He, the Mighty and High, in not Recognized, Except by Himself.

Commander of the Faithful was questioned, “With what do you recognize your Lord?” He (AS) answered, “With what He introduced Himself.” It was said: “How did He introduce Himself to you?” He (AS) replied, No image resembles Him. He is neither perceived by the senses, nor compared with the people. He is Near in His Farness, and Far in His Nearness. He is Above all Things. It cannot be said that “something is above Him,” as He is in front of everything. It cannot be said that “He has a front,” since He is Inside Everything, but without being contained. He is Outside of Everything, but without being absent from anything. Glory be Him! There is nothing like unto Him. He is the Originator of All Things.

Commander of the Faithful said: “Recognize Allah through Allah, the Messenger through the message, and the ones vested with authority [ulu al-amr] through their beneficence, justice, and good deeds.”

“Tell me. Did you recognize Allah through Muhammad or di you recognize Muhammad through Allah, the Mighty and High?” `Ali ibn Abu Talib (AS) replied, I did not recognize Allah through Muhammad (SA), but I recognized Muhammad through Allah, the Mighty and High, when He created him and made in him the size of the length and breadth. Hence I recognized that He was the Planner of the Produced through reasoning, and inspiration, the same way He inspired His Angels to recognize and obey Him without any compeer and quality. The Compiler of this book says: The tradition is long. We have extracted from it the required passage. I have transmitted all of it in the end of the book Al-Nubuwwah.

Planner was other than me.” He asked, “Then with what did you thank Him?” He (AS) answered, “I looked at a tribulation, which He took away from me, and with which he afflicted someone else. Hence, I learned that He had bless me, and so I thanked Him.” The man, asked, “Why do you desire to meet Him?” Imam (AS) replied, “When I saw him choosing the religion of His angels, Messengers and Prophets (AS), I learned that He had honored me with this, and did not forget me. Hence, I desire to meet Him.”

“Verily, I have a query; I want you to take permission for me from your companion. For I have certainly asked about it from many scholars. They have not been able to answer me with a satisfactory answer.” So I said: “Would you like to tell me the query. Perhaps I have an answer that would please you.” He replied, “I would certainly like to meet Abu `Abd Allah (AS) with this query.” So I obtained the permission for him and he entered his presence and asked him (AS), “Do you permit me to ask a question?” The Imam (AS) replied, “Ask what has come to you.” He asked, “How can you prove that you have a Creator?” Consequently, he (AS) responded, I found myself not free from one of two possibilities: either I have crated myself, or someone else has created me. If I have created myself, then I am not free from one of the two meanings: either I created myself while I was already existent, or I created myself while I was on nonexistent. Hence, if I created myself, and I already exited, then I was self-sufficient of giving existence to myself. And if I was nonexistent, then you know that the nonexistent cannot bring about a thing. Therefore, the third meaning is proved that I have a Creator and that is Allah, the Lord of the Universe. Al-Daysani got up and did not negate the answer. The Compiler of this book says: The correct statement in this chapter is to say: we have recognized Allah through Allah, because if we recognized Him through our intellects then He, the Mighty and High, is the Bestower of our intellects. And if we recognized Him, the Mighty and High, through His Prophets, Messengers and Proofs (AS) then He, the Mighty and High, is the One that delegates them, sends them, and the One who has taken them as His Proofs. If we have recognized Him though ourselves then He, the Mighty and High, is the One who brought us about. Thus, through Him we have recognized Him. Al-Sadiq (AS) has said: “If Allah did not exist then we (Imams) would not have been known, and if we were not there, then Allah would not be recognized.” The meaning of that is that if the Proofs did not exist, then Allah would not be recognized the way He deserves to be recognized, and if Allah did not exist, then the Proofs would not have been known. I have heard some theologians say: “Even if a person were born in a desert on earth and even if he found nobody to guide him until he becomes big, contemplating the heaves and the earth would be sufficient to guide him to the fact that there is One Creator who brought them about.” I would respond: Verily, this is something that has not happened, and it relates the news of something that has not happened. If it has happened, how could it be? If such a thing ever took place, then that man must have been a Proof of Allah, may His Remembrance of Himself be Exalted, or a Prophet (AS). Allah sent different type of Prophets. Some were individual Prophets, who were individually guided. Some were sent to their families, and children. Some were sent to the people in their region. Some were sent to the people in their city. And some were sent to all of humanity. As for the reasoning of Ibrahim (AS), the Friend of Allah, when he looked at Venus, the Moon, and the Sun, when they set he said: O people! Verily, I am free from the partners you ascribe to Allah. He (AS) was a Prophet who had inspiration, was delegate and sent by Allah. All of his words were through the inspiration of Allah, the Mighty and High. As we see in the Word of the Mighty and High: This is Our argument which We gave to Abraham rebutting his people. People are not all like Ibrahim (AS). If it were sufficient to simply think about Allah without the guidance and Direction of Allah, the Mighty and High, then why did Allah, the Mighty and High, reveal what He revealed of His Word: So know that there is no god but Allah, and His Word: Say: He Allah is One, and His Word: Wonderful Originator of heavens and the earth! How could He have a son when He has no consort and He is the Knower of subtleties, the Aware. Also the last verse of the chapter “The Banishment,” and other verses about Divine Unity.