Chapitre sur la Contingence de l'Univers et Preuve de l'Existence de son Créateur

2. A number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Khalid from Muhammad ibn Ali from ‘Abd al-Rahman ibn Muhammad ibn abu Hashim from Ahmad ibn Muhsin al-Maythami who said that I was with abu Mansur al-Mutatbbib who said the following. “One of my friends has said that he was with ibn abu al-‘Awja’ and ‘Abdallah ibn al-Muqaffa‘ in the holy Mosque of Makkah and ibn al-Muqaffa‘ said, “Do you see these creatures, pointing towards the location where people walk seven times around the Kabah‘? Of all these no one deserves to be called a human being accept that Shaikh sitting there, meaning thereby Imam abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.). The rest is garble and beasts.” Upon this ibn abu al-‘Awja’ said, “For what reason do you call him a human being and not the rest?” Ibn al-Muqaffa‘ then replied, “Because I saw with him what I did not see with the others.” Ibn abu al-”Awja’ then said, “We must test your claim.” Ibn al-Muqaffa‘ then said, “I advise you not to do so lest you will lose whatever faith you have. Ibn abu al-‘Awja’ then said, “I do not think that is what you mean. I think you are afraid of failing to substantiate what you have just said about this man.” Ibn al-Muqaffa‘ then said, “If that is what you think then go to him and protect yourself as much as you can. Be strong as much as you can so you are not harnnessed and note all points against and in your favor. Ibn abu al-‘Awja’ then left and ibn al-Muqaffa‘ and I remained there. When ibn abu al-‘Awja’ returned he said, “Woe is you, O ibn al-Muqaffa‘. This is not a human being even though he lives in this world. He is a spiritual being but appears in the form of man whenever he wants the out world and turns into a spiritual being whenever he wants the inner world. That is the way he is.” Ibn al-Muqaffa‘ then asked, “How does that happen?” Ibn abu al-‘Awja’ then said, “I sat near him and when everyone had gone he turned to me and said, “If it is the way they (people walking around the Ka‘bah) say, which is true then they are saved and you are destroyed. If it is the way you say it is, which is not so then you and they are all equal.” I then asked, “May Allah be kind to you. What is it that we say and what is it that they say? We all say the same thing.” He said, “How can what you say be equal to what they say? They say that they will have a return, a day of receiving their rewards and penalties. They believe in a religion which says that in the heavens is the Lord and that they are habitable while you say that they are in ruins and there is nothing in them.”Ibn abu al-‘Awja’ has said, “I then found the opportunity to speak and I asked, “What then keeps this Lord, if it is true the way they say that He exists, from appearing to His creatures and call them to His worship so that no two people would oppose each other? Why is He hiding from them and has only sent messengers? If He would have been in direct contact with them it would have been more helpful to have faith in Him.” He then responded, “Woe is you, how someone who is already shown His power within you is hiding from you? He brought you up. You did not even exist. He made you grow when you were so small. He gave you strength and power when you were so weak and will make you weak again after being strong. He make you sick after being healthy and can give you good health after suffering sickness. He can make you happy after you experience anger and make you angry after being happy. He can make you sad after your joy and give you joy after sadness. He can give love after your experiencing hatred and hatred after enjoying love. He can give you determination after your uncertainty and uncertainty after having determination. He can give you strong desires after your experiencing dislike and dislike after having strong desires. He can give you willingness after experiencing fear and concerns and fear after having strong willingness. He can give you hope after despair and despair after having a great deal of hope. He can give you good remembrance of what you had no idea and remove what you may have had as a belief.” He kept reminding and counting for me the effects of His power within my soul that I could not deny and I begin to have a feeling that all that is between me and him will all appear in the open.” From the same source the following is narrated from a number of our people in a Marfu‘ manner as additional statements to the above discourse of ibn abu al-‘Awja’ with Imam abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.). That abu al-‘Awja’ came the next day to the meeting of the Imam and sat down quietly. The Imam (a.s.) said to him, “Would you like to review the issues we discussed yesterday?” He replied, “I did intend to do so, O son of the messenger of Allah.” The Imam then said, “It is strange that one who does not believe in Allah acknowledges the existence of the messenger of Allah.” He replied, “It is only the habit that made me say so.” The ‘Alim (the Imam) then asked, “What is it that keeps you quite?” He replied, “It is your excellence and awesome spiritual ability that hold my tongue back from speaking. I have seen many scholars and have debated many theologians but I never experienced such an awesome feeling from them as I feel in your presence.” The Imam then said, “ It may happen. I would like to open this session with a question to you. The Imam turned to him and asked, “Are you created or uncreated?” ‘Abdul Karim ibn abu al-‘Awja’ answered, “ I am uncreated.” The ‘Alim then asked him, “Describe for us then, how you might have been if you were created.” ‘Abdal Karim remained quiet and confused and began to scribble scrabble with a piece of wood, saying, long, wide, deep, short, moving and motionless all these are the qualities of His creatures.” The ‘Alim (Imam) then said, “If you do not know anything other than these as the qualities of the creation then consider yourself a creature because that is what you find within yourself that take place and come into existence.” ‘Abdal Karim then said, “You have asked me a question that no one before had ever asked and no one ever would ask afterwards.” Abu ‘Abdallah then said, “It is fine. I noticed that you did not ask any thing in the time past but how would you know that you will not ask any thing in future? Besides, O ‘Abdal Karim, what you said is against your notion that from the beginning all things are equal. How then you made them before and after? The Imam then said, “O ‘Abdal Karim let me explain it for you. Suppose if you had a bag with you full of pearls and someone asked you, “Is there a Dinar in your bag?” You then denied and said, “No, there is no Dinar in my bag.” The person then said, “Alright, then describe for me the qualities of the Dinar but you had no knowledge of the qualities of the Dinar. Could you deny the existence of the Dinar that was from the bag but you did not know about it?” he replied, “No, I would not deny.” The Imam then said, “The world is bigger, taller and wider than a bag. Perhaps in the world there is a creature as such that you do not know in whose case you would not be able to tell the qualities of the created from the non-created.” ‘Abdal Karim remained quiet but some of his people agreed to accept Islam and a few of them remained. He came again to the meeting of the Imam on the third day and said, “I like to reverse the question.” The Imam replied, “Ask whatever you like.” He then asked, “What is the proof that bodies did not exist and then they came into existence?” The Imam then said, “I have not seen anything small or large that on adding to it something of the same size would not make it bigger and in this there is a change and transformation from the first condition. If it, however, would have been eternal, there would have been no changing and transformation. What may cease to exist or change it may come into existence and may get destroyed, thus, with its existence after its none existence is entering into the state of coming into being and as being eternal this will take it into nothingness but the two qualities of being eternal and nothingness and the qualities of a contingent and something without a beginning in one thing do come together.” ‘Abdal Karim then said, “Suppose, I noticed that with a view to the two conditions you mentioned you considered it a proof of their contingency. If, however, things would remain small, despite the addition, then how would you prove their contingency?” The ‘Alim then said, “We speak of this universe that is already there. Were we to take it away and place another universe in its place nothingness would have, certainly, been a stronger proof of its contingency than its removal and its replacing with a different one. I, however, will answer you according to your assumption. If things would still remain small but it would certainly come into one’s thinking that whenever something like it added to another thing it then would be bigger. The fact that it can change is proof of its becoming temporal and in its changing condition is proof of its contingency. There is nothing beyond it for you, O ‘Abdal Karim. ‘Abdal Karim had nothing else to say. Next year he met the Imam (a.s.) in Makkah again and people from his followers said that ‘Abdal Karim has become a Muslim. The Imam told him that ‘Abdal Karim was blind in this matter and would not become a Muslim. When he saw the ‘Alim he said, “My master, my chief!” The ‘Alim then asked him, “What brings you here?” He then replied, “It is the habits of the body and the traditions of the town to see what craziness makes them shave and throw pebbles.” The ‘Alim said, “It seems that you still live in your arrogance and misguidance, O ‘Abdal Karim.” He began to speak but the Imam said, “Disputation during Hajj is not permissible. The Imam freed his gown from the hand of the heretic man and said, “If it is the way you say and it is not true, then we as well as you are all saved. However, if it is the way we say and it is true we are saved but you are destroyed.” ‘Abdal Karim then turned to his people saying, “I feel pain in my heart. Take me back. They took him away and he died.

Un groupe de nos compagnons a rapporté d'Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Khalid, de Muhammad ibn Ali, d'Abderrahman ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Hashim, d'Ahmad ibn Muhsin al-Mithami, qui a dit : "J'étais chez Abi Mansur le guérisseur, et un homme parmi mes compagnons m'a informé qu'il était avec Ibn Abi al-Awja et Abdullah ibn al-Muqaffa dans la Mosquée Sacrée. Ibn al-Muqaffa a dit : 'Voyez-vous cette assemblée ?' et il a pointé du doigt l'emplacement de la circumambulation. Aucun d'entre eux n'a reçu le nom de l'humanité, sauf ce vieillard assis, signifiant Abu Abdullah Ja'far ibn Muhammad (que la paix soit sur eux). Quant aux autres, ce sont des bestiaux et des animaux.' Ibn Abi al-Awja lui a demandé : 'Comment as-tu attribué ce nom à ce vieillard plutôt qu'à ces gens ?' Il a répondu : 'Parce que j'ai vu en lui ce que je n'ai pas vu en eux.' Ibn Abi al-Awja lui a dit : 'Il est nécessaire de mettre à l'épreuve ce que tu as dit à son sujet.' Il a répondu : 'Ne le fais pas, car je crains que ce que tu as entre les mains ne te soit corrompu.' Ibn al-Muqaffa lui a dit : 'Ce n'est pas ton avis, mais tu crains que ton opinion ne soit affaiblie en me permettant ce que tu as décrit.' Ibn Abi al-Awja a dit : 'Si jamais tu doutes de moi à ce sujet, lève-toi et va vers lui, garde-toi de toute erreur que tu peux éviter, ne te laisse pas aller à la négligence, sinon tu seras conduit par une corde et on te dira : "C'est pour toi ou contre toi".' Ibn Abi al-Awja s'est levé, et je suis resté avec Ibn al-Muqaffa. Lorsqu'Ibn Abi al-Awja est revenu vers nous, il a dit : 'Malheur à toi, Ibn al-Muqaffa, est-ce là un être humain ? Même s'il a une nature spirituelle dans ce monde, il prend forme quand il le souhaite extérieurement, et il se déplace comme il le souhaite intérieurement. C'est lui.' Ibn al-Muqaffa lui a demandé : 'Comment cela est-il possible ?' Il a répondu : 'Je me suis assis avec lui, et quand personne d'autre n'était présent, il a commencé à me parler. Il a dit : "Si ce que tu dis est vrai, et s'ils sont dans la vérité, c'est-à-dire les gens de la circumambulation, alors ils ont réussi et vous avez échoué. Mais si ce que vous dites est vrai et ce n'est pas ce qu'ils disent, alors vous avez réussi et ils ont échoué." Je lui ai dit : "Que Dieu te bénisse, que devrais-je dire et que disent-ils ? Ma parole et la leur ne font qu'une." Il a demandé : "Comment ta parole et la leur pourraient-elles être identiques alors qu'ils croient en la résurrection, en la récompense, en la punition, et qu'ils affirment qu'il y a un Dieu dans le ciel et que c'est 'Umaran, tandis que vous prétendez que le ciel est vide, sans personne." J'ai saisi l'occasion et lui ai demandé : "Qu'est-ce qui l'empêche, s'ils disent vrai, de se manifester à ses créatures et de les appeler à l'adorer, de sorte qu'il n'y ait plus de divergence entre eux ? Et pourquoi se cache-t-il d'eux, envoyant des messagers à leur place, alors que s'il se montrait à eux en personne, ils croiraient plus en lui ?" Il m'a dit : "Comment peut-il se cacher de toi, alors que tu as vu sa puissance en toi-même, te créant et te faisant grandir depuis ton enfance, te donnant force après ta faiblesse, faiblesse après ta force, maladie après ta santé,

3. Muhammad ibn Ja‘far al-Asadi has narrated from Muhammad ibn Esma‘il al-Barmaki al-Razi from al-Husayn ibn al-Hassan ibn Bard al-Daynuri from Muhammad ibn Ali from Muhammad ibn ‘Abdallah al-Khurasani the an employee of Imam al-Rida (a.s.) who has said the following. “An atheist man came to Imam abu al-Hassan (a.s.) while group of people was present there. The Imam (a.s.) said to him, “Consider, if what you say would be true which is not true, in such case, we all will be equal. Our fasting, prayers, giving charity and belief will not harm us.” The man remained quite. The Imam then said, “If what we say would be true, which, in fact, is true then you will be the one facing your destruction and we will be saved.” The man then said, “Please help me learn where is He and how is He?” The Imam then said, “What is the matter with you? What you say is not right. He is the ‘where’ of ‘where’ but without ‘where’. He is the ‘how’ of ‘how’ without ‘how’. He can not be defined with ‘how’ and ‘where’ and can not be comprehended with the senses or compared with anything.” The man then asked, “Tell me then when was He?” The Imam replied, “You tell me, when He was not there so that I would tell when He was there?” The man then asked, “What is the proof for His existence?” The Imam said, “When I look at my body I find that I can not do any addition or alteration to it such as width and breadth or remove its sufferings and attract all its interests. I then come to understand that for this establishment there must be a founder and then I acknowledge His existence. Besides, I see all the orbiting planets and stars, the creation of the clouds and driving of the winds, the paths of the sun, the moon, the stars and other things of the marvelous clear signs I come to believe that there is One who has designed and created all such wonderful things”

3- Muhammad ibn Ja'far al-Asadi m'a informé, de la part de Muhammad ibn Isma'il al-Barmaki al-Razi, de la part de Husayn ibn al-Hasan ibn Burd al-Dinawari, de la part de Muhammad ibn Ali, de la part de Muhammad ibn Abdullah al-Khurasani, serviteur d'Al-Rida (que la paix soit sur lui), a rapporté : Un homme parmi les zindiqs entra chez Abi al-Hasan (que la paix soit sur lui) alors qu'il était en compagnie d'un groupe. Abi al-Hasan (que la paix soit sur lui) lui dit : "Ô homme, as-tu vu si ta parole est la tienne et non pas ce que vous dites ? Ne sommes-nous pas soumis à une même loi, que ce que nous avons accompli en prières, jeûnes, purification et affirmation ne nous nuit pas ?" L'homme se tut, puis Abi al-Hasan (que la paix soit sur lui) ajouta : "Et si notre parole est la nôtre et qu'elle est la nôtre, n'êtes-vous pas alors perdus tandis que nous sommes sauvés ?" L'homme dit : "Que Dieu te fasse miséricorde, montre-moi comment cela est et où cela se trouve." Abi al-Hasan (que la paix soit sur lui) répondit : "Malheur à toi ! Ce que tu cherches est une erreur. Où est l'endroit sans endroit et comment est la manière sans manière ? Il n'est pas connu par des caractéristiques ni par des localisations, ni perçu par des sens, ni mesuré par quoi que ce soit." L'homme dit alors : "Donc, s'il n'est rien s'il n'est pas perçu par les sens, alors." Abi al-Hasan (que la paix soit sur lui) répliqua : "Malheur à toi ! Lorsque tes sens ne peuvent le percevoir, tu renies Sa Seigneurie. Alors que nous, lorsque nos sens ne peuvent le percevoir, nous croyons en Sa Seigneurie, contrairement à toute autre chose." L'homme demanda : "Alors dis-moi quand cela a-t-il été ?" Abi al-Hasan (que la paix soit sur lui) répondit : "Dis-moi quand cela n'a-t-il pas été ?" L'homme demanda : "Quelle est la preuve de cela ?" Abi al-Hasan (que la paix soit sur lui) dit : "Lorsque j'ai regardé mon propre corps et que je n'ai pas trouvé d'augmentation ni de diminution dans mes dimensions, ni de défauts, et que j'ai repoussé les choses détestables de moi et attiré les bénéfices vers moi, j'ai su que pour ce bâtiment, il y a un constructeur. J'ai donc affirmé cela en fonction de ce que je vois dans les rotations des cieux par Sa puissance, la création des nuages, la direction des vents, le mouvement du soleil, de la lune et des étoiles, et d'autres signes évidents. J'ai su que pour tout cela, il y a un planificateur et un créateur."

4. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from Muhammad ibn Ishaq al-Khaffaf or from his father from Muhammad ibn Ishaq who has said the following. “‘Abdallah al-Daysani asked Hisham ibn al-Hakam, ‘Do you have a God?’” He replied, “Yes, I have a God.” He then asked, “Is He powerful?” Hisham then replied, “Yes, He is powerful and the most powerful One.” The man then asked, “Can He fit the whole world inside an egg without any change in the size of either one?” Hisham then said, “Give me a little time.” The man said, “I give you one whole year and he left.” Hisham then went to see Imam abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) for an Answer. After asking permission that he was granted Hisham explained, “Al-Daysani asked me a question today and I see no one except Allah and yourself to answer it.” The Imam then asked, “What is the question?” Hisham restated the question that al-Daysani had asked. The Imam then said, “O Hisham, how many are your senses?” He replied, “They are five.” The Imam then asked, “Which one is the smallest?” He replied, “The seeing sense.” The Imam then asked, “How big is its size?” He replied, “It is about the size of the pupil or smaller.” The Imam then said, “O Hisham, look in front of you and above you and then tell me what you have seen.” Hisham then replied, “I can see the sky, the earth, the houses, the buildings, the land, the mountains and the water canals.” The Imam then said, “The One who has been able to fit all that you can see in a pupil or even a smaller thing is also able to fit the whole world in side an egg without any change in the size of any one of them. Hisham bowed down and kissed the feet, the hands and the head of the Imam (a.s.) saying, “This is enough for me O descendant of the holy Prophet and then left for his home. The next day al-Daysani met him and said, “I have come just to say greetings to you and not for an answer to my question” Hisham then said, “Even if you may have come for an answer it is ready.” Al-Daysani then left to meet Imam abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) and after asking permission for a meeting which was granted he sat down and said, “O Ja‘far ibn Muhammad, “Guide me to my Lord.” The Imam then asked, “What is your name?” He then left without answering the Imam and his people asked him, “Why did you not answer the Imam?” He replied, “Were I to tell him that it is ‘Abdallah he would then ask that who is this Lord whose slave are you?” They then said, “Return to him and ask him to guide you to your Lord without asking your name.” He then returned back to the Imam and asked, “O Ja‘far ibn Muhammad, “Guide me to my Lord but do not ask my name.” The Imam asked him to sit down. A young boy, son of the Imam was there playing with an egg in his hand and the Imam asked, “Fetch me the egg O young man. The boy gave the egg to the Imam who said, “O Daysani, this is a secure castle. It has a thicker outer shell and inside of it there is much finer shell inside of which there is liquid gold and flowing silver. The liquid gold does not mix with the flowing silver nor does the flowing silver mix the liquid gold. Such is its condition no expert comes out therefrom to find out what is beneficial to it to report back all about it nor any corrupting agent enters therein so that its problems would be reported. No one knows if it is created for a male or a female. It will burst out with colors of a peacock. Do you think there is someone to design and manage it? Al-Daysani thought quietly and said, “I testify that there is no god but Allah Who is the only Lord and has no partner. I testify that Muhammad (s.a) is His servant and messenger and that you are the Imam and an authority from Allah over his creatures and I repent because of previous beliefs.”

4 - Ali ibn Ibrahim a rapporté de Muhammad ibn Ishaq al-Khaffaf, ou de son père, de Muhammad ibn Ishaq, qui a dit : Abdullah al-Dayyani a demandé à Hisham ibn al-Hakam : "As-tu un Seigneur ?" Il répondit : "Oui." Il demanda : "Est-Il tout-puissant ?" Il répondit : "Oui, Il est tout-puissant et dominant." Alors il dit : "Il est capable d'introduire tout le monde dans un œuf sans que l'œuf ne devienne plus grand et sans que le monde ne devienne plus petit." Hisham lui dit : "Regarde-moi." Après l'avoir regardé un moment, Hisham partit et se rendit chez Abi Abdillah (que la paix soit sur lui). Il demanda la permission et elle lui fut accordée. Il lui dit : "Ô fils du Messager d'Allah, Abdullah al-Dayyani est venu me poser une question sur laquelle seule Allah peut répondre, ainsi que toi." Abi Abdillah lui demanda : "De quoi t'a-t-il questionné ?" Il répondit : "Il m'a dit : 'Dis-moi, ô Hisham, combien as-tu de pupilles ?' J'ai répondu : 'Cinq.' Il a dit : 'Lequel est le plus petit ?' J'ai répondu : 'Celui qui ressemble à une lentille ou moins que cela.' Alors il lui dit : 'Regarde devant toi, au-dessus de toi, et informe-moi de ce que tu vois.' J'ai vu le ciel, la terre, des cercles, des palais, des plaines, des montagnes, des rivières." Abi Abdillah lui dit : "Celui qui a décrété que ce que tu vois à travers la lentille, ou moins que cela, peut le faire entrer dans un œuf, est capable d'introduire tout le monde dans un œuf sans que le monde ne devienne plus petit et sans que l'œuf ne devienne plus grand." Hisham se prosterna devant lui, l'embrassa sur les mains, la tête et les pieds, et dit : "Cela me suffit, ô fils du Messager d'Allah." Puis il partit chez Abdullah al-Dayyani, qui lui dit : "Ô Hisham, je viens vers toi en tant que croyant, et non en quête de réponse." Hisham lui dit : "Si tu étais venu en quête de réponse, la voici." Alors al-Dayyani partit sans lui jusqu'à ce qu'il arrive à la porte d'Abi Abdillah. Il demanda la permission et elle lui fut accordée. Quand il s'assit, il dit : "Ô Ja'far ibn Muhammad, guide-moi vers mon adorateur." Abi Abdillah lui demanda : "Quel est ton nom ?" Il partit sans lui donner son nom. Ses compagnons lui dirent : "Pourquoi ne lui as-tu pas donné ton nom ?" Il répondit : "Si j'avais dit 'Abdullah', il aurait dit : 'Qui est cet esclave auquel tu es dévoué ?' Alors retourne vers lui et dis-lui de te guider vers ton adorateur, sans lui demander ton nom." Il retourna vers lui et lui dit : "Ô Ja'far ibn Muhammad, guide-moi vers mon adorateur, sans me demander mon nom." Abi Abdillah lui dit : "Assieds-toi." Il y avait un petit garçon tenant un œuf dans sa main, avec lequel il jouait. Abi Abdillah lui dit : "Passe-moi l'œuf, ô garçon." Le garçon le lui donna et Abi Abdillah lui dit : "Ô Dayyani, cet œuf est une forteresse cachée. Il a une peau épaisse, sous laquelle se trouve une peau fine, sous laquelle se trouve de l'or liquide et de l'argent fondu. Ni l'or liquide ne se mélange à l'argent fondu, ni l'argent fondu ne se mélange à l'or liquide. Chacun reste à sa place, sans qu'aucune impureté n'en sorte pour témoigner

5. Ali ibn Ibrahim has narrated from his father from ‘Abbass ibn ‘Amr al-Faqimi from Hisham ibn al-Hakam in the narration about the atheist who came to Imam abu ‘Abdallah (a.s.) and the Imam had explained to him the following. “You assume that there are two eternal and powerful powers (who control the universe) or that both are weak or only one of them is weak and the other is powerful. If they both are powerful why then neither one ever makes an effort to remove the other one so only one would become in control of the universe? If you would assume that one is powerful and the other is weak then it is proof that there is only one, as we believe because the weakness of the other is so apparent. Besides, if you would say that they are two then they either agree with each other in all matters or disagree in the same way. Since we see the creation works in an organized manner, the orbiting objects continue to do so, the organization is one, the day, the night, the sun and the moon all show that the organization is valid and correct. The harmony in the matter shows that the organizer is One. If your claim of two would involve you to believe that there must be a gap in between to show two things and in that case, the gap will become a third one and eternal. Thus, it will involve you in three and this will involve to say what you said about the two where you needed to have a gap and in this case it will become five and so on indefinite in number and multiplicity.” Hisham has said that of the questions of the atheist from Imam abu ‘Abdallah one was that what is the evidence of His existence? The Imam (a.s.) answered, “The existence of the effects (activities) show that someone has produced those effects and activities. Consider, when you see a well constructed building you learn that there is someone, who has built it even if you have not seen the builder with your own eyes.” The atheist then asked, “What is it then?” The Imam replied, “He is something but different from all things. I repeat my statement that speaks about Him as a thing. He is a thing in the sense of the reality of things except that He does not have a body and form. He does not have a feeling (like our sense of feeling) or touching and He does not comprehend with the five senses (as we do). Imaginations can not comprehend Him and the timeless (Dahr) times does not reduce Him and the times do not change Him.”

Ali ibn Ibrahim a rapporté de son père, d'après Abbas ibn Amr al-Fuqaymi, d'après Hisham ibn al-Hakam, dans un hadith concernant l'athée qui vint voir Abu Abdallah (que la paix soit sur lui), et qui faisait partie des paroles d'Abu Abdallah (que la paix soit sur lui) : "Ton discours ne peut être exempt de l'un des deux cas suivants : soit ils sont tous les deux forts et anciens, soit ils sont tous les deux faibles, ou bien l'un est fort et l'autre faible. Si tous les deux sont forts, pourquoi donc aucun des deux n'écarte-t-il son compagnon et n'agit-il seul ? Et si tu prétends que l'un est fort et l'autre faible, il est établi qu'ils sont un, comme nous le disons pour l'évidence manifeste dans le second. Et si tu dis qu'ils sont deux, cela n'empêche pas qu'ils soient d'accord de tous côtés ou séparés de tous côtés. Quand nous voyons la création bien ordonnée, les cieux en mouvement, le gouvernement unifié, la nuit et le jour, le soleil et la lune, cela confirme la validité de l'ordre et du gouvernement. L'accord sur le fait que le gouverneur est un est alors nécessaire. Ensuite, si tu prétends qu'il y a deux espaces entre eux, jusqu'à ce qu'ils deviennent deux, alors l'espace devient un troisième entre eux, ancien avec eux. Il te sera donc nécessaire d'en avoir trois. Et si tu prétends qu'il y en a trois, ce que tu as dit à propos des deux te sera nécessaire jusqu'à ce qu'il y ait un espace entre eux, et ils deviennent cinq. Puis, dans le décompte, on aboutit à ce qui n'a pas de fin dans la multitude. Hisham a dit : "Il était question du questionnement de l'athée, qui a demandé : 'Quel est le signe qui le prouve ?' Abu Abdallah (que la paix soit sur lui) a répondu : 'L'existence des actes indique que quelqu'un les a réalisés. Ne vois-tu pas que lorsque tu regardes un bâtiment bien construit, tu sais qu'il a un constructeur, même si tu ne vois pas le constructeur et ne l'as pas rencontré ?' Il a dit : 'Qu'est-ce que c'est ?' Il a dit : 'C'est une chose contraire aux autres choses. Reviens à ma parole pour affirmer un sens, et que c'est une chose en réalité, bien qu'elle n'ait ni corps, ni forme, qu'elle ne soit ni ressentie, ni perçue, qu'elle ne soit pas appréhendée par les cinq sens, que les illusions ne la saisissent pas, que le temps ne la diminue pas, et que les époques ne la changent pas.'

6. Muhammad ibn Ya‘qub has said that a number of our people have narrated from Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Barqi from his father, from Ali ibn al-Ni‘man, from ibn Maskan, from Dawud ibn Farqad from abu Sa‘id al-Zuhri from Imam abu Ja‘far (a.s.) who said the following. “For the people of understanding as proof of the existence of the Allah it is enough that He has created all things and has kept them full under His control. It is enough proof that He is the Most powerful king. It is enough proof that His Majesty is manifest everywhere. That His light is the Most bright that His testimony is the Most truthful. There is enough proof of His existence in what the people speak and what the messengers have brought and what he has revealed to people as proof of His Own existence.”

6 - Muhammad ibn Ya'qub a dit: Un certain nombre de nos compagnons m'ont rapporté, d'Ahmad ibn Muhammad al-Barqi, de son père, d'Ali ibn al-Nu'man, d'Ibn Muskân, de Dawud ibn Farqad, d'Abi Sa'id al-Zuhri, de l'Imam Abu Ja'far (que la paix soit sur lui), a dit: "Il suffit à l'intelligent de la création du Seigneur qui domine, du royaume du Seigneur qui subjugue, de la majesté du Seigneur qui est évidente, de la lumière du Seigneur qui brille, de la preuve du Seigneur qui est véridique, de ce dont les langues des serviteurs ne peuvent rendre compte, de ce que les messagers ont transmis, de ce qui a été révélé aux serviteurs comme preuve du Seigneur."