7-10 9 حدثنا أحمد بن الحسن القطان قال: حدثنا أحمد بن زكريا القطان قال: حدثنا بكربن عبد الله بن حبيب، عن تميم بن بهلول، عن نصر بن مزاحم المنقري عن عمر بن سعد عن أبي مخنف لوط بن يحيى، عن أبي منصور، عن زيد بن وهبقال: سئل أمير المؤمنين عليه السلام عن قدرة الله عز وجل جلت عظمته، فقام خطيبا فحمد الله وأثنى عليه، ثم قال: إن لله تبارك وتعالى ملائكة لو أن ملكا منهم هبط إلى الارض ماوسعته لعظم خلقه وكثرة أجنحته، ومنهم من لو كلفت الجن والانس على أن يصفوه ماوصفوه لبعد مابين مفاصله وحسن تركيب صورته، وكيف يوصف من ملائكته من سبع مائة عام ما بين منكبيه وشحمة اذنيه، منهم من يسد الافق بجناح من أجنحته دون عظم بدنه، ومنهم من السماوات إلى حجزته، ومنهم من قدمه على غير قرار في جو الهواء الاسفل والارضون إلى ركبتيه، ومنهم من لوالقي في نقرة إبهامه جميع المياه لوسعتها، ومنهم من لو القيت السفن في دموع عينيه لجرت دهر الداهرين فتبارك الله أحسن الخالقينوسئل عليه السلام عن الحجب فقال عليه السلام: الحجب سبعة، غلظ كل حجاب [منها] مسيرة خمسمائة عام، وبين كل حجابين مسيرة خمسمائة عام، والحجاب الثاني سبعون حجابا، بين كل حجابين مسيرة خمسمائة عام وطوله خمسمائة عام، حجبة كل حجاب منها سبعون ألف ملك، قوة كل ملك منهم قوة الثقلين، منها ظلمة ومنها نور ومنها نار ومنهادخان ومنها سحاب ومنهابرق ومنهامطر ومنها رعد ومنها ضوء ومنها رمل ومنها جبل ومنها عجاج ومنها ماء ومنها أنهار وهي حجب مختلقة، غلظ كل حجاب مسيرة سبعين ألف عام، ثم سرادقات الجلال وهي ستون سرادقا، وفي كل سرادق سبعون ألف ملك، بين كل سرادق وسرادق مسيرة خمسمائة عام، ثم سرادق العز، ثم سرادق الكبريا، ثم سرادق العظمة، ثم سرادق القدس، ثم سرادق الجبروت، ثم سرادق الفخر، ثم [سرادق] النور الابيض، ثم سرادق الوحدانية، وهو مسيرة سبعين ألف عام في سبعين ألف عام، ثم الحجاب الاعلىوانقضى كلامه عليه السلام وسكتفقال له عمر: لابقيت اليوم لا أراك فيه يا أبا الحسنقال مصنف هذا الكتاب رضي الله عنه: ليست هذه الحجب مضروبة على الله عزو جل، تعالى الله عن ذلك لانه لا يوصف بمكان ولكنها مضروبة على العظمة العليا من خلقه التي لا يقادر قدرها غيره تبارك وتعالى

7-109 Ahmad ibn al-Hassan al-Qat’tan narrated that Ahmad ibn Zakariya al-Qat’tan quoted Bakr ibn Abdullah ibn Habib, on the authority of Tamim ibn Buhlool, on the authority of Nasr ibn Mozahim al-Menqari, on the authority of Umar ibn Sa’ed, on the authority of Abi Mikhnaf Lot ibn Yahya, on the authority of Abi Monsoor, on the authority of Zayd ibn Wahab,“They asked the Commander of the Faithful Imam Ali (MGB) about the power of the Honorable the Exalted God - may His Majesty be Exalted. Then he stood up and delivered a sermon. He praised God, expressed God’s glorifications and said, ‘The Blessed the Sublime God has many angles. Some of them are so big that if any of them comes down to Earth, the Earth cannot house them in it due to their extensive size and great amount of feathers and large wings. Some of the angels are so stout and handsome that if all the genies and men cooperate with each other, they cannot describe them. Some of the angles are so big that it would take seven-hundred years to travel the distance between their two shoulders or the distance between their two earlobes. Some of the angels are so large that they can block off the whole horizon with just one of their wings, and their body is very large in size. Some of the angels are so tall that when they stand up the heavens are below their belly buttons. Some of them are such that they can step on no support on the inner layers of the Earth and all of the Earth is only as high as their knee. Some of them are so large that just the back of their large nail can house all the waters in the oceans of the Earth. Some of the angels are so large that they can house as many ships as there ever will be in their eyes and they can sail there forever. Blessed be the Best of the Creators.” Then he (MGB) was asked about the veils. He (MGB) said, “There are seven types of veils. The thickness of each veil is the distance of a five-hundred year journey, and the distance from one veil to the next is five-hundred years. The second veil includes seventy-thousand veils with the distance from one veil to the next is five-hundred years, and the thickness of each veil is the distance of a five-hundred year journey. There are seventy-thousand angels as the gate-keepers for each veil each as powerful as all the genies and the men. Some of the veils are darkness, some are light. Some of the veils are fire, some are smoke. Some of the veils are clouds, some are lightening. Some of the veils are thunder, some are illumination. Some of the veils are pebbles, some are hills. Some of the veils are dust. Some of the veils are water and some are creeks. They are a variety of veils the thickness of each is the distance of a seventy-thousand year journey.Then there are the pavilions of majesty which are sixty in number. There are seventy-thousand angels in each pavilion. The distance between each pavilion is the distance of a five-hundred year journey. Then there is the pavilion of glory. Then there is the pavilion of grandeur. Then there is the pavilion of magnificence. Then there is the pavilion of holiness. Then there is the pavilion of almightiness. Then there is the pavilion of pride. Then there is the pavilion of white light. Then there is the pavilion of Unity which is as large as a square each side of which measures the distance of a seventy-thousand journey. Then there is the Imperial Veil.”Then, Ali (MGB) ended his speech and stopped talking. Umar said, “O Abal-Hassan! I could not survive even for one day without you.”The compiler of the book - may God be pleased with him - said, “These veils are not covering up the Honorable the Exalted God since the Sublime God cannot be said to be confined in a place. However, they are placed upon the great world which He has created and no one but the Blessed the Sublime God knows its size.”

Al-Khiṣāl

Chapter #56