عَجزُ العُقولِ عَن مَعرِفَةِ كُنهِهِ The Intellects’ Incapacity to Fathom His Essence

29ـ الإمامُ عليٌ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): فلَسنا نَعلَمُ كُنهَ عَظَمَتِكَ، إلّا أنّا نَعلَمُ أنَّكَ حَيٌّ قَيّومٌ ، لا تَأخُذُكَ سِنَةٌ ولا نَومٌ ، لَم يَنتَهِ إلَيكَ نَظَرٌ ، ولَم يُدرِكْكَ بَصَرٌ .

29– Imam Ali (AS) said, ‘We do not know the essence of Your greatness. All that we do know is that You are Ever-Living and Self-Subsisting through Whom all things subsist. Drowsiness and sleep do not overtake You, vision does not reach You and sight cannot perceive You.’[Nahj al-Balagha, Sermon 160]
 

30ـ الإمامُ الصّادقُ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) ـ في صِفَةِ المَلائكَةِ ـ: وإنَّهُم عَلى مَكانِهِم مِنكَ ، ومَنزِلَتِهِم عِندَكَ، واستِجماعِ أهوائهِم فيكَ ، وكَثرَةِ طاعَتِهِم لَكَ ، وقِلَّةِ غَفلَتِهِم عَن أمرِكَ ، لَو عايَنوا كُنهَ ما خَفِيَ عَلَيهِم مِنكَ لَحَقَّروا أعمالَهُم ، ولَزَرَوا عَلى أنفُسِهِم ، ولَعَرَفوا أ نَّهُم لَم يَعبُدوكَ حَقَّ عِبادَتِكَ ، ولَم يُطيعوكَ حَقَّ طاعَتِكَ .

30– Imam Ali (AS) said in his description of the angels, ‘They are in their own places [distinct] from You, [and yet] their positions are near You. Their desires are all concentrated on You, their worship for You is abundant, and their neglect of Your command is little. If they were to witness the essence of what is hidden about You from them, they would regard their deeds insignificant, they would reproach themselves and would realize that they have not worshipped You as You deserve to be worshipped, and have not obeyed You as You deserve to be obeyed.’[Nahj al-Balagha, Sermon 109]
 

31ـ الإمام زينُ العابدينَ (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) ـ في الدّعاءِ ـ: عَجَزَتِ العُقولُ عَن إدراكِ كُنهِ جَمالِكَ ، وانحَسَرَتِ الأبصارُ دونَ‏النَّظَرِ إلى سُبُحاتِ وَجهِكَ، ولَم تَجعَلْ لِلخَلقِ طَريقا إلى مَعرِفَتِكَ إلّا بِالعَجزِ عَن مَعرِفَتِكَ .

31– Imam Zayn al-Abidin (AS) said in one of his supplications, ‘The intellects are incapable of fathoming the essence of Your Beauty, the sights are restricted to looking at other than the splendour of Your Countenance, and You have not set aside any means for Your creation to get to know You except through their complete incapacity of knowing You.’[Bihar al-Anwar, v. 94, p. 150, no. 21]
 

32ـ الإمامُ الرِّضا (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ): كُنهُهُ تَفريقٌ بَينَهُ وبَينَ خَلقِهِ.

32– Imam al-Rida (AS) said, ‘His essence is a partition between Himself and His creation.’[al-Tawhid, p. 36, no. 2]
 

33ـ الإمامُ الرِّضا (عَلَيهِ الّسَلامُ) ـ في صِفَةِ اللّه‏ِ سُبحانَهُ ـ: هُوَ أجَلُّ مِن أن يُدرِكَهُ بَصَرٌ ، أو يُحيطَ بِه وَهمٌ ، أو يَضبِطَهُ عَقلٌ.

33– Imam al-Rida (AS) said in his description of Allah, Glory be to Him, ‘He is too exalted for sight to be able to perceive Him, for imagination to be able to fathom Him, and for the intellect to be able to grasp Him.’[al-Tawhid, p. 252, no. 3]