, but do not ponder about Allah Himself lest you be ruined.’
رسولُ اللّٰهِِ (صَلَّيَ اللّٰهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ): تَفَكَّروا في خَلقِ اللّهِ ، ولا تَفَكَّروا في اللّهِ فتَهلِكوا.
Reference:[From Mizan al Hikmat -- Kanz al-’Ummal, no. 5705]
Description: Imam al-Sadiq (a.s.) said, ‘Beware of pondering about Allah, for verily pondering about Allah only increases one’s bewilderment. Verily Allah, Mighty and Exalted, cannot be perceived by the sights or described by any type of criteria.’
الإمامُ الصّادقُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): إيّاكُم والتَّفَكُّرَ في اللّهِ؛ فإنَّ التَّفَكُّرَ في اللّهِ لا يَزيدُ إلّا تِيهاً ، إنَّ اللّهَ عَزَّوجلَّ لا تُدرِكُهُ الأبصارُ ولا يُوصَفُ بِمِقدارٍ.
Reference:[From Mizan al Hikmat -- Amali al-Saduq, p. 340, no. 3]
Description: Imam al-Sadiq (a.s.) said, ‘How ruined is the one who examines Allah!’
Reference:[From Mizan al Hikmat -- al-Mahasin, v. 1, p. 371, no. 808]
Description: Imam Ali (a.s.) 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.’
Reference:[From Mizan al Hikmat -- Nahjul Balaghah, Sermon 160]
Description: Imam Ali (a.s.) said in his description of the angels, ‘They are in their own places [distinct] from You, [and yet] their positions are near You. Their desires are all concentrated on You, their worship for You is abundant, and their neglect of Your command is little. 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.’
Reference:[From Mizan al Hikmat -- Nahjul Balaghah, Sermon 109]
Description: Imam Zayn al-Abidin (a.s.) 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.’
الإمام زينُ العابدينَ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) ـ في الدّعاءِ ـ: عَجَزَتِ العُقولُ عَن إدراكِ كُنهِ جَمالِكَ ، وانحَسَرَتِ الأبصارُ دونَالنَّظَرِ إلي سُبُحاتِ وَجهِكَ، ولَم تَجعَلْ لِلخَلقِ طَريقا إلي مَعرِفَتِكَ إلّا بِالعَجزِ عَن مَعرِفَتِكَ .
Reference:[From Mizan al Hikmat -- Bihar al-Anwar, v. 94, p. 150, no. 21]
Description: Imam Ar-Ridha’ (a.s.) said, ‘His essence is a partition between Himself and His creation.’
Reference:[From Mizan al Hikmat -- al-Tawhid, p. 36, no. 2]
Description: Imam Ar-Ridha’ (a.s.) 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.’
الإمامُ الرِّضا (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) ـ في صِفَةِ اللّهِ سُبحانَهُ ـ: هُوَ أجَلُّ مِن أن يُدرِكَهُ بَصَرٌ ، أو يُحيطَ بِه وَهمٌ ، أو يَضبِطَهُ عَقلٌ.
Reference:[From Mizan al Hikmat -- al-Tawhid, p. 252, no. 3]
Description: Imam Ali (a.s.) said, ‘He who [undertakes to] describe Him has defined Him, and he who defines Him has numbered Him, and he who numbers Him has nullified His eternity. He who asks ‘How?’ [about Allah] has indeed sought to describe Him, and he who asks ‘Where?’ has indeed confined Him.’
Reference:[From Mizan al Hikmat -- Nahjul Balaghah, Sermon 152]
Description:
Imam Ali (a.s.) said, ‘So blessed be the One Whom the highest ambitions cannot reach and Whom the conjecture of intelligent minds cannot grasp.’
الإمامُ عليٌ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): فتَبارَكَ اللّهُ الّذي لا يَبلُغُهُ بُعدُ الهِمَمِ ، ولا يَنالُهُ حَدسُ الفِطَنِ.
Reference:[From Mizan al Hikmat -- Nahjul Balaghah, Sermon 94]
Description: Imam al-Hadi (a.s.) said, ‘Verily the Creator can only be described by that which He Himself has described Himself, and how can the Creator ever be described anyway, Whom the senses are incapable of perceiving and the imaginations unable to grasp and the ideas unable to confine and the sights unable to contain?! He is too exalted for the description of those who undertake to describe, and too high to be attributed by those who seek to attach attributes to Him.’
Reference:[From Mizan al Hikmat -- Nahjul Balaghah, Saying 470]
Description: Imam al-Sadiq (a.s.) said, ‘[Faith in] Allah’s divine Unity is that you do not deem applicable to your Lord that which applies to you, and [faith in] His divine Justice is that you do not blame Him for that which you are blameworthy.’
الإمامُ الصّادقُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) ـ لِرَجُلٍ ـ: أمَّا التَّوحيدُ فأن لا تُجوِّزَ عَلي رَبِّكَ ما جازَ عَلَيكَ ، وأمَّا العَدلُ فأن لا تَنسِبَ إلي خالِقِكَ ما لامَكَ عَلَيهِ.
Reference:[From Mizan al Hikmat -- Ma’ani al-Akhbar, p. 11, no. 2]
Description: Imam Ar-Ridha’ (a.s.) said, ‘The very first step to Allah’s worship is to attain inner knowledge of Him, and the origin of attaining inner knowledge of Allah, Exalted be His Praise, is through His divine Unity. The very basis of His divine Unity is to negate any kind of limitation from Him, since the intellects are able to witness that every limited being is created.’
Reference:[From Mizan al Hikmat -- Amali al-Tusi, p. 22, no. 28]
Description: Imam al-Kazim (a.s.) said, ‘Verily Allah is too High and too Exalted and too Great for the reality of His description to ever be possible, so describe Him as He Himself has described Himself, and desist from anything other than that.’
Reference:[From Mizan al hikmat -- al-Kafi, v. 1, p. 102, no. 6]
Description: Imam al-Sadiq (a.s.), when he was debating with an atheist, said, ‘If you say that there are two gods, then they are either in complete agreement on everything or completely separate in their spheres of influence. But when we look at this orderly creation, the continuous orbits, the alternation of night and day, and the sun and the moon, the soundness of the situation and the organisation and sound management of it indicates that the Director [of all creation] is One.’
Then if you still claim that there are two gods, then there must necessarily be some kind of difference between them for them to be two [and therefore distinct from each other], and this distinguishing characteristic between them is itself eternal like them, so you are forced to accept three such beings. And if you hold that there are indeed three, then you have to admit the same thing that we said for two such that they [the three] necessarily have two distinguishing characteristics between them [to differentiate them from each other] so then there are five [such eternal beings] altogether, and thus does the multiplication continue until infinity.’
الإمامُ الصّادقُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) ـ مِن مُناظَرَتِهِ زِندِيقا ـ: إن قُلتَ: إنَّهُما اثنانِ لَم يَخْلُ مِن أن يَكونا مُتَّفِقَينِ مِن كُلِّ جِهَةٍ ، أو مُفتَرِقَينِ مِن كُلِّ جِهَةٍ ، فلَمّا رَأينا الخَلقَ مُنتَظِماً، والفَلَكَ جارِياً، واختلافَ اللَّيلِوالنَّهارِ، والشَّمسِ والقَمَرِ ، دَلَّ صِحَّةُ الأمرِ والتَّدبيرِ وائتِلافُ الأمرِ عَلي أنَّ المُدَبِّرَ واحِدٌ. ثُمّ يَلزَمُكَ إنِ ادَّعَيتَ اثنَينِ فلابُدَّ مِن فُرجَةٍ بَينَهُما حتّي يَكونا اثنَينِ ، فصارَتِ الفُرجَةُ ثالِثاً بَينَهُما قَديماً مَعَهُما فيَلزَمُكَ ثَلاثَةٌ، فإنِ ادَّعيتَ ثَلاثَةً لَزِمَكَ ما قُلنا في الاثنَينِ حتّي يَكونَ بَينَهُم فُرجَتانِ فيَكونَ خَمساً، ثُمّ يَتَناهي في العَدَدِ إلي ما لا نِهايَةَ في الكَثرَةِ.
Reference:[From Mizan al Hikmat -- al-Tawhid, p. 243, no. 1]
Description: 48– Imam Ar-Ridha’ (a.s.) was asked the following by a man believing in dualism, ‘I believe that the creator of the world are two, so what is the proof that He is One?’ Im?m replied, ‘Your belief that there are two is proof in itself that He is One, for verily you have only claimed the second after having affirmed the existence of the One. So the One is already a unanimous fact – it is more than one that is controversial [and remains to be proven].’
Reference:[From Mizan al Hikmat -- al-Tawhid, p. 270, no. 6]
Description: Imam al-Sadiq (a.s.), when asked to give proof that Allah is One, said, ‘The continuous unity of management [in the cosmos] and the perfection of creation, as Allah, Mighty and Exalted, has said, “Had there been gods in them (i.e. the heavens and the earth) other than Allah, they would surely have fallen apart”[Qur’an 21:22].’
Reference:[From Mizan al Hikmat -- al-Tawhid, p. 250, no. 2]
Description: Imam Ar-Ridha’ (a.s.), with regards to Allah’s verse in the Qur’an: “The sights do not apprehend Him…” said, ‘The hearts’ fancies cannot apprehend Him so how can the eyesights apprehend Him?!’
الإمامُ الرِّضا (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) ـ في قولِهِ تعالي: «لا تُدرِكُهُ الأبصارُ ...» ـ: لا تُدرِكُهُ أوهامُ القُلوبِ ، فكَيفَ تُدرِكُهُ أبصارُ العُيونِ؟!
Reference:[From Mizan al Hikmat -- Amali al-Saduq, p. 334, no. 2]
Description: The Prophet (S) said, ‘When I was taken on my Night Journey to the heavens, Gabriel took me up until a place wherein he himself had never set foot. The veils were pulled away for me and Allah, Mighty and Exalted, showed me whatever He liked from the light of His Greatness.’
رسولُ اللّٰهِِ (صَلَّيَ اللّٰهُ عَلَيهِ وَ آلِهِ): لَمّا اُسرِيَ بي إلَي السَّماءِ بَلَغَ بي جَبرَئيلُ مَكاناً لَم يَطَأْهُ جَبرئيلُ قَطُّ ، فكُشِفَ لي فأرانِيَ اللّهُ عَزَّوجلَّ مِن نورِ عَظَمَتِهِ ما أحَبَّ.
Reference:[From Mizan al Hikmat -- al-Tawhid, p. 108, no. 4]
Description:
Imam al-’Aaskari (a.s.) said, ‘Verily Allah, Blessed and most High, displayed to His Prophet in his heart, whatever He liked from the light of His Greatness.’
Reference:[From Mizan al Hikmat -- al-Kafi, v. 1, p. 95, no. 1]
Description: Imam Ali (a.s.) said, ‘Praise be to Allah, the First before every first, and the Last after every last, and His Firstness necessitates that there is no beginning to Him, and His Lastness necessitates that there is no end to Him.’
الإمامُ عليٌ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): الحَمدُ للّهِِ الأوَّلِ قَبلَ كُلِّ أوَّلٍ ، والآخِرِ بَعدَ كُلِّ آخِرٍ ، وبِأوَّلِيَّتِهِ وَجَبَ أن لا أوَّلَ لَهُ ، وبآخِرِيَّتِهِ وَجَبَ أن لا آخِرَ لَهُ .
Reference:[From Mizan al Hikmat -- Nahjul Balaghah, Sermon 101]
Description: Imam Ali (a.s.) said, ‘He never ceases to exist and will always be, the First before all things without a beginning, and the Last after all things without an end.’
Reference:[From Mizan al Hikmat -- Nahjul Balaghah, Letter 31]
Description: Imam Ali (a.s.) was once asked by a Jew, ‘When did our Lord, Mighty and Exalted, come to be?’, to which he replied, ‘O Jew, It is not that our Lord was not and then came to be, for the question ‘When did x come to be?’ is posed regarding something that is not there and then comes to be. He exists without coming into being; He is ever existing having nothing before Him. He is before ‘before’ itself, before any limit. Limits do not apply to Him for He is the ultimate limit of all limits.’
Reference:[From Mizan al Hikmat -- Bihar al-Anwar, v. 77, p. 331, no. 18]
Description: Imam al-Baqir (a.s.) said, ‘Verily Allah, Blessed and most High, existed when nothing else did, He is light not darkness, truthful with no falsehood about Him, all-knowing with no ignorance about Him, ever-living with no death about Him, and He is such today, and thus will He remain forever.’
الإمامُ الباقرُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): إنَّ اللّهَ تَبارَكَ وتَعالي كانَ ولا شَيءَ غَيرُهُ ، نوراً لا ظَلامَ فيهِ ، وصادِقاً لا كِذبَ فيهِ ، وعالِماً لا جَهلَ فيهِ، وحَيّاً لا مَوتَ فيهِ ، وكذلِكَ هُوَ اليَومُ ، وكذلِكَ لا يَزالُ أبَداً.
Reference:[From Mizan al Hikmat -- al-Tawhid, p. 141, no. 5]
Description: Imam al-Sadiq (a.s.) said, ‘Verily Allah is all knowledge with no ignorance about Him, He is all Life without any death around Him, and all Light with no darkness about Him.’
الإمامُ الصّادقُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): إنَّ اللّهَ عِلمٌ لا جَهلَ فيهِ ، حَياةٌ لا مَوتَ فيهِ ، نورٌ لا ظُلمَةَ فيهِ.
Reference:[From Mizan al Hikmat -- al-Tawhid, p. 137, no. 11]
Description: Imam al-Kazim (a.s.) said, ‘Allah is Omnipresent without any external source of life … rather He lives through Himself.’
Reference:[From Mizan al Hikmat -- al-Tawhid, p. 142, no. 6]
Description: Imam Ali (a.s.) said, ‘The number of droplets of water, or of stars in the sky, or of gusts of wind in the air are not unknown to Him, and neither is the crawling of ants on rocks, nor the settling place of tiny particles in the darkness of the night. He knows the spots where leaves fall and the subtle movement of the pupils of the eyes.’
الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): ولا يَعزُبُ عَنهُ عَدَدُ قَطرِ الماءِ، ولا نُجومُ السَّماءِ ، ولا سَوافِي الرِّيحِ في الهَواءِ ، ولا دَبيبُ النَّملِ عَلَي الصَّفا ، ولا مَقيلُ الذَّرِّ في اللّيلَةِ الظَّلماءِ ، يَعلَمُ مَساقِطَ الأوراقِ ، وخَفِيَّ طَرْفِ الأحداقِ
Reference:[From Mizan al Hikmat -- Nahjul Balaghah, Sermon 178]
Description: Imam Ali (a.s.) said, ‘He knows the howls of beasts in the forests, the sins of the people committed in secret, the fish’s frequenting the deep seas and the rising of the waters by tempestuous winds.’
الإمامُ عليٌ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): يَعلَمُ عَجيجَ الوُحوشِ في الفَلَواتِ، ومَعاصِيَ العِبادِ في الخَلَواتِ ، واختِلافَ النِّينانِ في بحار الأنوار الغامِراتِ ، وتَلاطُمَ الماءِ بِالرِّياحِ العاصِفاتِ.
Reference:[From Mizan al Hikmat -- Nahjul Balaghah, Sermon 198]
Description: Imam Ali (a.s.) said, ‘His knowledge pierces through the inside of unknown secrets and encompasses the innermost beliefs of the hearts.’
Reference:[From Mizan al Hikmat -- Nahjul Balaghah, Sermon 108]
Description:
Imam al-Baqir (a.s.) said, ‘He always knows what is to be, such that His knowledge of it before its coming into being is the same as His knowledge after its coming into being.’
Reference:[From Mizan al Hikmat -- al-Kafi, v. 1, p. 107, no. 2]
Description:
Imam al-Sadiq (a.s.) was once asked about Allah’s knowledge of space [i.e. the concept] and whether He knows it before its coming into existence or during it or after it, to which he replied, ‘Most High is Allah! He always knows space before its conception just as He knows it after He has created it, and such is His knowledge of all things like His knowledge of space.’
Reference:[From Mizan al Hikmat -- al-Tawhid, p. 137, no. 9]
Description:
Imam al-Sadiq (a.s.) said, ‘Knowledge is His very essence and not the object of knowing [or a known], such that when He created things, knowledge projected from Him onto the known things.’
Reference:[From Mizan al Hikmat -- Nur al-Thaqalayn, v. 5, p. 237, no. 41]
Description:
Imam al-Kazim (a.s.) said, ‘The knowledge of Allah cannot be defined by where, nor can Allah’s knowledge be described by how. Allah’s knowledge cannot be separated from Him, nor can Allah be distinguished from it, and there is no barrier between Allah and His knowledge.’
الإمامُ الكاظمُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): عِلمُ اللّهِ لا يُوصَفُ مِنهُ بِأينَ ، ولا يُوصَفُ العِلمُ مِنَ اللّهِ بِكَيفَ، ولا يُفرَدُ العِلمُ مِنَ اللّهِ، ولا يُبانُ اللّهُ مِنهُ ، ولَيسَ بَينَ اللّهِ وبَينَ عِلمِهِ حَدٌّ .
Reference:[From Mizan al Hikmat -- al-Tawhid, p. 138, no. 16]
Description:
Imam Ali (a.s.) said, ‘And I bear witness that He is just and acts justly, and is an arbitrator who decides fairly.’