Chapter: 48, Verse: 10 - The hand of Allah

حدثنا أحمد بن زياد بن جعفر الهمداني رحمه الله، قال: حدثنا علي ابن إبراهيم، عن أبيه إبراهيم بن هاشم، عن عبد السلام بن صالح الهروي، قال: قلت لعلي بن موسى الرضا عليه السلام: يا ابن رسول الله ما تقول في الحديث الذي يرويه أهل الحديث: إن المؤمنين يزورون ربهم من منازلهم في الجنة؟ فقال عليه السلام: يا أبا الصلت إن الله تبارك وتعالى فضل نبيه محمدا صلى الله عليه واله على جميع خلقه من النبيين والملائكة، وجعل طاعته طاعته، و مبايعته مبايعته، وزيارته في الدنيا والآخرة زيارته، فقال عز وجل: مَّن يُطِعِ الرَّسُولَ فَقَدْ أَطَاعَ اللَّهَ وقال: إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يُبَايِعُونَكَ إِنَّمَا يُبَايِعُونَ اللَّهَ يَدُ اللَّهِ فَوْقَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وقال النبي صلى الله عليه واله: من زارني في حياتي أو بعد موتي فقد زار الله. ودرجة النبي صلى الله عليه واله في الجنة أرفع الدرجات، فمن زاره إلي درجته في الجنة من منزلته فقد زار الله تبارك وتعالى قال: فقلت له: يا ابن رسول الله فما معنى الخبر الذي رووه أن ثواب لا إله إلا الله النظر إلى وجه الله؟ فقال عليه السلام: يا أبا الصلت من وصف الله بوجه كالوجوه فقد كفر، ولكن وجه الله أنبياؤه ورسله وحججه صلوات الله عليهم، هم الذين بهم يتوجه إلي الله عزوجل، وإلى دينه ومعرفته، وقال الله عزوجل: كُلُّ مَنْ عَلَيْهَا فَانٍ وَيَبْقَىٰ وَجْهُ رَبِّكَ وقال عز وجل كُلُّ شَيْءٍ هَالِكٌ إِلَّا وَجْهَهُ فالنظر إلى أنبياء الله ورسله وحججه عليهم السلام في درجاتهم ثواب عظيم للمؤمنين يوم القيامة، وقد قال النبي صلى الله عليه واله: من أبغض أهل بيتي وعترتي لم يرني ولم أره يوم القيامة، وقال صلى الله عليه واله: إن فيكم من لا يراني بعد أن يفارقني، يا أبا الصلت إن الله تبارك وتعالى لا يوصف بمكان ولا يدرك بالابصار والاوهام. قال: فقلت له: يا ابن رسول الله فأخبرني عن الجنة والنار أهما اليوم مخلوقتان؟ فقال: نعم، وإن رسول الله صلى الله عليه واله قد دخل الجنة ورأى النار لما عرج به إلى السماء. قال: فقلت له: إن قوما يقولون إنهما اليوم مقدرتان غير مخلوقتين. فقال عليه السلام: ما اولئك منا ولا نحن منهم، من أنكر خلق الجنة والنار فقد كذب النبي صلى الله عليه واله وكذبنا، وليس من ولايتنا على شئ ويخلد في نار جهنم، قال الله عزوجل: هَذِهِ جَهَنَّمُ الَّتِي يُكَذِّبُ بِهَا الْمُجْرِمُونَ يَطُوفُونَ بَيْنَهَا وَبَيْنَ حَمِيمٍ آَنٍ وقال النبي صلى الله عليه واله: لما عرج بي إلي السماء أخذ بيدي جبرئيل فأدخلني الجنة فناولني من رطبها فأكلته فتحول ذلك نطفة في صلبي، فلما هبطت إلى الارض واقعت خديجة فحملت بفاطمة، ففاطمة حوراء إنسية فكلما اشتقت إلى رائحة الجنة شممت رائحة ابنتي فاطمة

Narrated from al-Harawi who said,

I said to Ali bin Musa al-Ridha (ع), "O the son of the Messenger of Allah (ص) - What do You say about the hadith narrated by the people al-Hadith that, "the believers will visit their Lord from their homes in Paradise"?

Imam (ع) said, "O Aba Salt - Indeed Allah (تبارك وتعالى) gave preference to His Prophet Muhammad (صلى الله عليه واله) over all His creations including the (other) prophets and the angels. He made obedience to Him (the prophet) equal to His obedience, pledging allegiance (Bayyah) to Him (the prophet) equal to pledging allegiance to Him and visiting him (the prophet) in the world and the hereafter equal to visiting Him."

And so Allah (عز وجل) has said, "Whoever obeys the Messenger has obeyed Allah" (4:80) and also "Those who pledge allegiance to You are in fact pledging allegiance to Allah, the hand of Allah is over their hands" (48:10).

The Prophet (ص) said, "Whoever visits Me in My lifetime or after My death has visited Allah".

"The station of the prophet (صلى الله عليه واله) in paradise is the highest station, so whoever visits Him in this station of His in paradise (setting out) from his place then he will have visited Allah (تبارك وتعالى)."

The narrator (Abu Salt) said, "O the son of the Messenger of Allah (ص) , What is the meaning of the report which they narrate that, "The reward of ‘there is no god but Allah’ is looking at the face of Allah"?

Imam (ع) said, "O Aba Salt - Whoever describes Allah as having a face like the typical faces has disbelieved. Rather, the face of Allah is His Prophets, Messengers and His Proofs (Hujjat) (صلوات الله عليهم). They are the ones through whom (one) turns (lit. his face) towards Allah (عزوجل), towards His religion and towards His recognition (Marefat).

And Allah (عزوجل) has said, "Whoever is on it will perish and will remain the face of your Lord" (55:26-27) and Allah (عزوجل) also said, "Everything is to be destroyed except His face" (28:88), thus, looking at the Prophets of Allah, His Messengers and Proofs (Hujjat) (عليهم السلام) in their stations is a great reward for the believers on the day of judgment.

The Prophet (صلى الله عليه واله) said, "Whoever hates My Ahlul-Bayt (ع) and My Descendants (Itrat) will never see Me nor will I see him on the day of judgment" and The Prophet (صلى الله عليه واله) also said, "There is among you one who will never see Me (again) after separating from Me (in this world)".

O Aba Salt, Allah (تبارك وتعالى) is not described as being in any place and He cannot be reached by sights or by imagintions.

The narrator (Abu Salt) said, "O the Son of the Messenger of Allah (ص), Inform me about Paradise and the Fire - are they already created at this moment?

Imam (ع) said, "Yes. The Messenger of Allah (صلى الله عليه واله) entered Paradise and saw the Fire when He was made to ascend to Heaven."

The narrator (Abu Salt) said, "There is a group which says that ‘they (Paradise and Hell) are only destined to be at this moment but not yet created."

Imam (ع) said, "Such (people) are not from Us nor are we from them. Whoever denies the creation of Paradise and the Fire has belied the Prophet and has belied Us. Such a one has nothing to do with our Wilaya and will abide forever in the Fire of Hell.

Allah (عزوجل) says, "This is Hell which the criminals deny. They will go around between it and scalding water" (55:43-44) and the Prophet (صلى الله عليه واله) has said, "When I was made to ascend to Heaven, Jibril took me by the hand and made me to enter Paradise. He handed me one of its fruits. I ate it and it formed seed in my loin. When I returned to the earth I met with Khadija and she carried Fatima (ع), so Fatima (ع) is a human Houri. Whenever I desire to smell the scent of paradise I smell the scent of my daughter Fatima (ع)."

[Source: al-Tawheed, Shaikh Sadooq, Pg. 117]