La Connaissance

3. `Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad `Imran al-Daqqaq (RA) said: Muhammad ibn Ja`far al-Asadi said: Musa ibn `Imran, on the authority of al-Husayn ibn Yazid, on the authority of Muhammad ibn Abu `Umayr, on the authority of Hisham ibn al-Hakam that Abu `Abd Allah al-Sadiq (AS) said: “The Knowledge (of Allah) is part of His Perfection.”

La connaissance est parfaite en elle-même.

4. My father (RA) that Sa`d ibn `Abd Allah, on the authority of Ibrahim ibn Hashim, on the authority of Ibn Abu `Umayr, on the authority of Abu al-Hasan al-Sayrafi, on the authority of Bakkar al-Wasiti, on the authority of Abu Hamzah al-Thumali, on the authority of Humran ibn A`yun, that Abu Ja`far al-Baqir (AS) said the following concerning knowledge; “It is like your hand is from you.” Muhammad ibn `Ali, the Compiler of this book says: This (tradition) means that the knowledge of Allah is not other than Him, and is part of His Essential attributes, because Allah, the Mighty and High, is AllKnowing, All-Hearing, and All-Seeing. On the contrary, our intent in attributing Him with knowledge is to negate ignorance from Him. We do not say: “Knowledge is separate from Him” since “Allah has always been Omniscient.” If we said that His Knowledge is separate from Him, we would be saying that something eternal has always existed alongside Him. Exalted is Allah, the Elevated and Great, from such things!

"Il s'agit de ta propre ruse contre toi. Muhammad ibn Ali, l'auteur de ce livre, a dit: cela signifie que la connaissance n'est pas distincte de Lui et qu'elle fait partie de Ses attributs, car Allah, exalté soit-Il, a une essence dotée de signes, entendant et voyant. En décrivant Sa connaissance comme étant de la connaissance, nous nions l'ignorance en Lui. Nous ne disons pas que la connaissance est autre que Lui, car chaque fois que nous disons cela, puis nous disons qu'Allah a toujours été savant, nous avons affirmé avec Lui quelque chose d'ancien qui n'a jamais cessé. Allah est au-dessus de cela, dans une grandeur élevée."

5. My father (RA) that Sa`d ibn `Abd Allah, on the authority of Ibrahim ibn Hisham, on the authority of Ibn Abu `Umayr, on the authority of Mansur ibn Hazim, that I asked Abu `Abd Allah al-Sadiq (AS) “Do you know everything that has happened and everything that will happen until the Day of Judgement? Is it not part of Allah’s knowledge?” He (AS) answered: “It is certainly part of Allah’s Knowledge. He knew everything before He created the Heavens and the Earth.”

Je lui ai dit: "N'as-tu pas vu ce qui était et ce qui sera jusqu'au Jour de la Résurrection, n'était-ce pas dans la connaissance d'Allah?" Il a répondu: "Oui, avant qu'Il ne crée les cieux et la terre."

6. Al-Husayn ibn Ahmad ibn Idris (RA), on the authority of his father, on the authority of Muhammad ibn Ahmad ibn Yahya ibn `Imran al-Ash`ari, on the authority of `Ali ibn Ismai`il and Ibrahim ibn Hashim both, on the authority of Safwan ibn Yahya, on the authority of Mansur ibn Hazim that I asked Abu `Abd Allah al-Sadiq (AS): “Is there anything that exists today that was not in the Knowledge of Allah, the Mighty and High?” He (AS) replied: “No, His Knowledge encompassed everything even before He raised the Heavens and the Earth.”

Non, mais c'était dans Sa connaissance avant qu'Il ne crée les cieux et la terre.

7. Al-Hasan ibn Ahmad ibn Idris (RA) said: My father related to me that Ibrahim ibn Hashim, on the authority of Muhammad ibn Isma`il ibn Bazigh, on the authority of Yunus, on the authority of Abu alHasan, on the authority of Jabir that Abu Ja`far al-Baqir (AS) said: Verily, Allah, the One – may His Names be Blessed and Exalted in His Elevated Essence – united everything in His Unity, then applied it to His Creation. Therefore, He is Alone, the Needless, the Master, and the glorified. Everything serves Him, and everything depends upon Him. Our Lord is beyond our grasp, and our Lord’s Knowledge encompasses everything.

Certes, Allah - exalté soit Son Nom et élevée soit Sa Majesté - est Un dans Son unicité, unifiant dans Son unicité, puis Il l'a transmis à Ses créatures, Il est Un, Éternel, Roi Saint, adoré par tout ce qui existe et vers qui tout se tourne, au-dessus de ce que nous pourrions atteindre notre Seigneur, et la connaissance de notre Seigneur embrasse toute chose.

8. `Abd Allah ibn Muhammad ibn `Abd al-Walid said: Ahmad ibn al-Fadl ibn al-Mughirah said: Abu Nasr Mansur ibn `Abd Allah ibn Ibrahim al-Isfahani said: `Ali ibn `Abd Allah said: al-Husayn ibn Bashshar, that I asked Abu al-Hasan `Ali ibn Musa al-Rida (AS): “Does Allah know the things which have not occurred that if they did occur how would they be or He does not?” He (AS) said: Verily, Allah, the Exalted be He, is aware of all things even before they come into existence. Allah, the Mighty and High, says: Surely, We wrote what you did,1 and He says to the people going to the Hell: And if they were sent back, they would certainly go back to that which they are forbidden, and most surely the are liars.2 Hence, Allah the Mighty and High, knew that if He sent them back, they would certainly go back to what they were forbidden. And he said to the angels when they said: What! Wilt Thou place in it such as shall make mischief in it and shed blood, and we celebrate Thy praise and extol Thy holiness? He said: Surely, I know what you do not know.3 Therefore, the Knowledge of Allah, the Mighty and High, is eternal, and embraces all things even before they are created. Blessed be our Lord, the Exalted, the Elevated, and the Great, who created things and had knowledge of them prior to their creation. Verily, our Lord has always been All-Knowing, All-Hearing, and All-Seeing.

"Je lui ai demandé : Est-ce qu'Allah sait des choses qui n'existent pas comme s'ils existaient, ou ne sait-Il que ce qui existe réellement ? Il a répondu : Certes, Allah le Très-Haut sait des choses avant même qu'elles n'existent. Allah, le Tout-Puissant, a dit : 'Nous reproduisons exactement ce que vous faisiez.' Et Il a dit aux gens du Feu : 'S'ils étaient renvoyés, ils recommenceraient sans aucun doute ce qu'on leur avait interdit.' Allah savait donc que s'Il les renvoyait, ils recommenceraient ce qu'ils avaient été interdits de faire. Et Il a dit aux anges quand ils ont dit : 'Vas-Tu y placer quelqu'un qui y sèmera la corruption et répandra le sang, alors que nous Te glorifions par Ta louange et Te sanctifions ?' Il a dit : 'Je sais ce que vous ne savez pas.' Ainsi, notre Seigneur est toujours savant, entendant et voyant, Son savoir précède les choses avant de les créer. Béni soit notre Seigneur, le Très-Haut, qui a créé les choses et les a connues avant même qu'elles n'existent, comme Il le voulait. Ainsi, notre Seigneur est toujours savant, entendant et voyant."

9. An the same chain of narrators that on the authority of `Ali ibn `Abd Allah that Safwan ibn Yahya, on the authority of `Abd Allah ibn Muskan that I asked Abu `Abd Allah al-Sadiq (AS) about Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He: “Did He have knowledge of location before He created location? Or did He come to know if it when He was creating it or after He had created it?” So he (AS) replied: “Exalted is Allah! Verily, he knew about space before He created space in the same fashion that He knew about if after He brought it into being. His Knowledge of space is the same as His Knowledge of all things.” The Compiler of this book, may Allah be pleased with him, says: Another proof that Allah, Blessed and Exalted be He, is Omniscient, is that action, planning, and work, can only be orchestrated by intelligence and not from ignorance, since it most surely requires wisdom. Not only can action, planning, and work not originate from ignorance, they cannot continue to operate without intelligence. Do you not see that one who does not know the art of goldsmithing cannot make an earring, even while placing every tiny essential piece in its position? Neither it is possible for someone who does not know how to write to write a book in which every word is in accordance with the previous. The All-Knowing is More Magnificent in work, and more amazing in establishment, than what we have described. Hence, it is certainly impossible for creation to have originated from a non-knower. The confirmation of this is (to be found in the following tradition):

Il a répondu: "Gloire à Allah, certes, Il a toujours su l'endroit avant sa création, tout comme Il le sait après l'avoir créé, et de même qu'Il connaît toutes choses comme Il connaît l'endroit."

10. What `Abd al-Walid ibn Muhammad ibn `Abdus al-`Attar (RA) said: `Ali ibn Muhammad ibn Qutaybah al-Naysaburi, on the authority of al-Fadl ibn Shadhan, he said: I heard Al-Rida `Ali ibn Musa (a.s) say in his supplications: Glory be to Him who created the creation by His Power, ascertained what He created by His Wisdom, and placed everything in its place through His Knowledge. Glorified be He who knows stealthy looks, and who knows what breasts conceal. There is nothing like Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.

Gloire à Celui qui a créé la création par Sa puissance, et a perfectionné ce qu'Il a créé par Sa sagesse, et a placé chaque chose à sa juste place par Sa connaissance. Gloire à Celui qui connaît la trahison des yeux et ce que les poitrines cachent, et il n'y a rien qui Lui ressemble, et Il est Celui qui entend et qui voit.

11. My father (RA) reported that Sa`d ibn `Abd Allah, on the authority of Ibrahim ibn Hashim, on the authority of Ibn `Umayr, on the authority of Hisham ibn al-Hakam, on the authority of Mansur alSayqal that Abu `Abd Allah al-Sadiq (AS) said: “Verily, Allah is Knowledge as there is no ignorance in Him. Allah is Life as there is no death in Him. And Allah is Light as there is no darkness in Him.”

Certes, Dieu est Savant sans ignorance en Lui, Vivant sans mort en Lui, Lumière sans ténèbres en Lui.

12. Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn Ahmad ibn al-Walid (RA) said: Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Saffar, on the authority of Muhammad ibn `Isa ibn `Ubayd, on the authority of Yunus ibn `Abd al-Rahman that I said to Abu al-Hasan al-Rida (AS): “It has been related to us that Allah is Knowledge as there is no ignorance in Him. Allah is life as there is no death in Him. And Allah is Light as there is no darkness in Him.” He (AS) replied: “That is exactly how He is.”

C'est ainsi.

13. Muhammad ibn al-Hasan ibn Ahmad ibn al-Walid (RA) said: Muhammad ibn al-Hasan al-Saffar, on the authority of Muhammad ibn `Isa, on the authority of Ibn Abu `Umayr, on the authority of Hisham ibn al-Hakam, on the `Isa ibn Abu Mansur, on the authority of Jabir al-Ju`fi, that Abu Ja`far al-Baqir (AS) said: “Verily, Allah is Light as there is no darkness in Him, Allah is Knowledge as there is no ignorance in Him. And Allah is Life as there is no death in Him.”

En vérité, Dieu est Lumière, sans ténèbres en Lui, et Savoir, sans ignorance en Lui, et Vie, sans mort en Lui.

14. Muhammad ibn Musa ibn al-Mutawakkil (RA) said: `Abd Allah ibn Ja`far al-Himyari, on the authority of Ahmand ibn Muhammad, on the authority of al-Hasan ibn Mahbub, on the authority of Ibn Sinan, on the authority of Ja`far ibn Muhammad (AS), that His father, Muhammad al-Baqir (AS), said: Verily, for Allah, Exalted be He, there is specific knowledge, and there is common knowledge. As for the specific knowledge, it is the knowledge of which even the Closest Angels and Messengers (AS) are not informed. And as for the common knowledge, it is the knowledge that His Closest Angels and Messengers know, and which has reached us from the Messengers of Allah.”

Certes, Allah possède une connaissance spécifique et une connaissance générale. La connaissance spécifique est celle à laquelle Ses anges rapprochés et Ses prophètes envoyés n'ont pas accès, tandis que Sa connaissance générale est celle à laquelle Ses anges rapprochés et Ses prophètes envoyés ont accès. Et ce qui nous est parvenu du Messager d'Allah, paix et bénédictions de Dieu sur lui et sur sa famille.

15. `Ali ibn Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn `Imran al-Daqqaq (RA) said: Muhammad ibn Ja`far al-Asadi, on the authority of Musa ibn `Imran, on the authority of al-Husayn ibn Yazid, on the authority of Zayd ibn al-Ma`dil al-Numayri and `Abd Allah ibn Sinan, on the authority of Jabir, that Abu Ja`far al-Baqir (AS) said: “Verily, there is knowledge known to Allah alone, and verily there is knowledge which is known to His Closest Angels and Messengers. We also know it.”

Certes, Allah a une connaissance que nul autre que Lui ne possède, une connaissance que seuls Ses anges rapprochés et Ses prophètes envoyés connaissent, et nous la connaissons.

16. And the same chain of narrators that on the authority of al-Husayn ibn Yazid, on the authority of Yahya ibn Abu Yahya, on the authority of `Abd Allah ibn al-Samit, on the authority of `Abd al-A`la, on the authority of al-`Abd al-Salih that Musa ibn Ja`far (AS) said: The Knowledge of Allah cannot be described in terms of `where,’ nor can the Knowledge of Allah be described in terms of `how.’ Knowledge cannot be separated from Allah, nor can Allah be separated from Knowledge. There is no boundary between Allah and His Knowledge.

"La connaissance d'Allah ne peut être décrite par un lieu, et la connaissance d'Allah ne peut être décrite par une manière, et la connaissance ne peut être séparée d'Allah, et Allah ne peut être distingué de Sa connaissance, et il n'y a pas de limite entre Allah et Sa connaissance." Chapitre sur les attributs de l'Essence et les attributs des actions.