The Source of Traditions on Imam al-Riḍā (Vol 1) · Hadith 119 (#Ḥadīth #11)

11 - حَدَّثَنا الحُسَيْنُ بْنُ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ إِدْرِيسَ، عَنْ أَبيهِ، عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَبْد الجَبَّارِ، عَنْ صَفْوان بْنِ يَحْيَى قالَ: قُلْتُ لأَبِي الحَسَنَ a.sُ: أَخْبِرنِي عَنِ الإِرادَةِ؛ مِنَ اللَّهِ تَعالى وَمِنَ الْخَلْقِ؟ فَقالَ: الإِرادَةُ مِنَ المخلُوقِ الضَّمِيرُ وَما يَبدُو لَهُ بَعْدَ ذلِكَ مِنَ الِفعلِ، وَأَمَّا مِنَاللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ: فَإرادَتُهُ إِحداثُهُ غَيْرَ ذلِكَ، لأَنَّهُ لا يُرَوِّي وَلا يَهُمُّ وَلا يَتَفَكَّرُ، وَهذِهِ الصِّفاتُ مَنفَيَّةٌ عَنْهُ وَهِيَ مِن صِفاتِ الخَلقِ، فَإِرادَةُ اللَّهِ تَعالى هِيَ الفِعلُ لا غَيْرُ ذلِكَ يَقُولُ لَهُ: «كُنْ فَيَكُونَ»، بِلا لَفظٍ وَلا نُطقٍ بِلِسانٍ وَلا هِمَّةٍ وَلا تَفَكُّرٍ، وَلا كَيْفَ كَذلِكَ، كَما أَنَّهُ بِلا كَيفٍ.

11-11 Al-Hussein ibn Ahmad ibn Idris - may God be pleased with him - narrated that his father quoted on the authority of Muhammad ibn Abdul Jabbar, on the authority of Safwan ibn Yahya,: I asked Abil Hassan Al-Ridha (s), “Let me know about the difference between the will of the Sublime God, and the will of the creatures.” The Imam (s) said, “The will of the creatures is in the form of an inner thought, deciding what isbest to do, and an action that follows. However, the Will of the Honorable the Exalted God is the same as Creation. He does not need to decide and think. These traits do not apply to Him. They are the characteristics of the creatures. Once the Sublime God wills, it is what He does. Nothing else. That is as He says, ‘We but say the word, ‘Be’, and it is.’ without any articulation, verbal expression, directed attention or thought. Just as God Himself does not have a quality of being, His Will has no quality of being.”

Gradings are classical jarḥ-wa-taʿdīl, name-matched to a rijāl index (not individually re-verified).