Description: Imam al-Sadiq (a.s.) said to ‘Abd al-Karim b. Abel ‘Awja who was a denier of the origin and the end [resurrection], ‘If the matter is as you say [i.e. denial], which of course it is not, then both of us will be saved, however if the matter is as we say, which is of course the truth, then we will be saved and you will be destroyed.’ Then ‘Abd al-Karim turned to his disciples and said, ‘I have found anguish and anxiety in my heart, take me from here’, so they took him and he died thereafter.’
قال الإمامُ الصّادقُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) لعبدِ الكريمِ بنِ أبي العَوْجاءِ وهُو مُنْكِرٌ للمَبدَاَء والمَعادِ ـ : إنْ يَكُنِ الأمُر كما تَقولُ ـ ولَيس كما تَقولُ ـ نَجَوْنا ونَجَوْتَ، و إنْ يَكُنِ الأمرُ كما نَقولُ ـ وهُو كما نَقولُ ـ نَجَوْنا وهَلَكْتَ. فأقْبَلَ عبدُالكريمِ علي مَن مَعهُ فقالَ: وَجَدتُ فيقَلبي حَزازَةً فَرُدّوني ، فَرَدُّوهُ وماتَ.
Reference:[al-Tawhid, p. 298, no. 6]
Description: The Prophet (S) said, ‘Every newborn is born upon the origination (fitra) of Allah, meaning [born] with inner knowledge that affirms that Allah is his Creator and this is the meaning of His words, “If you ask them, ‘Who created the heavens and the earth?’ they will surely say, ‘Allah’.”
Description: Imam al-Baqir (a.s.) was asked by a scholar from Damascus, ‘So, the thing, did He create it from something else or from nothing?’ The Imam replied, ‘He created a thing whereby nothing existed before it. Were He to have created from something then there would be infinite regress and there would always have been something existing alongside Allah when in actual fact Allah existed when nothing else was in existence.’
الإمامُ الباقرُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) ـ وقد سألَهُ رجُلٌ مِن عُلَماءِ أهلِ الشّامِ : ... فالشَّيْءُ خَلقَهُ مِن شَيْءٍ أو مِن لا شَيءٍ ؟ ـ : خَلقَ الشَّيْءَ لا مِن شَيْءٍ كانَ قَبلَهُ . ولَو خَلقَ الشَّيْءَ مِن شَيْءٍ ، إذا لَم يَكُنْ لَهُ انْقِطاعٌ أبداً ، ولَم يَزَلِ اللّهُ إذا ومَعهُ شَيْءٌ ، ولكنْ كانَ اللّهُ ولا شَيْءَ مَعهُ.
Reference:[al-Tawhid, p. 66, no. 20]
Description: Imam al-Sadiq (a.s.) when asked by Abu Shakir al-Dayssni, ‘What is the proof that you have a creator?’ The Imam (a.s.) answered, ‘I found within myself that there can only be one of two possibilities, that either I created everything myself or that someone other than me created, so if I created, then that can only mean one of two possibilities, either I created and that thing was in existence beforehand or I created it from non-existence, so if I created and that thing was already in existence beforehand then it is free of any need to be created by the fact that it already exists. If the thing was in non-existence then surely you know that non-existence cannot bring about anything into existence. Thus, the third meaning affirms that I have a creator and He is Allah, the Lord of the Worlds.’ Then Abu Shakir had no response to the Imam (a.s.) so he stood up and left.’
الإمامُ الصّادقُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) ـ لمّا سألَهُ أبو شاكرٍ الدَّيْصانيُّ : ما الدّليلُ علي أنّ لكَ صانِعاً ؟ ـ : وَجَدتُ نَفْسي لا تَخْلو مِن إحْدي جِهَتَينِ : إمّا أنْ أكون صَنَعْتُها أنا أو صَنَعَها غَيري ؛ فإن كنتُ صَنَعتُها أنا فلا أخْلو مِن أحدِ مَعْنَيَينِ ، إمّا أنْ أكونَ صَنَعتُها وكانتْ مَوجودَةً أو صَنَعْتُها وكانتْ مَعْدومَةً ، فإنْ كنتُ صَنَعْتُها وكانتْ مَوجودةً فَقَدِ اسْتَغْنَتْ بوجودِها عن صَنْعَتِها ، و إن كانتْ مَعْدومَةً فإنّكَ تَعلمُ أنّ المَعْدومَ لا يُحْدِثُ شَيئاً ، فقد ثَبَتَ المَعني الثّالثُ أنّ لي صانِعاً وهُو اللّهُ رَبُّ العالَمِينَ ، فقامَ وما أحارَ جَواباً.
Reference:[Al-Tawhid, p. 290, no. 10]
Description: It is narrated in Sharh Nahjul Balaghah that Imam Ali (a.s.) used to frequently say once he had completed his night prayers, ‘I bear witness that the heavens and the earth and what is between them are signs that indicate to You and they bear witness to what You have called us towards. Everything that is a proof for You and demonstrates your Lordship carries the effects of Your bounties and the marks of Your administration and management.’
الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) ـ كانَ كثيرا ما يقولُ إذا فَرَغَ مِن صَلاة اللّيلِ ـ : أشهَدُ أنّ السّماواتِ والأرضَ وما بَينَهُما آياتٌ تَدُلُّ علَيكَ ، وشَواهِدُ تَشْهدُ بما إلَيهِ دَعَوتَ . كلُّ ما يُؤدِّي عنكَ الحُجَّةَ ويَشْهدُ لكَ بالرُّبوبيّةِ مَوْسومٌ بآثارِ نِعْمَتِكَ ، ومَعالِمِ تَدبيرِكَ.
Reference:[Sharh Nahjul Balaghah li Ibn Abi al-Hadid, v. 20, p. 255]
Description: Imam Ali (a.s.) said, ‘O creature that has been equitably created and that has been nurtured and looked after in the darkness of wombs with multiple veils, you were originated from an extract of clay…then you were taken out of your abode to another place you had not seen, and you did not know the means of acquiring its benefits, so who guided you to attain your sustenance from the breast of your mother and who taught you the location of what you required or wanted?’
الإمامُ عليٌّ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) : أيُّها المَخْلوقُ السَّويُّ ، والمُنْشَأُ المَرْعِيُّ ، في ظُلُماتِ الأرْحامِ ومُضاعَفاتِ الأستارِ ، بُدِئْتَ مِن سُلالَةٍ مِن طِينٍ ، ووُضِعتَ في قَرارٍ مَكينٍ ، إلي قَدَرٍ مَعلومٍ وأَجل ٍ مَقْسومٍ ، تَمُورُ في بَطنِ اُمِّكَ جَنينا ، لا تُحيرُ دُعاءً ، ولا تَسمَعُ نِداءً، ثُمّ أُخْرِجْتَ مِن مَقَرِّكَ إلي دارٍ لَم تَشْهَدْها ، ولَم تَعرِفْ سُبُلَ مَنافِعِها ، فمَن هَداكَ لاجْتِرارِ الغِذاءِ مِن ثَدْيِ اُمِّكَ ، وعَرّفَكَ عِند الحاجَةِ مواضِع طَلَبِكَ و إرادَتِكَ؟
Reference:[Nahjul Balaghah, Sermon 163]
Description: Imam al-Sadiq (a.s.) said, ‘If you saw a single door [on its own], from what normally comprises a pair [of doors], with a protruding attachment, would you ever imagine that this [single door with a protrusion] was created in such a way without purpose? Rather you would certainly know that it was made in such a way to connect with another part [thus comprising the pair and providing a purpose for the protrusion]. So you would expose the other component in order to unite it [with the first one] and hence reach a useful purpose. In the same way you find a male animal as if he is part of a pair equipped for its female partner, and they unite in order to procreate and preserve [the human race]. So destroyed, defeated and wretched are the claimants of philosophy [Philosophy here denotes the fallacious philosophy of the atheists, not the commonly known philosophy that is used to provide demonstrations and proofs for the Existence of God (ed.)]. How did their hearts get blinded from this wonderful creation so as to deny the organization and purpose in it?’