The Sufficient (Vol 1) · Hadith 326 (#Ḥadīth #3)

3ـ وَعَنْهُ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ أَبِي عَبْدِ الله عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ إِسْمَاعِيلَ عَنْ دَاوُدَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الله عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ عَنْ عِيسَى بْنِ يُونُسَ قَالَ قَالَ ابْنُ أَبِي الْعَوْجَاءِ لابِي عَبْدِ الله فِي بَعْضِ مَا كَانَ يُحَاوِرُهُ ذَكَرْتَ الله فَأَحَلْتَ عَلَى غَائِبٍ فَقَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ الله وَيْلَكَ كَيْفَ يَكُونُ غَائِباً مَنْ هُوَ مَعَ خَلْقِهِ شَاهِدٌ وَإِلَيْهِمْ أَقْرَبُ مِنْ حَبْلِ الْوَرِيدِ يَسْمَعُ كَلامَهُمْ وَيَرَى أَشْخَاصَهُمْ وَيَعْلَمُ أَسْرَارَهُمْ فَقَالَ ابْنُ أَبِي الْعَوْجَاءِ أَ هُوَ فِي كُلِّ مَكَانٍ أَلَيْسَ إِذَا كَانَ فِي السَّمَاءِ كَيْفَ يَكُونُ فِي الارْضِ وَإِذَا كَانَ فِي الارْضِ كَيْفَ يَكُونُ فِي السَّمَاءِ فَقَالَ أَبُو عَبْدِ الله إِنَّمَا وَصَفْتَ الْمَخْلُوقَ الَّذِي إِذَا انْتَقَلَ عَنْ مَكَانٍ اشْتَغَلَ بِهِ مَكَانٌ وَخَلا مِنْهُ مَكَانٌ فَلا يَدْرِي فِي الْمَكَانِ الَّذِي صَارَ إِلَيْهِ مَا يَحْدُثُ فِي الْمَكَانِ الَّذِي كَانَ فِيهِ فَأَمَّا الله الْعَظِيمُ الشَّأْنِ الْمَلِكُ الدَّيَّانُ فَلا يَخْلُو مِنْهُ مَكَانٌ وَلا يَشْتَغِلُ بِهِ مَكَانٌ وَلا يَكُونُ إِلَى مَكَانٍ أَقْرَبَ مِنْهُ إِلَى مَكَانٍ.

3. It is narrated from him (the narrator of the above Hadith) from Muhammad ibn abu ‘Abdallah from Muhammad ibn Isma‘il from Dawud ibn ‘Abdallah from ‘Amru ibn Muhammad from ‘Isa ibn Yunus who said: “Ibn abu al-‘Awja' said to abu ‘Abdillah in one of their conversations, ‘You spoke of Allah and referred to an unseen.’” Abu 'Abdillah said, “What you said is not proper. How would He be unseen when He is present with His creatures and is closer to them than their jugular vein? He hears their speeches, sees their persons and knows their secrets.” Ibn abu al-‘Awja then asked, “Is He everywhere? If He is in the heavens, how can He be on earth? And if He is on earth, then how can He be in the heavens?” Abu 'Abdillah said, “You spoke only of a created being that, by changing place, becomes occupied with a place, and another place is vacated from him, so it does not know ,when he is in the place in which he came to be in, what has happened to the place where it used to be. As for Allah, Magnificient of Glory, and the Sovereign Judge, no place is without Him and He does not occupy any place, and He is not nearer to one place than another place.”

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