Hadith 11-6

حَدَّثَنا أَبي‏ رَضِىَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قالَ: حَدَّثَنا سَعْدِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ قالَ: حَدَّثَنا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الحُسَيْنِ بنِ أَبي الخَطَّابِ، عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ أَبي نَصْرٍ قالَ: جاءَ قَوْمٌ مِن وَراءَ النَّهرِ إِلى أَبي الحَسَنِ الرِّضا عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ، فَقالُوا لَهُ: جِئناكَ نَسأَلُكَ عَنْ ثَلاثَ مَسائِلَ، فَإِنَّ أَجَبتَنا فِيها عَلِمنا أَنَّكَ عالِمٌ، فَقالَ: سَلُوا، فَقالُوا أَخبِرنا عَنِ اللَّه تَعالى‏ أَيْنَ كانَ، وَكَيْفَ كانَ؟ وَعَلَى أيِّ شَي‏ءٍ كانَ اِعتِمادُهُ؟ فَقالَ‏ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ: إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَعالى‏ كَيْفَ الكَيفَ فَهُوَبِلا كَيْفٍ، وَأَيَّنَ الأَينَ فَهُوَبِلا أَيْنٍ، وَكانَ اعتِمادُهُ عَلَى قُدْرَتِهِ، فَقالُوا: نَشْهَدُ أَنَّكَ عالِمٌ. قالَ مُصَنِّفُ هذا الْكِتابِ: يَعْنِي بِقَوْلِه وَكانَ اعتِمادُهُ عَلَى قُدْرَتِهِ أي عَلَى ذاتِهِ، لأَنَّ القُدرَةَ مِن صِفاتِ ذاتِ اللَّهِ تَعالى‏.

(The author of the book narrated) my father - may God be pleased with him - narrated that Sa’d ibn Abdullah quoted on the authority of Muhammad ibn Al-Husayn Abil Khattab, on the authority of Ahmad ibn Muhammad ibn Abi Nasr, “Some people from across the river came to see Abil Hassan Al-Ridha’ (a.s.) and said, ‘We have come to ask you three questions. If you give us the answer to all three questions, then we will know that you are a scientist.’ The Imam (a.s.) said, ‘Go ahead and ask.’ They said, ‘Let us know where the Sublime God is? How is He? What does He rely on?’ The Imam (a.s.) replied, ‘The Sublime God has created the quality of how to be Himself. Therefore, He Himself has no quality of being, and this question does not apply to Him. He has created positions. Thus He is not in need of a place to be. He relies on His Might.’ They said, ‘We testify that you are a scientist.’” The author of this book (a.s.heikh Sadooq) said, “When the Imam (a.s.) said that God relies on His Might, he (a.s.) meant that God relies on Himself since Might is a part of God.”