Repudiation of Philosophical and Irfani (Mystical) Fundamentals in Imam Riza (Salaam Be Upon Him)’s Monotheistic Teachings

Part 3

Absolute Tanzih of Allah, or Tanzih and at the same time Tashbih of Allah?!

[Tanzih means considering Allah absolutely pure from any comparison whatsoever, and Tashbih is exactly the opposite of Tanzih and it means considering Allah like and similar to His creations. It is noteworthy to mention that any other meanings specified for Tanzih and Tashbih other than the aforesaid, such as closeness for Tashbih, are absolutely not the real meanings of the words at all and are an attempt to cover up the real teachings of the school of al-Hikmah al-Muta’aliyah, specially for the beginners.]

In the school of Ahl al Bayt (SBUT) Ma’rifat (knowing) of Allah is based on the Absolute Tanzih of Allah and His pureness from absolutely any kind of similarity, resemblance and homogeneity with His creations, i.e. with any other than Him; and any saying and belief that results in Tashbih has been construed as blasphemy.

But in the school of philosophy and irfan, and in the school of al-Hikmah al-Muta’aliyah [Transcendent Theosophy]- which is a composition of these two [philosophy and irfan]- Absolute Tanzih is rejected and the emphasis is on Tanzih and Tashbih at the same time, which undoubtedly, and as confessed by themselves, is an obvious contradiction.

First we are going to quote certain sayings in this regard from the school of al-Hikmah al-Muta’aliyah and then we shall get to the teachings of the school of the AhlulBayt (SBUT): 

Mulla Sadra: Wajib al-wujud (the necessary existence) [which is a name invented by philosophers for God] is all the things, nothing is out of Him. (al-Asfar, Mulla Sadra, 2/368)

It is obvious that this belief that wajib al-wujud (God) consists of all things and nothing is out of His Dhaat [Nature, Essence] is the most extreme kind of composition and Tashbih. [I.e. Allah is considered to be every thing and the composition of all things, thus similar to every thing …]

Allame Tabatabai: It is necessary for a cause and its effect to be of the same substance in Dhaat [essence]. (Nahayat al-Hikmat, 166)

This means that Allah- Who [according to philosophy] is the cause- and creations- which are His effects- must be of the same substance in Dhaat; this is way beyond Tashbih.

Ibn Arabi: Know that in the view of those who have achieved truth, Tanzih is the same as limiting and bounding Allah; and he who considers Allah Monazzah [pure (words Tanzih and Monazzah are from the same root)] (from being likened and resembled to things) is either ignorant or impolite! (Ayatullah Hasanzade Aamoli, Annahul Haq, p 42)

Ibn Arabi: Verily the Monazzah Allah is the same as the creation, with similarity and resemblance! (Fosus al-Hikam/78)

Ibn Arabi: Consider Allah both pure from all things, and like and similar to all things, so that you will achieve the right Ma’rifat! (Fosus al-Hikam/93)

The treatise “Anna ho Al haq” states:

God is not different and contrary to anything and nothing is contrary to Him … the absolute Anniyat which Shaykh (Ibn Sina) proved is a Tanzih which is Tashbih at the same time. (Ayatullah Hasanzade Aamoli, Anna ho Al Haq, p 45,46)

In the treatise of Liqa Allah it is written:

The attributes of creations are of two types: one type is the requisite of its existential aspect. This type is not opposed to the attributes rather it is similar to the attributes of God. (Ayatullah Maliki Tabrizi, Liqa Allah, p. 192)

And tens of other samples of such clear emphasis on Tanzih and at the same time Tashbih, by the adherents to philosophy and irfan.

But in the school of Ahl al-Bayt (Salaam Be Upon Them), as we said before, Tawhid of Allah is based on absolute Tanzih and is free from any kind of Tashbih and its impurities.  Now have a look at these Hadiths from Imam Riza (Salaam Be Upon Him):

Whoever considers or describes Allah- the Exalted- as similar to His creations, is a polytheist. (Oyun Akhbar al-Riza (SBUH), 1/93)

Imam Riza (Salaam Be Upon Him) has quoted from his fathers and they from Amir-al-Mo’menin and he from The Prophet (Salaam be Upon Them) and he from Allah (SWT) that said:

Whoever interprets My Word according to his opinion has not believed in Me and whoever likens Me to My creations has not known Me. (Oyun Akhbar al-Riza (SBUH), 1/116) 

Imam Riza (Salaam Be Upon Him) has said:

O’ my God! Verily I detest and dissociate from those who seek You through Tashbih, nothing is like You; and my Lord! You are Sublime and Exalted above what al-Moshabbihun (believers in Tashbih) say about You. (Oyun Akhbar al-Riza (SBUH), 1/95)

Fath Ibn Yazid says: I asked Imam Reza (Salaam Be Upon Him) about the lowest level of Ma’refat of Allah. He (SBUH) said:

Confessing that there is no deity except Him, and that He has no similitude, and that there is no match for Him, and that nothing is similar or equal to Him. (Oyun Akhbar al-Riza (SBUH), 1/133)

[Qur’an 42:13 … There is nothing whatever like unto Him, and He is the One that Hears and Sees (all things).

Imam Ali Peace Be Upon Him states:

He cannot be conceived of by the imagination and He cannot be determined by comprehension. He cannot be perceived by the senses and He cannot be compared with any person. He is One but not numerable and He is Eternal without end. He is the One who supports without being supported. (Nahj-ul-Balaghah (Peak of Eloquence))

Imam Ali (AS) also said:

He is Allah, the Clear Truth, truer and clearer than the eyes perceive. The intellects cannot reach Him by any definition, since that would be to compare Him; and the imagination cannot reach Him by any evaluation; since that would be to give Him a likeness. There is no beginning to His primacy and there is no end to His eternity. He is the First and the Eternal, and He is the Everlasting without end. Foreheads bow down before Him and lips declare His Oneness. He gave all things limitations when He created them, so as to make it clear that He is not like them. (Nahj-ul-Balaghah)]

To be continued …