Hadith 29

(The books) ‘Al Uyoon’, and ‘Al Tawheed’ – By the preceding chains, from Al-Hassan Bin Muhammad Al Nowfaly, ‘In a lengthy Hadeeth mentioning in it the debate of Al-Reza-asws with Suleyman Al-Marouzy. Suleyman said, ‘So He-azwj did not cease to be wanting’. He-asws said: ‘O Suleyman! So, His-azwj Will is something else? ’ He said, ‘Yes’. He-asws said: ‘Prove there is something with Him-azwj other than Him-azwj, (which) did not cease to be’. Suleyman said, ‘It cannot be proved’. He-asws said: ‘It is an occurrence, O Suleyman! The thing, when it does not happen to be eternal, would be an occurrence, and when it does not happen to be an occurrence, it would be eternal’. And the debate flowed until he-asws said: ‘Will you inform me-asws about the Will, is it a deed or not a deed? ’ He said, ‘But, it is a deed’. He-asws said: ‘Then it is an occurrence, because the deed, all of it is an occurrence’. He said, ‘It isn’t a deed’. He-asws said: ‘Then with Him-azwj would be something else, not ceasing to be’. Suleyman said: ‘It is a (thing) made’. He-asws said: ‘So it is an occurrence’. And he-asws continued the speech until he (the narrator) said, ‘Suleyman said, ‘But rather, I meant it is a deed from Allah-azwj, not moving’. He-asws said: ‘Don’t you know that what did not move cannot have been done, and ancient and new would be in one state? ’ He did not respond an answer. Then he-asws repeated the speech until he-asws said: ‘What did not move, cannot happen to have been done’. Suleyman said, ‘The things are not a Will, and He-azwj did not Want anything’. He-asws said: ‘You are hesitating, O Suleyman! So, He-azwj is Doing and Creating what He-azwj does not Want its creation and its being done, and this is a description of what He-azwj does not know, What the Exalted Allah-azwj Does about that’. Then he-asws reiterated the speech until he-asws said: ‘So the Will is an occurrence, or else there would be something else with Him-azwj (in the eternality)’’. [31]