I believe in God alone

HIS RELIGION 1

1.5.5. It is reported that Abu ‘Abd-Allah narrated from his fathers, in order, until the Commander of the Faithful peace be upon all of them, that one day the people of five religions, the Jews, the Christians, the Naturalists (dahriyah), the Dualists and the ‘Arab Idolaters gathered before the Apostle of Allah. The Jews said, “We say, ‘Ezra is the son of Allah.’ O Muhammad! We came to you to see what you say. If you follow us, we were right prior to you and better than you, and if you oppose us, we will argue with you.”

The Christians said, “We say, ‘Verily Jesus is the son of Allah who united with Him.’ We came to you to see what you say. If you follow us, we were right prior to you and better than you, and if you oppose us we will argue with you.” The Naturalists said, “We say, ‘There is no begining of things and they are everlasting.’ We came to you to see what you say. If you follow us, we were right prior to you and better than you, and if you oppose us we will argue with you.” The Dualists said, “We say, ‘Verily the light and the darkness are the administrators.’ We came to you to see what you say. If you follow us, we were right prior to you and better than you, and if you oppose us we will argue with you.” The ‘Arab Idolaters said, “We say, ‘Verily our idols are gods.’ We came to you to see what you say. If you follow us, we were right prior to you and better than you, and if you oppose us we will argue with you.”

1-5-5- لَقَدْ حَدَّثَنِى أبِى الْبَاقِرُ (ع), عَنْ جَدِّى عَلِىِّ بْنِ الْحُسَيْنِ زَيْنِ الْعَابِدِينَ, عَنْ أبِيهِ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ عَلِىٍّ سَيِّدِ الشُّهَدَاءِ, عَنْ أمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عَلِىِّ بْنِ أبِى طَالِبٍ، صَلَوَاتُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِم أجْمَعِينَ، أنَّهُ إجْتَمَعَ يَوْمًا عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ (ص) أهْلُ خَمْسَةِ أدْيَانٍ: الْيَهُودُ وَالنَّصَارَي وَالدَّهْرِيَّةُ وَالثَّنَوِيَّةُ وَمُشْرِكُو الْعَرَبِ. فَقَالَتِ الْيَهُودُ: «نَحْنُ نَقُولُ: ’عُزَيْرٌ ابْنُ اللَّهِ.‘وَقَدْ جِئْنََاكَ يَا مُحَمَّدُ لِنَنْظُرَ مَا تَقُولُ. فَإنْ تَبِعْتَنَا فَنَحْنُ أسْبَقُ إلَي الصَّوابِ مِنْكَ وَأفْضَلُ، وَإنْ خَالَفْتَنَا خَصَمْنَاكَ.» وَقَالَتِ النَّصَارَي: «نَحْنُ نَقُولُ: ’إنَّ الْمَسِيحَ ابْنُ اللَّهِ، إتَّحَدَ بِهِ.‘ وَقَدْ جِئْنَاكَ لَنَنْظُرَ مَا تَقُولُ. فَإنْ تَبِعْتَنَا فَنَحْنُ أسْبَقُ إلَي الصَّوَابِ مِنْكَ وَأفْضَلُ، وَإنْ خَالَفْتَنَا خَصَمْنَاكَ.»

وَقَالَتِ الدَّهْرِيَّةُ: «نَحْنُ نَقُولُ: ’الاَشْيَاءُ لاَ بَدْءَ لَهَا وَهِىَ دَائِمَةٌ،‘ وَقَدْ جِئْنَاكَ لَنَنْظُرَ مَا تَقُولُ. فَإنْ تَبِعْتَنَا فَنَحْنُ أسْبَقُ إلَي الصَّوَابِ مِنْكَ وَأفْضَلُ، وَإنْ خَالَفْتَنَا خَصَمْنَاكَ.» وَقَالَتِ الثَّنَوِيَّةُ: «نَحْنُ نَقُولُ: ’إنَّ النُّورَ وَالظُّلْمَةَ هُمَا الْمُدَبِّرَانِ.‘ وَقَدْ جِئْنَاكَ لَنَنْظُرَ مَا تَقُولُ. فَإنْ تَبِعْتَنَا فَنَحْنُ أسْبَقُ إلَي الصَّوَابِ مِنْكَ وَأفْضَلُ، وَإنْ خَالَفْتَنَا خَصَمْنَاكَ.» وَقَالَ مُشْرِكُو الْعَرَبِ: «نَحْنُ نَقُولُ: ’إنَّ أوْثَانَنَا آلِهَةٌ.‘ وَقَدْ جِئْنَاكَ لَنَنْظُرَ مَا تَقُولُ. فَإنْ تَبِعْتَنَا فَنَحْنُ أسْبَقُ إلَي الصَّوَابِ مِنْكَ وَأفْضَلُ، وَإنْ خَالَفْتَنَا خَصَمْنَاكَ.»

The Apostle of Allah(a.s.) said, “I believe in God alone. There is no partner for Him, and I deny every god but Him.” Then he said to them, “Verily Allah the Exalted raised me for all of the people as a bearer of good news, a warner and as an athority for the inhabitants of the world, and Allah will turn the deceptions of those who deceive in His religion back on them.”…

Then he faced the Christians and said to them, “You said that the Eternal is united with Christ, His son. What do you mean by this saying? Do you want to say that the Eternal became non-eternal by this creature who is Jesus, or that the non-eternal, who is Jesus, became eternal by the Eternal who is Allah, or your saying, ‘He united with him’ means that ‘He distinguished him by nobility while He did not ennoble anyone but him.’ If you mean that the Eternal, the Exalted, became non-eternal, you are wrong. For it is impossible for the eternal to change and become non-eternal, and if you mean that the non-eternal became eternal you are wrong for it is impossible too for the non-eternal to change to the eternal, and if you mean that He united with him whereby He distinguished him and chose him among His other servants, you confess to the originality of Jesus and everything that is united with him for his own sake. Because if Jesus is non-created and Allah is united with him and changed him to the best creature before Him, Jesus and Him would have been non-eternal, and this is opposite to what you said in the begining.”

The Cristians said, “O Muhammad! Allah the Exalted manifested some strange things by the hand of Jesus, so He took him as His son for the sake of nobility.” The Apostle of Allah said, “You heared what I said to the Jews about what you said.” Then he repeated all of that. They said nothing except one of them who said, “O Muhammad! Do not you say, ‘Abraham is khalil Allah (the friend of Allah)?’ So when you say this why do you reject our saying, ‘Jesus is the son of Allah.’”

فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ (ص): «آمَنْتُ بِاللَّهِ وَحْدَهُ لاَ شَرِيكَ لَهُ، وَكَفَرْتُ بِكُلِّ مَعْبُودٍ سِوَاهُ.» ثُمَّ قَالَ لَهُم: «إنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَي بَعَثَنِى كَافَّةً لِلنَّاسِ بَشِيرًا وَنَذِيرًا، حُجَّةً عَلَي الْعَالَمِينَ وَسَيَرُدُّ اللَّهُ كَيْدَ مَنْ يَكِيدُ دِينَهُ...»

ثُمَّ أقْبَلَ (ص) عَلَي النَّصَارَي فَقَالَ لَهُم: «وَأنْتُم قُلْتُم: ’إنَّ الْقَدِيمَ، عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، إتَّحَدَ بِالْمَسِيحِ إبْنِهِ.‘ مَا الَّذِى أرَدْتُمُوهُ بِهَذَا الْقَوْلِ؟ أرَدْتُم أنَّ الْقَدِيمَ صَارَ مُحْدَثًا لِوُجُودِ هَذَا المُحْدَثِ الَّذِى هُوَ عِيسَي؟ أوِ الْمُحْدَثُ الَّذِى هُوَ عِيسَي صَارَ قَدِيمًا لِوُجُودِ الْقَدِيمِ الَّذِى هُوَ اللَّهُ؟ أوْ مَعْنَي قَوْلِكُم: ’إنَّهُ إتَّحَدَ بِهِ‘ أنَّهُ إخْتَصَّهُ بِكَرَامَةٍ لَمْ يُكْرِمْ بِهَا أحَدًا سِوَاهُ؟ فَإنْ أرَدْتُمْ أنَّ الْقَدِيمَ، تَعَالَي، صَارَ مُحْدَثاً، فَقَدْ أبْطَلْتُم؛ لاَنَّ الْقَدِيمَ مُحَالٌ أنْ يَنْقَلِبَ فَيَصِيرَ مُحْدَثًا. وَإنْ أرَدْتُمْ أنَّ الْمُحْدَثَ صَارَ قَدِيمًا، فَقَدْ أحَلْتُمْ؛ ِلاَنَّ الْمُحْدَثَ أيْضًا مُحَالٌ أنْ يَصِيرَ قَدِيمًا. وَإنْ أرَدْتْمْ أنَّهْ إتَّحَدَ بِهِ بِأنِ إخْتَصَّهُ وَاصْطَفَاهُ عَلَي سَائِرِ عِبَادِهِ، فَقَدْ أقْرَرْتُمْ بِحُدُوثِ عِيسَي، وَبِحُدُوثِ الْمَعْنَي الَّذِى إتَّحَدَ بِهِ مِنْ أجْلِهِ. ِلاَنَّهُ إذَا كَانَ عِيسَي مُحْدَثًا وَكَانَ اللَّهُ إتَّحَدَ بِهِ، بِأنْ أحْدَثَ بِهِ مَعْنيً صَارَ بِهِ أكْرَمَ الْخَلْقِ عِنْدَهُ، فَقَدْ صَارَ عِيسَي وَذَلِكَ الْمَعْنَي مُحْدَثَينِ. وَهَذَا خِلاَفُ مَا بَدَاْتُم تَقُولُونَهُ.»

قَالَ: «فَقَالَتِ النَّصَارَي: ’يَا مُحَمَّدُ، إنَّ اللَّهَ، تَعَالَي، لَمَّا أظْهَرَ عَلَي يَدِ عِيسَي مِنَ الاَشْيَاءِ الْعَجِيبَةِ مَا أظْهَرَ، فَقَدْ إتَّخَذَهُ وَلَدًا عَلَي جَهَةِ الْكَرَامَةِ.‘» فَقَالَ لَهُم رَسُولُ اللَّهِ (ص): «فَقَدْ سَمِعْتُمْ مَا قُلْتُهُ لِلْيَهُودِ فِى هَذَا الْمَعْنَي الَّذيِ ذَكَرْتُمُوهُ.» ثُمَّ أعَادَ (ص) ذَلِكَ كُلَّهُ، فَسَكَتُوا إلاَّ رَجُلاً وَاحِدًا مِنْهُم، فَقَالَ لَهُ: «يَا مُحَمَّدُ، أوَلَسْتُمْ تَقُولُونَ إنَّ إبْرَاهِيمَ خَلِيلُ اللَّهِ؟» [قَالَ: «قَدْ قُلْنَا ذَلِكَ.» فَقَالَ:] «فَإذَا قُلْتُمْ ذَلِكَ فَلِمَ مَنَعْتُمُونَا مِنْ أنْ نَقُولَ: ’إنَّ عِيسَي إبْنُ اللَّهِ.‘»

The Apostle of Allah said, “These are not alike for khalil Allah is taken from khallah or khullah and the meaning of khallah is poverty and neediness. He was a friend of his Lord and needy of Him, chastely, abstemiously and independently separated from all but Him. Because when they wanted to throw him into the fire and to cast him with a catapult, Allah, the Exalted, raised Gabriel and said to him, ‘Catch My servant!’ Gabriel came to him, met him in the air, and said, ‘Commission me for what happened to you, for Allah the Exalted rised me to help you.’ He said, ‘But Allah is sufficient for me and He is the best Trustee (wakil). I ask no one but Him and there is no need for me unless of Him.’

Then He named him His friend (khalil), that means His poor and needy, and who is separated from all but Him. When the meaning of khalil is taken from need (khullah ) and he is needy (takhalal) of Him and knows His secrets that no one else knows, it means that he knows Him and His affairs. And it does not cause the likeness of Allah to him. Do not you see that if he did not separate from all but Him, he would not have been His friend, and if he did not know His secrets he would not have been His friend. One’s father is he of whom one is born, even if his father slanders him and sends him far away, for the meaning of being born of him remains. Then if it is necessary for you to compare Jesus with Abraham and say Jesus is His son for He said, ‘Abraham is My friend,’ it is necessary for you to say, ‘Moses is His son,’ For his miracles were no less than the miracles of Jesus. So you should say ‘Moses is His son too.’ And it is permitted for you to say, ‘He is his shaykh, master, uncle, chief and commander,’ in the meaning that I said it to the Jews.” Then some of the Christians said, “According to the revealed books Jesus said, ‘I go to my father.’” The Apostle of Allah said, “If you do according to that book, you should say, ‘All of the people that He addressed were His sons as Jesus was his son.’ For according to that book, Jesus said, ‘I go to Him who is my father and yours.’ Then something that is in that book makes invalid what you think, that

فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ (ص): «إنَّهُمَا لَمْ يَشْتَبِهَا، ِلاَنَّ قَوْلَنَا: ’إنَّ إبْرَاهِيمَ خَلِيلُ اللَّهِ،‘ فَإنَّمَا هُوَ مُشْتَقٌّ مِنَ الْخَلَّةِ وَالْخُلَّةِ. فَامَّا الْخَلَّةُ فَإنَّمَا مَعْنَاهَا الْفَقْرُ وَالْفََاقَةُ، فَقَدْ كَانَ خَلِيلاً إلَي رَبِّهِ فَقِيرًا، وَإلَيْهِ مُنْقَطِعًا، وَعَنْ غَيْرِهِ مُتَعَفِّفًا، مُعْرِضًا، مُسْتَغْنِيًا. وَذَلِكَ لِمَا أُرِيدَ قَذْفُهُ فِى النَّارِ، فَرُمِىَ بِهِ فِى الْمَنْجَنِيقِ. فَبَعَثَ اللَّهُ تعَالَي جَبْرَئِيلَ (ع) وَقَالَ لَهُ: ’أدْرِكْ عَبْدِي.‘ فَجَاءَهُ فَلَقِيَهُ فِى الْهَوَاءِ، فَقَالَ: ’كَلِّفْنِى مَا بَدَا لَكَ، فَقَدْ بَعَثَنِى اللَّهُ لِنُصْرَتِكَ.‘ فَقَالَ: ’بَلْ حَسْبِىَ اللَّهُ وَنِعْمَ الْوَكِيلُ، إنِّى لاَ أسْألُ غَيْرَهُ وَلاَ حَاجَةَ لِى إلاَّ إلَيهِ.‘ فَسَمَّاهُ خَلِيلَهُ،

أيْ فَقِيرَهُ وَمُحْتََاجَهُ، وَالْمُنْقَطَعَ إلَيهِ عَمَّنْ سِوَاهُ. وَإذَا جُعِلَ مَعْنَي ذَلكَ مِنَ الْخُلَّةِ وَهُوَ أنَّهُ قَدْ تَخَلَّلَ [بِهِ] مَعَانِيهِ، وَوَقَفَ عَلَي أسْرَارٍ لَمْ يَقِفْ عَلَيْهَا غَيْرُهُ، كَانَ مَعْنَاهُ، الْعَالِمُ بِهِ وَبِاُمُورِهِ. وَلاَ يُوجِبُ ذَلِكَ تَشْبِيهَ اللَّهِ بِخَلْقِهِ. ألاَ تَرَوْنَ أنَّهُ إذَا لَمْ يَنْقَطِعْ إلَيْهِ لَمْ يَكُنْ خَلِيلَهُ وَإذَا لَمْ يَعْلَمْ بِأسْرَارِهِ لَمْ يَكُنْ خَلِيلَهُ وَأنَّ مَنْ يَلِدُهُ الرَّجُلُ، وَإنْ أهَانَهُ وَأقْصَاهُ، لَمْ يَخْرُجْ عَنْ أنْ يَكُونَ وَلَدَهُ، ِلاَنَّ مَعْنَي الْوِلاَدَةِ قَائِمٌ. ثُمَّ إنْ وَجَبَ ِلاَنَّهُ قَالَ اللَّهُ: ’إبْرَاهِيمُ خَلِيلِي،‘ أنْ تَقِيسُوا أنْتُمْ فَتَقُولُوا: ’إنَّ عِيسَي إبْنُهُ،‘ وَجَبَ أيْضًا كَذَلِكَ أنْ تَقُولُوا لِمُوسَي: ’إنَّهُ إبْنُهُ،‘ فَإنَّ الَّذِى مَعَهُ مِنَ الْمُعْجِزَاتِ لَمْ يَكُنْ بِدُونِ مَا كَانَ مَعَ عِيسَي، فَقُولُوا: ’إنَّ مُوسَي أيْضًا ابْنُهُ،‘ وَإنَّهُ يَجُوزُ أنْ تَقُولُوا عَلَي هَذَا الْمَعْنَي: ’شَيْخُهُ وَسَيّدُهُ وَعَمُّهُ وَرِئِيسُهُ وَأمِيرُهُ،‘ كَمَا قَدْ ذَكَرْتُهُ لِلْيَهُودِ.» فَقَالَ بَعْضُهُم: «وَفِى الْكُتُبِ الْمُنْزَلَةِ أنَّ عِيسَي قَالَ: ’أذْهَبُ إلَي أبِي.‘» فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ (ص): «فَإنْ كُنْتُمْ بِذَلِكَ الْكتَابِ تَعْمَلُونَ، فَإنَّ فِيهِ «أذَهَبُ إلَي أبِى وَأبِيكُم» فَقُولُوا: ’إنَّ جَمِيعَ الَّذِينَ خَاطَبَهُم كَانُوا أبْنَاءَ اللَّهِ، كَمَا كَانَ عِيسَي إبْنَهُ مِنَ الْوَجْهِ الَّذِى كَانَ عِيسَي إبْنَهُ. ثُمَّ إنَّ مَا فِى هَذَا الْكِتَابِ يُبْطِلُ عَلَيْكُم هَذَا

only Jesus is His son because he was so distinguished. For you said, ‘Jesus is His son because He, the Exalted, distinguished him by that which He did not distinguish the others.’ But you know that Jesus was chosen for something that this group was not chosen for, and Jesus said to this group, ‘I go to Him who is my father and yours.’ So it is wrong that only Jesus is chosen. For this is proven for you [that Jesus is not distinguished as His son] by the saying of Jesus to those who were not so distinguished. You narrated the words of Jesus but you interpreted it wrongly. For when he said, ‘my father and yours’ he wanted to say something you do not say and impute. What do you know? Perhaps it was in his mind, ‘I go to Adam and Noah. Allah raises me to them and gathers me with them. Adam is my father and your father, and Noah is likewise.’ But he did not mean anything but this meaning.” The Christians became silent; then they said, “We did not see a disputant or an opponent like what we saw today, and we will think about our affairs….”

(Tafsir al-Imam al-‘Askari, 530-535, 323)

[الْمَعْنَي] الَّذِى زَعَمْتُم أنَّ عِيسَي مِنْ جَهَةِ الاِخْتِصَاصِ كَانَ إبْنًا لَهُ، ِلاَنَّكُم قُلْتُم: ’إنَّمَا قُلْنَا: ’إنَّهُ إبْنُهُ.‘ ِلاَنَّهُ، تَعَالَي، إخْتَصَّهُ بِمَا لَمْ يَخْتَصَّ بِهِ غَيْرَهُ.‘ وَأنْتُم تَعْلَمُونَ أنَّ الَّذِى خُصَّ بِهِ عِيسَي لَمْ يُخَصَّ بِهِ هَؤُلاَءِ الْقَوْمِ الَّذِينَ قَالَ لَهُمْ عِيسَي: ’أذْهَبُ إلَي أبِى وَأبِيكُم.‘ فَبَطَلَ أنْ يَكُونَ الاَخْتِصَاصُ لعِيسَي. ِلاَنَّهُ قَدْ ثَبَتَ عِنْدَكُمْ بِقَوْلِ عِيسَي لِمَنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ مِثْلُ إخْتِصَاصِ عِيسَي. وَأنْتُمْ إنَّمَا حَكَيْتُمْ لَفْظَةَ عِيسَي وَتَأوَّلْتُمُوهَا عَلَي غَيْرِ وَجْهِهَا. ِلاَنَّه إذَا قَالَ: ’أبِى وَأبِيكُم.‘ فَقَدْ أرَادَ غَيْرَ مَا ذَهَبْتُمْ إلَيهِ وَنَحَّلْتُمُوهُ. وَمَا يُدْرِيكُمْ لَعَلَّهُ عَنَي: ’أذْهَبُ إلَي آدَمَ وَإلَي نُوحٍ,‘ إنَّ اللَّهَ يَرْفَعُنِى إلَيْهِمْ وَيَجْمَعُنِى مَعَهُمْ، وَآدَمُ أبِى وَأبُوكُمْ. وَكَذَلِكَ نُوحٌ، بَلْ مَا أرَادَ غَيْرَ هَذَا.» قَالَ: «فَسَكَتَتْ النَّصَارَي، وَقَالُوا: ’مَا رَأيْنَا كَالْيَوْمِ مُجَادِلاً وَلاَ مُخَاصِمًا وَسَنَنْظُرُ فِى أُمُورِنَا... .‘»

(تفسير الامام العسكريّ، 530- 535، 323)