The Source of Traditions on Imam al-Riḍā (Vol 1) · Hadith 139 (#Ḥadīth #31)

31 - حَدَّثَنا الحُسَيْنِ بْنِ أَحْمَدِ بْنِ إِدْرِيس رَضِىَ اللهُ عَنْهُ، عَنْ أَبيهِ قالَ: حَدَّثَنا مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ بُنْذارٍ عَنْعَلِيِّ الكُوفِي عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَلِى الخُراسانِي خادِم الرِّضا a.sُ قالَ: قَالَبَعْضُ الزَّنَادِقَةِ لابِي الْحَسَنِ a.sُ هَلْ يُقَالُ لِلَّهِ: إِنَّهُ شَيْءٌ؟ فَقَالَ: نَعَمْ وَقَدْ سَمَّى نَفْسَهُ بِذَلِكَ فِي كِتَابِهِ فَقَالَ قُلْ أَيُّ شَيْءٍ أَكْبَرُ شَهادَةً قُلِ اللَّهُ شَهِيدٌ بَيْنِي وَبَيْنَكُمْ فَهُوَشَيْءٌ لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ.

11-31 Al-Hussein ibn Ahmad ibn Idris - may God be pleased with him - narrated that his father quoted on the authority of Muhammad ibn Bondar, on the authority of Muhammad ibn Ali al-Kufi, on the authority of Muhammad ibn Ali al-Khorasani - the servant of Al-Ridha (s), “One ofthe hypocrites asked Abil Hassan (s), ‘Can we say that God is a ‘thing’? The Imam (s) replied, ‘Yes. He has called Himself ‘thing’ in His Book as we read in the Quran, ‘Say, ‘What thing is most weighty in evidence?’ Say, ‘God is witness between me and you…’’ He is a ‘Thing’ for which there is no other thing alike.’”

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