The Sufficient (Vol 4) · Hadith 716 (#Ḥadīth #5)

5ـ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ يَحْيَى عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ أَحْمَدَ عَنِ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ عَلِيِّ بْنِ مَرْوَانَ عَنْ عِدَّةٍ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا عَنْ أَبِي حَمْزَةَ الثُّمَالِيِّ قَالَ قُلْتُ لأَبِي جَعْفَرٍ (عَلَيْهِ السَّلاَم) فِي الْمَسْجِدِ الْحَرَامِ لأَيِّ شَيْءٍ سَمَّاهُ الله الْعَتِيقَ فَقَالَ إِنَّهُ لَيْسَ مِنْ بَيْتٍ وَضَعَهُ الله عَلَى وَجْهِ الأَرْضِ إِلاَّ لَهُ رَبٌّ وَسُكَّانٌ يَسْكُنُونَهُ غَيْرَ هَذَا الْبَيْتِ فَإِنَّهُ لا رَبَّ لَهُ إِلاَّ الله عَزَّ وَجَلَّ وَهُوَ الْحُرُّ ثُمَّ قَالَ إِنَّ الله عَزَّ وَجَلَّ خَلَقَهُ قَبْلَ الأَرْضِ ثُمَّ خَلَقَ الأَرْضَ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ فَدَحَاهَا مِنْ تَحْتِهِ.

5. Muhammad ibn Yahya has narrated from Muhammad ibn Ahmad from al-Husayn ibn Ali ibn Marwan from a number of our people from abu Hamzah al-Thumaliy who has said the following: “I once in the sacred Masjid asked abu Ja‘far , ‘For what reason has Allah named it al-‘Atiq (freed)?’ He (the Imam) replied, ‘Every house that Allah has established on earth has a master and inhabitants who live there, except this House which has no master except Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Glorious. This is free.’ He then said, ‘Allah, the Most Majestic, the Most Glorious, created it before the earth, then He created the earth and extended it from underneath the House.’”

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