Notes

214–2. A group of our associates (–) Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn
Khālid (–) Muhammad ibn ‘Alī (–) ‘Abd ar-Rahmān ibn Muhammad ibn
Abī Hāshim (–) Ahmad ibn Muhsin al-Mithamī as saying:
"I was in the company of Abī Mansur al-Mutatabbib (physician),
when he said: 'One of my associates related to me saying, 'I and Ibn Abi
'1-‘Awjā’ (‘Abd al-Karīm ibn Abi 'l-'Awjā’ was one of the well-known
* * * * *
atheists at the time of al-Imām Ja‘far as-Sādiq [p.b.u.h.] and the student
of al-Hasan al-Basri, but he deviated from the Unity of Allāh, and it is
said that he was killed during the reign of al-Mansūr [95/714 – 158/775] ,
the ‘Abbāsid Caliph for this very reason) and ‘Abdullāh ibn al-Muqaffa‘
( [106/724 – 142/759] the famous writer and translater of books of Logic
and Philosophy into Arabic who was accused of atheism and killed) were
in the sacred mosque (of Mecca), when Ibn al-Muqaffa‘, pointing with his
hand to the place where people were circumambulating (the Ka‘bah – the
House of Allāh) said, 'Do you see the large number of people? On none
of them can the lable of "human being" be attached, except on the man
sitting over there, that is, Abū ‘Abdillāh Ja‘far ibn Muhammad (peace be
upon him). The rest of the people are mere riff-raff and just animals.' Ibn
Abi’ l-‘Awjā’ inquired, 'On what grounds have you termed this man as the
only human being, ignoring all the others?' Ibn al-Muqaffa‘ replied, 'It
is because I have seen in him something which I have not seen in those
people.' Ibn Abi 'l-‘Awjā’ addressed Ibn al-Muqaffa‘ and said, 'It is now
essential that what you have said about that person should be put to the
test.' (The narrator) said Ibn al-Muqaffa‘ addressed (Ibn Abi 'l-‘Awjā’)
saying, 'Do not do it. I fear that in doing so you may lose what you have
already got in your hands.' Ibn Abi 'l-‘Awjā’ replied, 'This is not truly what
you have in your mind. You really fear that your high opinion about that
person and the high esteem in which you hold him, will topple down before
* * * *
me.' Ibn al-Muqaffa‘ replied, 'If you accuse me of this (fear) then stand up
and go to him and guard yourself as much as you can against committing
errors. Do not let the reins slip out of your hands in speaking freely, lest
you be tied up in knots. Point out what is with you and what is not with you
(i.e., what you agree with and what you do not agree with). The narrator
says, 'Ibn Abi 'l-‘Awjā’ stood up (to go to the Imām) while I and Ibn alMuqaffa‘
remained sitting. When Ibn Abi 'l-‘Awjā’ returned to us, he started
speaking, 'Woe unto you O´ Ibn al-Muqaffa‘, the person is no human. If
there is, in this world, an angelic spirit who can appear in corporate form
whenever he wishes and return to his spiritual form whenever he wishes,
that one must be this same noble spirit.' Ibn al-Muqaffa‘ asked, 'How is
that?' In reply he said, 'I took my seat before him. When everyone had left
except myself, he (the Imām) started speaking without my asking anything).
'If the truth were as these people circumambulating the Ka‘bah (Muslim
believers) say, and (in fact) it is as they say, then eternal peace is on their
side, while you people (the atheists) are casualties. But if the truth were
as you say though it is certainly not as you say, then you and they are
on the same level as each other.' I replied to him (the Imām), 'May Allāh
have mercy on you, what is it that we say and what is it that they say? My
saying and their saying is but one.' Thereupon the Imām said, 'How can
your words and their words be one and the same? Since they say, they have
* * * * *
to return (to the life hereafter) and for them is the divine reward (for their
good deeds) and punishment (for their bad deeds). And they have their
belief in religion which says that there is Allāh in the heaven and there are
inhabitants in it. On the other hand, you (atheists) think that the heaven is
desolate and there is none in it.' Ibn Abi 'l-‘Awjā’ says, 'I took this as an
opportunity and remarked, 'If the truth is what these people (believers)
say (that there is Allāh) then what prevents Him (Allāh) from making an
appearance before the people and from inviting them (directly) to worship
Him? Had this been done, then not even two persons would have been there
to disagree on this very issue. Why did He remained hidden from the people
and send His messengers to them? If He Himself carried out (His mission)
it would have been extremely effective in ensuring the people's belief in
Him.' He (the Imām) replied me, 'Woe unto you, how does He remain
hidden from you when He has Himself demonstrated His power in your
own person: bringing you into being when you did not exist, then raising
you from childhood to old age, making you strong after your weakness,
rendering you weak after your strength, make you sick after your health,
giving you health after your sickness, making you happy after making
you angry, making you angry after making you happy, grieving you after
delighting you, delighting you after grieving you, giving you love after
their hostility, giving you hostility after their love, giving you determination
* * * * *

after deliberation, giving you deliberation after the determination, giving
you appetite after satiation and surfeit after your appetite, giving you
longing after your disgust and disgust after longing, making you hopeful
after frustration and frustrated after your hopefulness. He puts into your
mind what you cannot even dream of, and effaces what is firmly embedded
in your mind.' Then the Imām continued enumerating the powers of Allāh
which are manifest in my being and which I could not deny until I felt I had
been over.whelmed in the debate held between us.'"