Username:   Password:        Lost Password?  |  Register

Repudiation of Philosophical and Irfani (Mystical) Fundamentals in Imam Riza (Salaam Be Upon Him)’s Monotheistic Teachings Part 5

Repudiation of Philosophical and Irfani (Mystical) Fundamentals in Imam Riza (Salaam Be Upon Him)’s Monotheistic Teachings

Part 5

 

Is the world of existence haadith (created and came to existence) or qadim (pre-existently eternal)?

 

Philosophy and ‘irfan- contrary to requirements of reasoning and all [so called] monotheistic religions [prior to distortions] and tens of verses of Qur’an and Hadiths- do not believe in [true] Hoduth and the creation (created-ness) of the world of existence, and [do not believe that] being-ness of the world of existence had a beginning and prior to its coming to existence it was naught and it was created “ لا من  شیء   not from a thing. They explicitly speak of qidam (eternal pre-existence) of the world or [as they call it:] the dhaati huduth (intrinsic creation) of the world of existence (which is a term coined by themselves) and [they speak of] its zamaani (temporal, i.e. pertaining to time) qidam.

 

Shahid Mutahhari [a famous adherent to al-Hikmah al-Muta’aliyah] writes in “Sharh -e- Manzume”:

Mutakallimun [scholars of Kalam] say: The world is temporal haadith with this meaning that if we go backward in time finally we reach a moment in which the world was originated and before that moment there was no world. They say if the world is not temporal haadith, [then] it is temporal qadim; and if it is temporal qadim it needs no cause and creator … But divine hukama [philosophers believing in God] believe that the world is qadim i.e. the principles and foundations of the world are azali (pre-existently eternal) and as far as time is concerned, no matter how far in time we go back, we do not reach a point of origination and beginning [for the world]; time [itself] has no beginning and no end. According to the viewpoint of hukama “before any haadith (new thing) there exist a capacity bearing substance and a time”. (Mutahhari, Murtaza, Sharh -e- Manzume, 1/256, 257)  

 

[But] Imam Riza (Salaam Be Upon Him), narrating from Amir al-Mo’menin (Salaam Be Upon Him), has said:

All Praise belong to Allah Who was not from a thing, and has not created that which has existed from a thing; and  the Hoduth (created-ness) of things is the evidence of His Azaliyat (Eternal Pre-existence).

(‘Oyun Akhbar al-Riza (SBUH), 1/121)

 

[Many Hadiths from the Infallible Ones such as Imams Baaqer and Saadeq (SBUT)- gathered in precious Hadith books such as the Tawheed of Sheikh Sadooq- absolutely confirm that Allah Existed while there was not a thing in any form whatsoever “with  مع” Him and they (SBUT) also clarify that Allah existed while not a thing “except  غیر ” Him existed.

 

In a very profound and precious Hadith, Imam Reza (SBUH) responding to a question regarding the Oneness of Allah has emphasized that, Allah has been pre-existently eternally One while not a thing was with Him … and that there has never been a second with Him neither Majhool (unknown …) nor Ma’loom (known …), neither Mohkam (firm, fixed, unalterable, distinct, …) nor Motashaabeh (ambiguous, indistinct, …), neither Madhkoor (mentioned, referred, indicated, registered, specified, …) nor Mansi (unmentioned, unindicated, unregistered, disregarded, unspecified, ) … the Imam (SBUH) has Emphasized that to whatever the term ‘thing’ is applied it has never been with Allah and except Him was never a ‘thing’ … and that His Konh (Essence, Dhaat, …) was before creation when there was not a thing except Him … . (from Tohaf al-‘Oqool, p. 423; …)

 

 I.e. based on the Hadiths of the Ma’soomin (Infallible Ones) -SBUT-, undoubtedly “only” Allah is Azali (pre-existently eternal), and absolutely nothing else is Azali; and every ‘thing’ is the creation of Allah and absolutely did not exist- in any form whatsoever- prior to its creation by Allah …]

 

And also he [Imam Reza] (SBUH) has stated:

Indeed every maker of a thing makes that thing from a thing [else]; and Allah, the Glorious and Latif* Creator, created and made ‘not from a thing’.

(Oyun Akhbar al-Riza (SBUH), 1/129)

*[It has been said that Latif (delicate) relates to this fact that Allah has delicacy in His creation and He, with incomparable precision and accuracy …, Knows even the finest details. Latif also is derived from Lotf (kindness) and means having kindness and grace.]

 

[I.e. unlike all makers who make things from many things- such as different materials, designs, principles, foundations, models, prototypes and …- Allah (SWT) Creates from nothing …]

 

For more clarification regarding this important contradiction between the school of philosophy and ‘irfan with the school of the AhlulBayt (Salaam Be Upon Them) it is appropriate to narrate two more [sample] Hadiths from Imam Baqir and Imam Sadiq (SBUT):

 

Imam Baaqer (SBUH) states:

Verily Allah, the Holy and Sublime, has- eternally and without beginning- been Knowing and Qadim. He has created things from nothing and whoever believes that surely Allah- the Sublime- has created things from anything certainly has Kafara  ک َ ف َ رَ (become heretic). Because if the thing- from which the things are created- was qadim (pre-existently eternal), it has been with Him in His Eternal Pre-Existence and Essence, thus that thing [itself] was pre-existently eternal! Rather Allah- the Sublime- has created all things not from a thing.

(‘Elal al Sharaaye’, 607; Bihar al Anwar, 5/230)

 

An atheist asked Imam Sadiq (SBUH): From what, has Allah created things? Imam (SBUH) said:

Not from a thing.

He said: How can a thing come about from not a thing? Imam (SBUH) said:

Surely things are not out of: either things have been created from a thing, or not from a thing; if they were created from a thing, that thing was with Allah, then that thing is qadim [this necessitates the existence of another qadim with Allah!]; while qadim can not be haadith and perish or change …

He said: So, from where! have they said that things are pre-existently eternal? Imam (SBUH) stated:

this is the saying of those who have denied the Mastermind of things [Allah] and refuted the Messengers and their statements and the Prophets and the prophecies which they brought from Allah and called their Books myths; and established a religion for themselves based on their own opinions …

(If it is qadim, it has no change of states, and pre-existently eternal is something that does not change with times and does not perish.)

(Ehtejaaj Tabresi, 337, 338; Behaar al Anwaar, 10/166)

 

To be continued …