Hadith 11-16

حَدَّثَنا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ أحْمَد السَنانِي رَضِىَ اللهُ عَنْهُ قالَ: حَدَّثَنا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ أَبي عَبْدِاللَّه الكُوفِيُ عَنْ سهل بن زِياد الأدمي عَنْ عَبْدِ العَظِيمِ بْنِ عَبْدِاللَّه الحَسَنِيِّ رَضِىَ اللهُ عَنْهُ عَنْ إِبْراهيمِ بْنِ أَبي مَحْمُودِ قالَ سَأَلْت أَبَا الحَسَن الرِّضا عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ عَنْ قَوْلَ اللَّه تَعالى‏: «وَتَرَكَهُمْ فِي ظُلُماتٍ لا يُبْصِرُونَ» فَقـالَ: إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَبارَكَ وَتَعـالى‏ لا يوصَـفُ بِالتّرك كَمَـا يوصفُ خلقُهُ وَلكِنَّهُ مَتى‏ عِلْمٌ أَنَّهُمْ لا يرجعونَ عَنْ الكُفْرِ وَالضَّلالِ مَنَعَهُم المُعاوِنَة وَاللّطفَ وَخلّى بَيْنَهُمْ وَبَيْنِ اختيارِهِم قالَ: وَسَأَلْتُهُ عَنْ قَوْلَ اللَّه عَزَّ وَجَلَّ «خَتَمَ اللَّهُ عَلى قُلُوبِهِمْ وَعَلى سَمْعِهِمْ» قالَ الختمُ هُوَالطبعُ عَلَى قُلُوبِ الكفّارِ عقوبةً عَلَى كفرِهِم كَما قالَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ «بَلْ طَبَعَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْها بِكُفْرِهِمْ فَلا يُؤْمِنُونَ إِلَّا قَلِيلاً». قالَ وَسألتُهُ عَن اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ هَلْ يُجبِرُ عِبادَهُ عَلَى المعَاصي فَقالَ بَل يخيِّرُّهم وَيمْهِلُهُم حَتّى‏ يَتُوبُوا قُلْتُ فَهَلْ يُكَلِّفُ عِبادَهُ ما لا يُطيقُونَ فَقالَ: كَيْفَ يَفْعَلُ ذلِكَ وَهُوَيَقُولُ: «وَما رَبُّك َبِظَلَّامٍ لِلْعَبِيدِ» ثُمَّ قالَ‏ عَلَيْهِ السَّلامُ: حَدَّثَني أَبي مُوسَى بْنِ جَعْفَرعَلَيْهِمَا السَّلاَمُ عَنْ أَبيهِ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدعَلَيْهِمَا السَّلاَمُ أَنَّهُ قالَ من زَعمَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ تَعالى‏ يُجبِرُ عِبادَهِ عَلَى المعاصي أَوْ يكلِّفُهُم ما لا يُطيقُونَ فَلا تأكُلُوا ذبيحته وَلا تَقبَلُوا شَهادَتَه وَلاتُصَلُّوا وَراءَه وَلا تُعطُوه مِنَ الزَّكاةِ شَيْئاً.

Muhammad ibn Ahmad al-Sinani - may God be pleased with him - narrated that Muhammad ibn Abi Abdillah al-Kufi quoted on the authority of Sahl ibn Ziyad al-Adami, on the authority of Abdul Azeem ibn Abdullah Al-Hassani -may God be pleased with him- on the authority of Ibrahim ibn Abi Mahmood, “I asked Abul Hassan Al-Ridha’ (a.s.) about the Sublime God’s words, ‘…and left them in utter darkness. So they could not see.’” [23] The Imam (a.s.) said, “Indeed the Blessed the Sublime God cannot be described using such expressions as ‘left’ as His creatures can. But when God knows that they will not quit their atheism and lose, God will deprive them of His Assistance and Favor, and abandon them to do as they please.” I asked the Imam (a.s.) about the Honorable the Exalted God’s words, ‘God hath set a seal on their hearts and on their hearing,…’ [24] The Imam (a.s.) said, “What is meant here by ‘seal’ is what is placed on their hearts as a chastisement for their blasphemy as the Honorable the Exalted God said, ‘Nay, Allah hath set the seal on their hearts for their blasphemy, and little is it they believe.’” [25] I asked him (a.s.) whether the Honorable the Exalted God forces His servants to commit sins? The Imam (a.s.) said, “No. He gives them a choice, but gives them time to repent.” I asked, “Does God oblige His servants to do what they cannot stand to do?” The Imam (a.s.) said, “How could He do that when He Himself has said, ‘…nor is thy Lord ever unjust (in the least) to His servants.’” [26] The Imam (a.s.) then added, “My father Musa ibn Ja’far (a.s.) quoted on the authority of his father Ja’far ibn Muhammad (as-Sadiq) (a.s.) that you should not eat any of the offerings of or accept the testimony of, or pray behind, or give any alms taxes to whoever thinks that God forces His servants to commit sins or obliges them to do what they cannot stand to do.”