The Source of Traditions on Imam al-Riḍā (Vol 2) · Hadith 353 (#Ḥadīth #1)

1 - حَدَّثَنا مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ إِبْراهيمِ بْنِ إِسْحاق الطَّالِقانِيُّرَضِىَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قالَ: حَدَّثَنا أَحْمَدِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ سَعِيدُ الكُوفِيّ، عَنْ عَلِىِّ بْنِ الحَسَنِ بْنِ عَلِىِّ بْنِ فضال، عَنْ أَبيهِ، عَنْ أَبي الحَسَن الرِّضـا a.sُ قـالَ: قُلْتُ لَهُ: لِمَ خَلَقَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ الْخَلْقَ عَلَى أَنْوَاعٍ شَتَّىوَلَمْ يَخْلُقْهُمْ نَوْعاً وَاحِداً. فَقَالَ: لِئَلا يَقَعَ فِي الأَوْهَامِ أَنَّهُ عَاجِزٌ فَلا تَقَعُ صُورَةٌ فِي وَهْمِ مُلْحِدٍ إِلا وَقَدْ خَلَقَ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عَلَيْهَا خَلْقاً وَلا يَقُولُ قَائِلٌ هَلْ يَقْدِرُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ عَلَى أَنْ يَخْلُقَ عَلَى صُورَةِ كَذَا وَكَذَا إِلا وَجَدَ ذَلِكَ فِي خَلْقِهِ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى فَيَعْلَمُ بِالنَّظَرِ إِلَى أَنْوَاعِ خَلْقِهِ أَنَّهُ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ.

32-1 Muhammad ibn Ibrahim ibn Ishaq al-Taliqani - may God be pleased with him - narrated that Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Sa’eed al-Kufi quoted on the authority of Ali ibn Al-Hassan ibn Ali ibn Fadhdhal, on the authority of his father, “I asked Abil Hassan Ar-Ridha’ , ‘O son of God’s Prophet! Why did the Honorable the Exalted God create all thingsto be the same way? Why did He not create everything to be of the same kind?’ Ar-Ridha’ replied, ‘That was so that they do not think that He is incapable, and nothing can come to an atheist’s mind which the Honorable the Exalted God has not created. That was so that they cannot ask whether or not the Honorable the Exalted God is able to create such and such a creature, since the Blessed the Sublime has already created it. And considering all the varieties of creatures that He has created, they realize that He has power over all things.”

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