The Indescribability of God, the Prophet, and the Imams

With my continuous chain of transmission reaching the august shaykh, the best of the traditionists, Muhammad ibn Ya'qub al-Kulayni, from 'Ali ibn Ibrahim, from his father, from Hammed, from Rib`i, from Zurarah, from Abu Ja'far, may peace be upon him. [Zurarah] says: "I heard him say, `Verily, God, the Almighty and the Glorious, cannot be described, and how could He be described when He declares(insists on) in His Book. "And they measure not God with His true measure."'[1] Hence He cannot be described by any measure, and if described He would transcend it. And, verily, the Prophet, may God bless him and his Household, cannot be described, and how could be described a servant whom God, the Almighty and the Glorious, has concealed with seven veils and made obedience to him in the earth like obedience to him in the heavens, declaring, "And whatsoever the Messenger giveth you, take it. And whatsoever be forbiddeth, abstain from it."[2] And [He has declared] "Whoever obeys him assuredly obeys Me, and whoever disobeys him disobeys Me. [3] Hence He has delegated authority to him. And we (Imams of the Ahl al-Bayt) cannot be described And how could a people be described whom God has kept free from impurity, which is doubt. And neither can the believer be described. And indeed, when the believer takes his brother with the hand on meeting him, God looks at them and sins are shed from their faces in the way leaves fall from a tree:" [4]

Exposition:

To take up the explication of the phrase... (and they measure not God...'), al-Jawhari says in this regard: "qadr means `measure'. And both with fathah on the dal (i.e. qadar) and sukun on it (i.e. qadr) has the same meaning. It is a verbal noun (masdar). God, the Exalted, says: which means which means (`they do not venerate God in the way He aught to be venerated')." In the opinion of this writer qadr apparently means `measure,' and has been used figuratively to indicate the incapacity to describe and venerate adequately. Description (tawsif) itself is a kind of measurement of the object described in the apparel of characterization, and this-as shall be pointed out later, God willing-is neither possible nor permissible for anyone else to do in relation to that Sacred Being.

As to the phrase there is , with a ta, in the version of marhum al-Majlisi, may God's mercy be upon him, and he has considered it to signify comparison. Also, he is of the opinion that the singling out of Power (qudrah) from among the Attributes is due to its being closer to understanding. Then, affirming the possibility of error in the manuscript, he says: "Possibly it may be read with fathah (i.e. qadar), as in some other traditions." The version of al-Wafi accords with his guess [5] and perhaps it may be with ha', in some manuscripts. But it is probable, or rather certain, that with ta', is an error in the manuscript, for it is neither eloquent from the viewpoint of meaning nor proper on the basis of wording, for a masculine pronoun is referred to it, and to explain it away will be contrary to the rule. The context offered little room for a maneouver and hence this explanation of marhum al-Majlisi, even though there is no reason for asserting that while it is possible to conceive the attribute of Power it is impossible to conceive other Attributes, thus distinguishing it from other Attributes. Accordingly this explanation did carry much weight in his own blessed opinion.

As to the word as Jawhari says in the Sihah: , i.e hatt means the falling of leaves from the branch of a tree. He further says: which (i.e tanathur) also gives the meaning of falling and scattering. Now we shall explain the relevant points of the noble tradition in a number of sections.

Section: On the Indescribability of God:

It should be known that the indescribability of God, the Exalted, mentioned in this tradition refers to the characteristics of God given by some victims of ignorance and disputation from among the theologians (mutakallimun) and others, whose statements implied finitude (tahdid) and anthropomorphism (tashbih) or rather the very denial of the Divine Attributes (tatil). That such is the case is indicated by this phrase in the noble tradition, . Some traditions of the noble al-Kafi, in the chapter concerning prohibition on characterization (nahy 'an al tawsif), also affirm this:

In al-Kafi (al-Kulayni reports) with his isnad from 'Abd al-Rahim ibn 'Atik aIl-Qasir that he said. "I wrote a letter to Abu 'Abd Allah, may peace be upon him, which I sent through 'Abd al-Malik ibn A'yan, informing him that there are some people in Iraq who characterize God with form and features (takhtit). I wrote, 'May God make me your ransom, if you consider it fit, write to me the correct doctrine of Divine Unity.' He wrote back to me: 'May God be merciful to you, you have questioned me concerning tawhid and the belief held by a bunch of people over there. Exalted is God, and there is nothing like Him, and He is the All-hearing and the All-seeing. He is above the descriptions of the anthropomorphists (mushabbihah) who liken God to His creation and ascribe falsehoods to Him.

May God have mercy upon you, know that the right doctrine of tawhid is that which has been revealed in the Qur'an concerning the Attributes of God, the Almighty and the Glorious. Negate ta'til (the negation of Attributes) as well as tashbih in relation to God, the Exalted. Hence neither the Attributes are to benegated, nor God is to be likened to anything. He is God, the Self-Subsisting (al thabit) and the Existent (al-mawjud), exalted is He above what the describers attribute to Him. Go not beyond the Qur'an, or you will go astray(wander away) after the clear exposition [of the truth)." ' [6]

If one reflects properly on the contents of this noble tradition and its earlier and latter parts one comes to know that the prohibition concerning the characterization of God does not mean, as stated by some eminent traditionists, [7] that one should refrain absolutely from reflecting on the Attributes or describing the Attributes of God, because this tradition, like some others, [8] directs one to negate ta'til and tashbih-something which is not possible without reflection on the Attributes and a complete knowledge of them. That which the Imam wants to say is that one should not attribute to God, the Exalted, anything that is not worthy of His sacred Essence, such as the attribution of form, features, and other characteristics of the creatures, which entail imperfection and contingency (imkan), and God is above these.

However, as to describing God, the Exalted, by attributes that suit Him, it has a sound discursive basis in the transcendental sciences ('ulum-e 'aliyah). Hence it is something desirable, and the Book of God, the Sunnah of the Messenger, may God bless him and his Household, and the traditions of the Ahl al-Bayt are replete with it. The Imam himself has made a brief reference in this noble tradition to that right discursive approach, though any elaboration of it is outside the scope of our discussion.

As to the statement of al-Imam al-Sadiq, may peace be upon him, that one should not go beyond the Divine Scripture in one's descriptions of God, it is a prescription for those who are ignorant of the criterion concerning [metaphysical speculation about] the Attributes. It does not mean that it is impermissible to ascribe an attribute that is not mentioned in the Book of God. Accordingly that master, despite prescribing this for his addressee, mentions two Attributes and Names of God, "Self-subsisting" (al-thabit) and "Existent" (al-mawjud), which as such do not occur in the Divine Scripture.

True, if someone with an undeveloped intellect, full of conjectures and imaginings and unilluminated with the light of gnosis (ma'rifah) and hidden Divine assistance, were to describe God with some attribute, he would inevitably fall either into the error of ta'til and negation [of the Attributes] or into the perdition of tashbih. Hence it is essential for persons like us whose hearts are covered with thick veils of ignorance and self-love and perverse habits and dispositions to refrain from reaching out toward the world of the Hidden and abstain from carving out deities for ourselves, for whatever we may conceive in our imagination would be no more than our own creation.

However, it should not remain unsaid that when we say that such persons should not extend their hand towards the world of the Hidden we do not mean to recommend that they continue to remain in ignorance and egoism, nor, na'udhubillah, we call them to blaspheme His names, [regarding which it has been said

.... And leave those who blaspheme His Names... (7:180)

Nor do we stop them from learning the transcendental teachings (ma'arif) which are the apple of the eye of the awliya' of God and the basis and foundation of religion. Rather, this is itself a call for the removal of these dark curtains, and a warning that as long as man remains a victim of self-attention and the love of the world, a captive of mundane ambition, love of wealth and the self, and, like this author, a prisoner within the walls of nescience, error, egoism and narcissism, which are the thickest of all darkening veils, he would remain deprived from knowing the true teachings (ma'arif) and attaining to his real goal. If, God forbid, there were no hidden succour from God, the Exalted, and His perfect awliya', one would not know where his matter would ultimately(in the long run) end and to what destination his movement and journey would lead him.

My God, I address my complaint to Thee and seek Thy help! [9]

We, wanderers of the realm of ignorance, lost in the wilderness of error, and self-seeking and self-centered amusements, who came into the dark world of mulk and nature and, like bats, did not open the eye of real vision to behold the fair reflection of Thy Beauty in the mirror of things, big and small, nor the manifestations of Thy Light throughout the levels of the heavens and the earths! Blind of eyes and insensate of heart, we have passed our days and spent a lifetime in ignorance and self forgetfulness. Should Thy unbounded grace and Thy infinite and effulgent mercy assist us not by lighting a spark(flash) within the heart and infusing a passion within the soul, we would languish for ever in this perplexity of ours and get nowhere! But -such is not what we expect of Thee!! Thy favours preceded any worthiness [on our behalf) and Thy mercy is [ever] unearned. O God, out of Thy kindness succour us and guide us to the lights of Thy Beauty and Majesty and illuminate our hearts with the radiance of Thy Names and Attributes!

[1]. The Qur'an, 6:91; 22:74; 39:68.

[2]. Ibid., 59:7.

[3]. This is a reference to verse 4:80 of the Qur'an: "Whoso obeyeth the Messenger, obeyeth God."

[4]. Al-Majlisi, Mir'at al-'uqul, vol. ix, p. 71, "kitab al-iman wa al-kufr" "bab al mussfahah" hadith 16.

[5]. Al-Fayd al-Kashani, al-Wafi, vol, v, p. 613.

[6]. Usul al-Kafi, vol. i, p. 100, "kitab al-tawhid", "bab al-nahy 'an al-sifah bi ghayr ma wasafah bihi nafsahu ta'ala" hadith 1.

[7]. See al-Majlisi, Mirat al-'uqul, vol. i, p. 346, "kitab al-tawhid", "bab nahy 'an al tawsif" hadith 1.

[8]. Al-Shaykh al-Saduq, Kitab al-tawhid, p. 31 ff., bab 2, in particular hadith 37.

[9]. Al-Shaykh al-Tusi, Misbah al-mutahajjid, "Du'a Kumayl," p. 587.