The Debates Of Imam al-Sadiq (AS)

Abo Abd Allah (al-Sadiq), peace be on him, had many Strong proofs with which he revealed the truth and refuted the proofs of others. We will tell you something about them, for they are a part of his scientific life full of lessons and sermons which the Muslim must study.

His Debates on Oneness of Allah al-Tawhid

We have already mentioned something of the speech of al-Sadiq, peace be on him, on Oneness of Allah. Among his speech were some debates. Here, we will mention additional debates.

Some of these debates have been reported on the authority of Hisham b. al-Hakam, who said: "There was an unbeliever in Egypt. The unbeliever heard something of Abo Abd Allah (al-Sadiq), peace be on him.

He went to Medina to debate with Abo Abd Allah, but he did not find him there. It was said to him: 'He (Abo Abd Allah) has been in Mecca.' So, he went to Mecca. We (Hisham b. al-Hakam) were with Abo Abd Allah (al-Sadiq), peace be on him. White we were performing the procession around the Kaaba, he (the unbeliever) met us by chance. His name was Abd al-Malik. His kunya was Abo Abd Allah.

His shoulder hit the shoulder of Abo Abd Allah (al-Sadiq), peace be on him. So, he (al-Sadiq) said to him: 'What is your name?' 'Abd al-Malik', answered the unbeliever." 'What is your kunya?' asked al-Sadiq. 'Abo Abd Allah,' answered the unbeliever. So, Abo Abd Allah (al-Sadiq), peace be on him, said: 'Who is this king (Malik) whose servant is you? Is he among the kings of the earth or among the kings of the heavens? Then tell me About your son, is he the servant of the God of the heavens or the servant of the god of the earth? Say whatever you like.'

Then al-Sadiq said to the unbeliever: 'When I have finished the process ion around the Kaaba, come to me.' When Abo Abd Allah (al-Sadiq), peace be on him, finished that, the unbeliever came and sat before Abo Abd Allah (al-Sadiq), peace be on him. We (Hisham and His Companions) were sitting in the presence of al-Sadiq.

Then, Abo Abd Allah (al-Sadiq) said to the unbeliever: 'Do you know that the earth has upper part and tower part?' 'Yes,' said the unbeliever.' 'Have you come in its lower part?' asked al-Sadiq. 'No,' answered the unbeliever. 'Do you know that there is something in its lower part?' asked al-Sadiq. The unbeliever answered: 'I do not know. However, I think that there is nothing in its lower part.' Abo Abd Allah (al-Sadiq), peace be on him, said: 'Mere thinking is feebleness. Why aren't you certain?' Then, Abo Abd Allah (al-Sadiq), peace be on him, said: 'Have you ascended to the sky?' 'No,' answered the unbeliever. Al-Sadiq ask: 'Do you know that it has something or not?' 'No,' answered the unbeliever. So, al-Sadiq said: 'How wonderful! You have not reached the east nor the west, you have not descended to the tower part of the earth nor have you ascended into the sky, nor have you gone any further to know what is beyond them. However, you have denied what they have, then does the wise man deny what he does not know?' The unbeliever said to al-Sadiq: 'No one has told me About that except you.'

Then, Abo Abd Allah (al-Sadiq), peace be on him, said to the unbeliever: 'Then you have doubt About that (the Creator). Perhaps, He is existent, and perhaps He is nonexistent.' The unbeliever person said: 'Maybe.' So, Abo Abd Allah (al-Sadiq), peace be on him, said: 'The person who does not know has no proof over him who knows.

The ignorant person has no proof. Brother of the people of Egypt, understand my words: We never doubt Allah. Do you not know that the sun and moon, day and night come successively, while they do no mistake, nor do they come back? They have been forced to do that. They have no place except their palaces. If they were able to leave their places, then why do they come back? Besides the one who has forced them to do that is wiser and greater than them.' So, the unbeliever said: 'You are right.'

Then Abo Abd Allah (al-Sadiq), peace be on him, said: 'Brother of the people of Egypt, you think that the time forces them (the sun and the moon, day and night) to come successively, then why does the time not force them to come back? And if the time was able to force them to come back, why does it not take them away? Brother of the people of Egypt, if they are forced (to do that), why is the sky raised? Why is the earth set? Why does the sky do not slope down the earth? Why does the earth do not slope down its layers? Why do the sky and the earth do not stick together? Why does what's on the earth not stick together?' The unbeliever aversion said: 'Their Lord and Master has prevented them (the sky and the earth) from sticking together.'

He (Hisham b. al-Hakam) said: 'So, the unbeliever believed in Allah with the help of Abo Abd Allah (al-Sadiq), peace be on him.' "Then, Hamran b. A'yun said: "May I be ransom for you, the unbelievers believed in Allah with the help of your father, too." Then the unbeliever who believed in Allah with the help of Abo Abd Allah (al-Sadiq), peace be on him, said to al-Sadiq: "Make me among your students." So, Abo Abd Allah (al-Sadiq), peace be on him, said: "Hisham, the teacher of the people of Sham (Syria) and Egypt, teach him belief." So, the inner self of the unbeliever became good. Then Abo Abd Allah (al-Sadiq), peace be on him, was satisfied with him.

Another unbeliever came to al-Sadiq and asked him About something. The following are some extracts of them. The unbeliever asked him: "How do the creatures worship Allah, while they do not see Him?" Abo Abd Allah, peace be on him, said: "The hearts have seen Him through the light of belief. Reason has proven him through its attention as the faculty of sight. The eyes have seen Him through His good form Alion and firm regulation. Then (people have known Allah) through the apostles and their proofs, the Books and their clear verses. And the scholars have limited themselves to what they have seen of His Greatness without seeing Him." The unbeliever said: "Is He not able to manifest Himself to people to know Him and to worship Him with conviction?" He (al-Sadiq), peace be on him, said: "There is no answer to the impossible things."

I (the author) say: The vision is proven for bodies. As Allah is not body, then seeing I-Jim is impossible. The impossible thing cannot be achieved not because there is a defect in power but because of the defect in the impossible things.

Then, the unbeliever said: "How do you prove (the position of) the prophets and the Divine messengers?" He (al-Sadiq), peace be on him, answered: "As we have proven that there is One Creator for us, Who is far Above us, and also far Above all that has been created. And that He is All-wise, Most High, and the One who cannot possible be seen or sensed by His creatures so that there could be any direct relation between Him and His creatures or His creatures and Him, and so that He could argue with His creatures (to convince them) and His creatures could argue with Him (in their turn).

It is (therefore) proved that there are envoys (mab'flthTn) to establish a relation between Him and His creatures to explain His purpose to His creatures and servants and to guide them towards what is good and profitable for them, and also towards that which preserves their existence and which, avhen it is abandoned, brings annihilation. Thus it has been proven that there are those among His creatures who command and forbid on behalf of (Allah), the All- knowing, the All- Wise, and who speak on behalf of Him, to whom belong Might and Majesty.

They are the prophets, the selected among His creatures, the wise who teach wisdom, and who are sent with wisdom (for His creatures). Although they have their form in common with (other) creatures, their states they don't share with them. They have been aided with wise proofs, such as giving life to the dead, healing the blind and the leprous, by (Allah) the All- Wise, the All-Knowing."

Then, the unbeliever said: "From which thing has He (Allah) created the things?" He (al-Sadiq), peace be on him, said: "From nothing." He (the unbeliever) said: "How is the thing created from nothing?" He (al-Sadiq) said: "Either the things have been created from a thing or from nothing. If the things were created from a thing, then the thing would be eternal, and the eternal (thing) would not be originated or changed. Besides that thing would be one essence and one color, then from where have these different colors and many essences come in this world? From where has death come if the thing from which the things have been created is living? And from where has life come if that thing is dead?"

I (the author) say: Although this matter is very difficult, the Imam has clearly explained it according to logical reasons.

Then the unbeliever said: "From where have they (people) believed that the things are eternal?" He (al-Sadiq), peace be on him, said: "This is the thought of the people who denied the Creator of the things, accused the messengers and their thoughts of lying. They (people) called the Books of the prophets fables.

They put religion for themselves according to their ideas and approval, while the things indicate their creation, such as the rotation of the orbit and what it has; they are seven orbits, the movement of the earth and what is on it, the change of time...."

Al-Sadiq, peace be on him, had many debates with b. Abo al-'Awja'. One of them is as follows:

One day, b. Abo al-'Awja' and b. al-Muqaffa' were in al-Masjid al-Haram (the Holy Mosque in Mecca). Bin al-Muqaffa' said: "Look at those people, who are performing the procession around the Kaaba. No one of them is worthy of the name of humanity except that Shaykh (he meant Abo Abd Allah Ja'far al-Sadiq, peace be on him) the rest are mere rabble and beasts.

Bin Abo al-'Awja' asked him: "Why have you excluded that Shaykh?" Ibin al-Muqaffa' answered: "Because he has outstanding qualities of which none has." "I must test your words," bin Abo al-'Awja' answered. Bin al-Muqaffa' said to him: "Do not do that, for I am afraid that he will abrogate your beliefs." "This is not your purpose.

However, you are afraid that your opinion will be weak with me when I discover something contrary to his rank which you have described to me." Bin a!-Muqaffa' said: "Do not worry! Go and test him. Beware of giving free rein to your ideas so as not to overcome you." Ibin Abo al-a'Awja' went to al-Sadiq. Then he came back and said: "Bin al-Muqaffa', woe unto you! This is not a human being." "What has happened to you?" asked b. al-Muqaffa'.

Bin Abo al-'Awja' answered: "I attended his meeting. When there was no one there, he said to me: 'If the matter is according to what those believe, and it is according to their belief, then they will be saved, while you wilt be ruined. And if the matter is according to what you believe, and it is not according to your belief, then you and they are equal.' I (Bin Abo al-'Awja') said: "May Allah have mercy upon you, what is the difference between their belief and ours? Their belief and ours is the same." Al-Sadiq said: "How can your belief and theirs be the same? They believe in Resurrection, the reward, the punishment. They believe that the sky has God, and it is inhabited, while you claim that the sky is destruction and has no one."

He (Bin Abo al-'Awja') said: "So, I seized the opportunity and said to him: 'If the matter is according to their belief, then what has prevented Him (Allah) from manifesting Himself to His creature to summon them to worship Him a as no two persons are disagreed on Him? Why has he hidden Himself from them and sent the messengers to them? If He manifested Himself, people would believe in Him easily.' "Al-Sadiq said to me: "Woe unto you! He Who has shown you His power in your setfa how has He hidden Himself from you? He has created you while you were nothing, made you grow up while you were a child, made you strong while you were weak.

Now, think of your illness after your health, your health after your illness, your pleasure after your anger, your anger after your pleasure, your sorrow after your happiness, your happiness after your sorrow, your love after your hatred, your hatred after your love.... He (al-Sadiq) went on mentioning Allah's favors which are in myself and which I cannot deny. So, I thought that He (Allah) would appear between him (al-Sadiq) and me."¹

Abo Shakir al-Daysany, an Arab unbeliever, sometimes debated with al-Sadiq, peace be on him, and sometimes with Hisham b. al-Hakam. However, Hisham went to al-Sadiq, peace be on him, when al-Daysany asked him a certain question. One day, al-Daysany said to Hisham: "There is a verse in the Quran, which is our saying, (that there are two gods)." Hisham said: "What is it (the verse)?" al-Daysany answered: "And it is He Who in heaven is God and in earth is God.² Hisham said: "I did not know how to answer him.

So, I went to perform the hajj and I told Abo Abd Allah, peace be on him, About the question." al-Sadiq said: "These are the words of an unbeliever. When you come back, ask him: What is your name in Kufa? Surely, he will say by such and such name. Then ask him: 'What is your name in Basrah?' Surely he wilt reply by such and such name. Then you tell him: 'Such is our Lord, Allah, Who in heavens is God, in earth is God, in seas is God, in deserts is God. Thus, He is God at every place.'" Hisham said: "I came back to Kufa and went to Abo Shakir and gave him the reply." So, he said: "These words have been brought from Hijaz."³

The Outstanding Merit of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and his family:

Abo Klians al-Kufi said: "I attended the meeting of al-Sadiq, peace be on him, and a group of the Christians was in his presence. They (the Christians) said: 'The outstanding merit of Mussa, 'Issa, and Mohammed is the same, for they, peace be on them, are the Owners of the Laws and the Books.' al-Sadiq, peace be on him, said: 'Mohammed is the best and the most knowledgeable of them, peace be on them. Allah, the Blessed and Exalted, has granted him knowledge of which He has granted none.' They (the Christians) said: 'Has any verse of the Quran been revealed in this respect?' al-Sadiq, peace be on him, said: 'Yes.' These verse of Allah, the Exalted: 'And We ordained for him in the tablets admonition of every kind." His words to 'Issa: 'And that I may make clear to you part of what you differ in.'

Allah, the Exalted, said to Mohammed, may Allah bless him and his family: 'And We wilt bring you as a witness against these- and We have revealed the Book to you explaining clearly everything.' 'So, that He may know that they have truly delivered the messages of their Lord, and He encompasses what is with them, and He records the number of all things.' Then, by Allah, he (Mohammed) is the most knowledgeable of them. If Mussa? and 'Issa attended in my presence and asked me, I would answer them, and I asked them, they would not answer."'

I (the author) say: As the Commander of the Faithful (Imam 'Ali) is the gate of the knowledge of the Prophet, and his sons has inherited his knowledge, then they (his sons) are the most knowledgeable of all men, the Prophets and the like.

1- A1- Kafi, al- Tawhid.
2- a1- Zukhruf, 84.
3- al-KHt'i, Chapter on Movement and Mobility.