… قَالَ عِمْرَانُ: يَا سَيِّدِي، ألاَ تُخْبِرُنِي عَنِ الإبْدَاعِ، أخَلْقٌ هُوَ أمْ غَيْرُ خَلْقٍ؟

… Imran asked, “Please, explain to me God’s fashioning. Is it a created thing or not?”

قَالَ الرِّضَا عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ: بَلْ خَلْقٌ سَاكِنٌ لاَ يُدْرَكُ بِالسُّكُونِ، وَإنَّمَا صَارَ خَلْقاً لأنَّهُ شَيءٌ مُحْدَثٌ، وَاللهُ تَعَالى الَّذِي أحْدَثَهُ فَصَارَ خَلْقاً لَهُ. وَإنَّما هُوَ اللهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَخَلْقُهُ لاَ ثَالِثَ بَيْنَهُمَا وَلاَ ثَالِثَ غَيْرَهُمَا. فَمَا خَلَقَ اللهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لَمْ يَعْدُ أنْ يَكُونَ خَلْقَهُ وَيَكُونَ الخَلْقُ سَاكِناً وَمُتَحَرِّكاً وَمُخْتَلِفاً وَمُؤْتَلِفاً وَمَعْلُوماً وَمُتَشَابِهاً، وَكُلُّ مَا وَقَعَ عَلَيْهِ حَدٌّ فَهُوَ خَلْقُ اللهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ

Imam Al-Ridha answered: “It is a still creation which cannot be perceived through stillness. It is a created being since it has been created. And it is God who has originated it. Thus, it has become a creature. In other words, there only exist God and His creatures. There exists no third thing in between, and there is no third thing other than them. Whatever God creates does not disobey from being His creature. What is created is either still, moving, different, harmonious, known, or ambiguous. Whatever is bounded must be a creation of God.

وَاعْلَمْ أنَّ كُلَّ مَا أوْجَدَتْكَ الحَوَاسُّ فَهُوَ مَعْنىً مُدْرِكٌ لِلْحَوَاسِّ، وَكُلُّ حَاسَّةٍ تَدُلُّ عَلَى مَا جَعَلَ اللهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لَها فِي إدْرَاكِهَا وَالفَهْمِ مِنَ القَلْبِ بِجَمِيعِ ذَلِكَ كُلِّهِ. وَاعْلَمْ أنَّ الوَاحِدَ الَّذِي هُوَ قَائِمٌ بِغَيْرِ تَقْدِيرٍ وَلاَ تَحْدِيدٍ خَلَقَ خَلْقاً مُقَدَّراً بِتَحْدِيدٍ وَتَقْدِيرٍ، وَكَانَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ خَلْقَيْنِ اثْنَيْنِ: التَّقْدِيرَ وَالمُقَدَّرَ، وَلَيْسَ فِي كُلِّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمَا لَوْنٌ وَلاَ وَزْنٌ وَلاَ ذَوْقٌ، فَجَعَلَ أحَدَهُمَا يُدْرَكُ بِالآخَرِ وَجَعَلَهُمَا مُدْرِكَيْنِ بِنَفْسِهِمَا وَلَمْ يَخْلُقْ شَيْئاً فَرْداً قَائِماً بِنَفْسِهِ دُونَ غَيْرِهِ لِلَّذِي أرَادَ مِنَ الدَّلالَةِ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ وَإثْبَاتِ وُجُودِهِ

Moreover, know that all things which senses find for you are meanings perceived by the senses, and every sense demonstrates what God has placed in its perception, and the heart understands all of that. Know that the One Who is Ever-standing without any ordination or bounds created creatures ordained by bounds and ordination. What He created were two creatures: the ordination and the ordained. Neither one had any color, weight or taste. He established one as the means of perceiving the other and made them such that they could be perceived on their own. He did not create anything which could stand alone relying only on itself so as to provide a means for arguing about and proving His own existence.

فَاللهُ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالى فَرْدٌ وَاحِدٌ لاَ ثَانِيَ مَعَهُ يُقَيِّمُهُ وَلا يَعْضُدُهُ وَلا يُكِنُّهُ، وَالخَلْقُ يُمْسِكُ بَعْضُهُ بَعْضاً بِإذْنِ اللهِ تَعَالى وَمَشِيئَتِهِ، وَإنَّمَا اخْتَلَفَ النَّاسُ فِي هَذا البَابِ حَتّى تَاهوا وَتَحَيَّرُوا وَطَلَبُوا الخَلاصَ مِنَ الظُّلْمَةِ بِالظُّلْمَةِ فِي وَصْفِهِمُ اللهَ تَعَالى بِصِفَةِ أنْفُسِهِمْ فَازْدادُوا مِنَ الحَقِّ بُعْداً

Thus, God is One and Only. There is no second one to support Him in order to enable Him to stand, or to assist or protect Him. However, the creatures support one another through the permission and will of God. People have different opinions over this subject to the extent that they have gone astray, become perplexed, and sought salvation from darkness by means of darkness through describing God using their own qualities. In this way, they have become very far away from the truth.

وَلَوْ وَصَفُوا اللهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِصِفَاتِهِ وَوَصَفُوا الْمَخْلُوقِينَ بِصِفَاتِهِمْ لَقَالُوا بِالْفَهْمِ وَالْيَقِينِ وَلَمَا اخْتَلَفُوا. فَلَمَّا طَلَبُوا مِنْ ذَلِكَ مَا تَحَيَّرُوا فِيهِ ارْتَكَبُوا. وَاللهُ يَهْدِي مَنْ يَشَاءُ إلى صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ

Had they described God using His own Attributes, and described the creatures with the qualities of the creatures, they would have spoken through understanding and certitude and would not have come up with so many different opinions over Him. Since they sought that which would perplex them, and get entrapped, they became confused. God guides whomever He wills to the straight path.”

قَالَ عِمْرَانُ: يَا سَيِّدِي، أشْهَدُ أنَّهُ كَمَا وَصَفْتَ، وَلَكِنْ بَقِيَتْ لِي مَسْأَلَةٌ

Imran said: “Sir, I bear witness that He is just as you have described. However, I still have one more question to ask.”

قَالَ: سَلْ عَمّا أرَدْتَ

The Imam said: “Ask whatever you wish to ask.”

قَالَ: أسْألُكَ عَنِ الحَكِيمِ؛ فِي أيِّ شَيْءٍ هُوَ؟ وَهَلْ يُحِيطُ بِهِ شَيْءٌ؟ وَهَلْ يَتَحَوَّلُ مِنْ شَيءٍ إلى شَيءٍ؟ أوْ بِهِ حَاجَةٌ إلى شَيءٍ؟

Imran said: “I want to ask you what the All-wise God is contained in. Has anything encompassed Him? Does He change from one state to another? Is He in need of anything?”

قَالَ الرِّضَا عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ: أُخْبِرُكَ يَا عِمْرَانُ فَاعْقِلْ مَا سَأَلْتَ عَنْهُ، فَإنَّهُ مِنْ أغْمَضِ مَا يَرِدُ عَلَى الخَلْقِ فِي مَسَائِلِهِمْ، وَلَيْسَ يَفْهَمُ المُتَفَاوِتُ عَقْلُهُ العَازِبُ حِلْمُهُ وَلا يَعْجَزُ عَنْ فَهْمِهِ أولُوا العَقْلِ المُنْصِفُونَ

Al-Ridha said, “O Imran! I will tell you, so understand what you have questioned about. This is one of the most ambiguous issues in the sights of people. As for those who are deficient in understanding, they do not recognize Him. As for those who are just and can reason, they are not incapable of understanding Him.

أمَّا تَأوِيلُ ذَلِكَ فَلَوْ كَانَ خَلَقَ مَا خَلَقَ لِحَاجَةٍ مِنْهُ لَجَازَ لِقَائِلٍ أنْ يَقُولَ يَتَحَوَّلُ إلى مَا خَلَقَ لِحَاجَتِهِ إلى ذَلِكَ؛ وَلَكِنَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ لَمْ يَخْلُقْ شَيْئاً لِحَاجَةٍ وَلَمْ يَزَلْ ثَابِتاً لاَ في شَيءٍ وَلا عَلَى شَيءٍ

First of all, if He had created the creatures due to needing them, then it would be proper to say that He changes His location to the location of what He creates because of His need for them. However, God has not created anything out of need. He is always stable. He is neither on something nor is there anything on Him.

إنَّ الخَلْقَ يُمْسِكُ بَعْضُهُ بَعْضاً وَيَدْخُلُ بَعْضُهُ في بَعْضٍ وَيَخْرُجُ مِنْهُ، وَاللهُ جَلَّ وَتَقَدَّسَ بِقُدْرَتِهِ يُمْسِكُ ذَلِكَ كُلِّهِ وَلَيْسَ يَدْخُلُ في شَيءٍ وَلا يَخْرُجُ مِنْهُ وَلا يَؤُودُهُ حِفْظُهُ وَلا يَعْجَزُ عَنْ إمْسَاكِهِ وَلا يَعْرِفُ أحَدٌ مِنَ الخَلْقِ كَيْفَ ذَلِكَ إلاَّ اللهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَمَنْ أطْلَعَهُ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ رُسُلِهِ وَأهْلِ سِرِّهِ وَالمُسْتَحْفَظِينَ لأمْرِهِ وَخُزَّانِهِ القَائِمِينَ بِشَرِيعَتِهِ

However, it is the creatures which hold each other, enter into one another, and leave one another. As for God, He holds all of that by His Might. He does not enter anything and does not leave anything. Its preservation does not tire Him, nor is He incapable of holding it. None of the creatures knows how that is, except for God and His Messengers, the people whom He acquainted with His secrets, those who run the Affairs, and His Guardians who carry out His Laws.

وَإنَّمَا أمْرُهُ كَلَمْحِ البَصَرِ أوْ هُوَ أقْرَبُ. إذَا شَاءَ شَيْئاً فَإنَّمَا يَقُولُ لَهُ (كُنْ فَيَكُونُ) بِمَشِيئَتِهِ وَإرَادَتِهِ. وَلا شَيْءَ مِنْ خَلْقِهِ أقْرَبُ إلَيْهِ مِنْ شَيْءٍ وَلا شَيْءَ أبْعَدُ مِنْهُ مِنْ شَيْءٍ. أَفَهِمْتَ يَا عِمْرَانُ؟

God Himself has informed them about it. In fact, His command is like the twinkling of an eye. If He wills a thing, He only says to it be, and it is according to His intent and will. Nothing that He has created is closer to Him than any other thing.