… Imran asked, “Sir! Can you let me know what the types of limits for His creatures are; what the meanings of them are; and what the varieties of His creatures are?”

… قَالَ عِمْرَانُ: يَا سَيِّدِي، ألاَ تُخْبِرُنِي حُدُودَ خَلْقِهِ كَيْفَ هِيَ؟ وَمَا مَعَانِيهَا؟ وَعَلَى كَمْ نَوْعٍ يَكُونُ؟

The Imam said, “As you have asked, you should understand this. There are six types of limits for His creatures. These are the tangibles; the weighable; the seeable; those that have no weight – that is spirit; those that are seeable but are without any weight, are untouchable, intangible, colorless, and tasteless; and the measurable that are the widths, the forms, width and height. Included amongst them are deeds and movements which make things act upon them, change them from one state into another, increase them, or reduce them.

قَالَ: قَدْ سَأَلْتَ فَاعْلَمْ أنَّ حُدُودَ خَلْقِهِ عَلَى سِتَّةِ أنْوَاعٍ: مَلْمُوسٍ وَمَوْزُونٍ وَمَنْظُورٍ إلَيْهِ وَمَا لاَ ذَوْقَ لَهُ وَهُوَ الرُّوحُ وَمِنْها مَنْظُورٌ إلَيْهِ وَلَيْسَ لَهُ وَزْنٌ وَلاَ لَمْسٌ وَلاَ حِسٌّ وَلاَ لَوْنٌ وَلاَ ذَوْقٌ وَالتَّقْدِيرُ وَالأعْرَاضُ وَالصُّوَرُ وَالطُّولُ وَالْعَرْضُ، وَمِنْهَا العَمَلُ وَالحَرَكَاتُ الَّتِي تَصْنَعُ الأشْيَاءَ وَتَعْمَلُهَا وَتُغَيِّرُهَا مِنْ حَالٍ إلى حَالٍ وَتَزِيدُهَا وَتُنْقِصُهَا

As for deeds and movements, they pass by since they have no more time than that which is ordained for their need. Whenever a deed is finished and the movement is stopped, it ends but its effects remain just like talking which ends but its effect remains.”

فَأمّا الأعْمَالُ وَالحَرَكَاتُ فَإنَّهَا تَنْطَلِقُ لأَنَّهُ لا وَقْتَ لَها أكْثَرَ مِنْ قَدْرِ مَا يُحْتَاجُ إلَيْهِ. فَإذَا فَرَغَ مِنَ الشَّيءِ انْطَلَقَ بِالحَرَكَةِ وَبَقِيَ الأَثَرُ وَيَجْرِي مَجْرَى الكَلاَمِ، يَذْهَبُ وَيَبْقَى أثَرُهُ

Imran said, “Please sir let me know about the Creator. If He is One, there is nothing other than Him and there is nothing with Him, does this not mean that He has not changed (His Essence) through creating the creatures?”

قَالَ عِمْرَانُ: يَا سَيِّدِي، ألاَ تُخْبِرُنِي عَنِ الخَالِقِ إذَا كَانَ وَاحِداً لاَ شَيءَ غَيْرَهُ وَلاَ شَيْءَ  مَعَهُ؟ ألَيْسَ قَدْ تَغَيَّرَ بِخَلْقِهِ الخَلْقُ؟

Imam al-Ridha answered, “He is Eternal. God does not change due to creating the creatures. However, the creatures change through the changes which He exerts upon them.”

قَالَ لَهُ الرِّضَا عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ: قَدِيمٌ لَمْ يَتَغَيَّرْ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِخَلْقِهِ الخَلْقُ وَلكِنَّ الخَلْقَ يَتَغَيَّرُ بِتَغَيُّرِهِ

Imran asked, “By what means have we recognized Him?”

قَالَ عِمْرَانُ: يَا سَيِّدِي فَبِأَيِّ شَيْءٍ عَرَفْنَاهُ؟

Imam al-Ridha said, “We have recognized Him by other things than Him.”

قَالَ: بِغَيْرِهِ

Imran asked, “What are the other things than Him?”

قَالَ: فَأيُّ شَيءٍ غَيْرُهُ؟

The Imam answered, “These are His volition, name, attributes and the like. All these are originated, created and managed by Him.”

قَالَ الرِّضَا عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ: مَشِيَّتُهُ وَاسْمُهُ وَصِفَتُهُ وَمَا أشْبَهَ ذَلِكَ، وَكُلُّ ذَلِكَ مُحْدَثٌ مَخْلُوقٌ مُدَبَّرٌ

Imran asked, “Then, what is He in Essence?”

قَالَ عِمْرَانُ: يَا سَيِّدِي، فَأيُّ شَيءٍ هُوَ؟

The Imam replied, “He is Light. This means that He guides His creatures—the inhabitants of the heavens and the earth. You are not required to recognize what is beyond my profession of His Unity.”

قَالَ: هُوَ نُورٌ بِمَعْنَى أنَّهُ هَادٍ خَلْقَهُ مِنْ أهْلِ السَّمَاءِ وَأهْلِ الأرْضِ، وَلَيْسَ لَكَ عَلَى أكْثَرَ مِنْ تَوْحِيدِي إيَّاهُ

Imran asked, “Is it not that He was silent before creating the creatures and then He spoke?”

قَالَ عِمْرَانُ: يَا سَيِّدِي، ألَيْسَ قَدْ كَانَ سَاكِتاً قَبْلَ الخَلْقِ لاَ يَنْطِقُ ثُمَّ نَطَقَ؟

Imam Al-Ridha answered, “Silence does not exist unless there is some utterance before it. An example of this is that it is not said that the lamp is silent and does not utter; nor is it said that the lamp shines implying that it wants to do something to us. The light shining from the lamp is not considered to be the act of the lamp. It is not something separate from the lamp. Therefore, when it is illuminating to us, we say that it was lit for us by which we found our way around. Through this example, you become enlightened in your affairs.”

قَالَ الرِّضَا عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ: لاَ يَكُونُ السُّكُوتُ إلاّ عَنْ نَطْقٍ قَبْلَهُ. وَالمَثَلُ فِي ذَلِكَ أنَّهُ لاَ يُقَالُ لِلسِّرَاجِ هُوَ سَاكِتٌ لاَ يَنْطِقُ، وَلا يُقَالُ إنَّ السِّرَاجَ لَيُضِيءُ فِيمَا يُرِيدُ أنْ يَفْعَلَ بِنَا لأَنَّ الضَّوْءَ مِنَ السِّرَاجِ لَيْسَ بِفِعْلٍ مِنْهُ وَلا كَوْنٍ، وَإنَّما هُوَ لَيْسَ شَيءٌ غَيْرُهُ فَلَمّا اسْتَضَاءَ لَنَا قُلْنَا قَدْ أضَاءَ لَنَا حَتّى اسْتَضَأْنَا بِهِ. فَبِهَذا تَسْتَبْصِرُ أمْرَكَ

Imran said, “I thought that the Ever-living Being has changed in His own Essence when He did the act of creating the creatures.”

قَالَ عِمْرَانُ: يَا سَيِّدِي، فَإنَّ الَّذِي كَانَ عِنْدِي أنَّ الكَائِنَ قَدْ تَغَيَّرَ فِي فِعْلِهِ عَنْ حَالِهِ بِخَلْقِهِ الخَلْقَ

Imam Al-Ridha said, “When you claim that the Ever-existing Being will change in one or another way by acting, and that this change will affect His own Essence, and thereby changes Him, you have adopted pantheism.

Have you ever seen that the changes in fire change it? Have you ever seen heat burn itself? Have you ever seen an eye see itself?”

قَالَ الرِّضَا عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ: أحَلْتَ يَا عِمْرَانُ فِي قَوْلِكَ أنَّ الكَائِنَ يَتَغَيَّرُ فِي وَجْهٍ مِنَ الوُجُوهِ حَتّى يُصِيبَ الذَّاتَ مِنْهُ مَا يُغَيِّرُهُ. يَا عِمْرَانُ، هَلْ تَجِدُ النَّارَ تُغَيِّرُهَا تَغَيُّرُ نَفْسِهَا؟ وَهَلْ تَجِدُ الحَرَارَةَ تُحْرِقُ نَفْسَهَا؟ أوْ هَلْ رَأيْتَ بَصِيراً قَطُّ رَأى بَصَرَهُ؟

Imran said, “No I have not. Will you please let me know whether He is in the creatures or the creatures are in Him?”

قَالَ عِمْرَانُ: لَمْ أَرَ هَذَا إلاَّ أنْ تُخْبِرَنِي يَا سَيِّدِي أهُوَ فِي الخَلْقِ أمِ الخَلْقُ فِيهِ؟

Imam Al-Ridha answered, “Imran! He is not in the creatures; nor are the creatures in Him. He is High above that… Tell me about the mirror: Are you in it or is it in you? If neither one of you is in the other, then by what thing do you reason that you can see your own reflection in it?”

قَالَ الرِّضَا عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ: أَجَلْ يَا عِمْرَانُ، لَيْسَ هُوَ فِي الخَلْقِ وَلاَ الخَلْقُ فِيهِ. تَعَالى عَنْ ذَلِكَ… أخْبِرْنِي عَنِ المِرْآةِ أنْتَ فِيهَا أمْ هِيَ فِيكَ؟ فَإنْ كَانَ لَيْسَ وَاحِدٌ مِنْكُمَا فِي صَاحِبِهِ فَبِأَيِّ شَيْءٍ إسْتَدْلَلْتَ بِهَا عَلَى نَفْسِكَ يَا عِمْرَانُ؟

Imran said, “Through the light that is between me and the mirror.”

قَالَ: بِضَوْءٍ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَهَا

Imam Al-Ridha asked, “Can you see more of that light in the mirror than what you see in your own eyes?”

قَالَ الرِّضَا عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ: هَلْ تَرَى مِنْ ذَلِكَ الضَّوْءِ فِي المِرْآةِ أكْثَرَ مِمّا تَرَاهُ فِي عَيْنِكَ؟

“Yes,” answered Imran.

قَالَ: نَعَمْ

So, Imam Al-Ridha asked, “If so, then show it to us.”

قَالَ الرِّضَا عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَمُ: فَأَرِنَاهُ

Imran was too baffled to say a single word.

فَلَمْ يَحْرَ جَوَاباً

The Imam explained, “I do not see the light, except leading you and the mirror to come to know each other without being in either one of you. There are many other such examples which the ignorant simply cannot comprehend. God’s are the most sublime examples.”

قَالَ: فَلا أرَى النُّورَ إلاّ وَقَدْ دَلَّكَ وَدَلَّ المِرْآةَ عَلَى أنْفُسِكُمَا مِنْ غَيْرِ أنْ يَكُونَ فِي وَاحِدٍ مِنْكُمَا. وَلِهَذَا أمْثَالٌ كَثِيرَةٌ غَيْرُ هَذَا، لاَ يَجِدُ الجَاهِلُ فِيهَا مَقَالاً. وَللهِ المَثَلُ الأَعْلَى