God’s Timelesness and Spacelessness

A man came to Abi al-Hasan al-Ridha عليه السلام from behind the Balkh river and said: I will ask you a question - if you answer it in accordance to what I have (consider correct) then I will believe in your Imama. Abu al-Hasan عليه السلام said: Ask whatever you like. He said: Inform me about your Lord - when was He? How was He? Upon what thing was His reliance? Abu al-Hasan عليه السلام said: Allah Blessed and Elevated defined the ‘where’ when there was no ‘where’ and defined the ‘how’ when there was no ‘how’ and His reliance was on his Power. The man stood up, kissed his forehead and said: I bear witness that there is no god but Allah, that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, that Ali is the vicegerent of the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وآله and the one who took charge of what the Messenger of Allah صلى الله عليه وآله was taking charge of after him, that you all are the truthful leaders and that you are the successor after them.

Ibn Abil Awja was among the students of al-Hasan al-Basri but then deviated from Tawhid. It was said to him: You have left the Madhhab of your fellow (Hasan al-Basri) and entered into that (belief) which has no authentic origin nor any reality. He said: My fellow was confused. Sometimes he would assert belief in free-will and sometimes predestination. I have not known him to hold on to a position and stick to it. He traveled to Makka and began showing arrogance and opposition to those making the pilgrimage. The scholars would dislike sitting and debating with him because of the vulgarity of his tongue and his corrupt heart (intentions). He came to Aba Abdillah عليه السلام and sat in his presence (circle) together with a number of his peers. He said: O Aba Abdillah, discussions are conducted with guarantee of protection (against persecution for what is said) and it is incumbent for every one who has a question to ask. Do you allow me to speak? Al-Sadiq عليه السلام said: Speak whatever you wish (freely) … Ibn Abil Awja said: You spoke of Allah and thus settled (put your hand) upon one who is Hidden. Abu Abdillah عليه السلام said: Woe be upon you! How can He be hidden one who is witnessed (evident) through His creatures, and is closer to him (his creature) than the jugular vein. He hears their speech, observes their forms and knows their secrets. Ibn Abil Awja said: That would mean He is everywhere. Is it not the case that if He were in heaven how can He also be on earth? And if He is on earth how can He be in heaven (at the same time)? Abu Abdillah عليه السلام said: You have described a created thing which if it departs from a place then one place is occupied by him and another place becomes empty of him, and he cannot know what is happening in the place he used to be in from the place he has moved to. As for Allah The Great in Stature, the King and Judge, then no space is empty of Him, nor does He occupy space, nor is He closer to one point with respect to another.

Na’fi b. al-Azraq asked Aba Ja’far عليه السلام saying: Inform me about Allah - when was He? He (the Imam) said to Him: Woe be upon you! You inform me when wasn’t He then I will inform you when He was. Glory be to the One who is and has always been Singular, Eternal, not betaking to Himself partner nor off-spring.

I asked Aba Abdillah عليه السلام about the words of Allah Mighty and Majestic “The Beneficent Istawa over the throne” (20:5). He said: He has transcended over all things. Thus, nothing is closer to Him than another thing. The distant is not far from Him and the near is not close to Him. He has transcended over all things.

I asked Aba Abdillah عليه السلام about the words of Allah Mighty and Majestic: “and He is Allah in the heavens and in the earth” (6:3). He said: That is how He is - everywhere. I said: by His essence? He said: Woe be upon you! Physical spaces have limits, so if you were to believe that He is ‘in a place by His essence’ then it would be necessary for you to also assert that He has limits and other such (deficiencies). Rather He is distinct from his creation. Fully encompassing what He created in terms of (His) knowledge, power, awareness and authority. His knowledge of what is in the earth is not less than that of which is in heaven. Nothing can become distant from Him. All things are equal to Him in terms of (His) knowledge, power, authority, ownership and awareness (over them).

Abu Shakir al-Daysani said: There is a verse in the Qur’an which supports us (the Dualists who believe in two gods). I said: Which one is it? He said: “and He is the One who is god in Heaven and on Earth god” (43:84). I did not know how to answer him. I made the pilgrimage and informed Aba Abdillah عليه السلام (about this). He said: These are the words of a wretched heretic. When you go back say to him: ‘What is your name in Kufa?’ he will say ‘so and so’, then say: ‘What do they call you in Basra?’ he will say ‘so and so’ (the same name). Then say: In the same way is Allah our Lord – (He is Called) God in Heaven and God on Earth, and in the oceans God, and God in every place. He (Hisham) said: I returned and proceeded to Aba Shakir an/d informed him of this. He said: This has been relayed from the Hijaz (i.e. the Imam in Madina).

I heard Aba Abdillah عليه السلام saying: Allah is empty of His creations and His creations are empty of Him. Whatever can referred to by the name ‘thing’ apart from Allah then it is a creation, and Allah is the creator of all things. Blessed is the one whom there is nothing like Him and He is the All-Hearing the All-Seeing.

Whoever asserts that Allah is from something, or in something, or on something, then he has disbelieved. I said: Explain this for me. He said: I mean (to assert) that He is contained by something (which encloses him), or that He is held up (resting on something), or He is (derived) from something which preceded Him.

He is One. Unique in Essence. Distinct from His creation. That is how He described Himself. He encompasses everything in terms of supervision, awareness and power. Nothing escapes Him even the weight of a particle in the Heavens and in the earth nor smaller than that or bigger - in terms of awareness and knowledge not by (His) essence, for locations are bounded, delimited by the four bounds (height, width, depth), so if it was by essence then that would necessarily imply containment.