Features, Characteristics
التَّوْحِيدُ، وَ الْخِصَالُ، عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ الْحَسَنِ الْقَطَّانِ عَنْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ يَحْيَى بْنِ زَكَرِيَّا عَنْ بَكْرِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ حَبِيبٍ عَنْ تَمِيمِ بْنِ بُهْلُولٍ عَنْ نَصْرِ بْنِ مُزَاحِمٍ الْمِنْقَرِيِّ عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ سَعْدٍ عَنْ أَبِي مِخْنَفٍ لُوطِ بْنِ يَحْيَى عَنْ أَبِي مَنْصُورٍ عَنْ زَيْدِ بْنِ وَهْبٍ قَالَ: سُئِلَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ع عَنْ قُدْرَةِ اللَّهِ جَلَّتْ عَظَمَتُهُ فَقَامَ خَطِيباً فَحَمِدَ اللَّهَ وَ أَثْنَى عَلَيْهِ ثُمَّ قَالَ إِنَّ لِلَّهِ تَبَارَكَ وَ تَعَالَى مَلَائِكَةً لَوْ أَنَّ مَلَكاً مِنْهُمْ هَبَطَ إِلَى الْأَرْضِ مَا وَسِعَتْهُ لِعِظَمِ خَلْقِهِ وَ كَثْرَةِ أَجْنِحَتِهِ
(The books) ‘Al Tawheed’, and ‘Al Khisaal’ – From Ahmad Bin Al Hassan Al Qattan, from Muhammad Bin Yahya Bin Zakariyya, from Bakr Bin Abdullah Bin Habeeb, from Tameem Bin Bahloud, from Nasr Bin Muzahim Al Minqary, from Amro Bin Sa’ad, from Abu Mikhnaf Lut Bin Yahya, from Abu Mansour, from Zayd Bin Wahab who said,
Amir Al-Momineen-asws was asked about the Power of Allah-azwj, Majestic is His-azwj Magnificent. He-asws stood up to address. He-asws praised Allah-azwj and extolled upon Him-azwj, the said: ‘There are such Angels for Allah-azwj Blessed and Exalted, if an Angel from them were to descend to the earth, it would not be capacious enough for him due to the largeness of his body and the large number of his wings.
وَ مِنْهُمْ مَنْ لَوْ كُلِّفَتِ الْجِنُّ وَ الْإِنْسُ أَنْ يَصِفُوهُ مَا وَصَفُوهُ لِبُعْدِ مَا بَيْنَ مَفَاصِلِهِ وَ حُسْنِ تَرْكِيبِ صُورَتِهِ وَ كَيْفَ يُوصَفُ مِنْ مَلَائِكَتِهِ مَنْ سَبْعُمِائَةِ عَامٍ مَا بَيْنَ مَنْكِبَيْهِ وَ شَحْمَةِ أُذُنِهِ
And from them is one, if the Jinn and the humans were to be tasked with describing him, they would not be able to describe him due to the distance of what is between his joints, and ‘حُسْنِ تَرْكِيبِ صُورَتِهِ ’ excellence of the features of his image. And how can he from the Angels be described, one having seven hundred years (of travel distance) what is between his shoulder and his ear lobe?
وَ مِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَسُدُّ الْأُفُقَ بِجَنَاحٍ مِنْ أَجْنِحَتِهِ دُونَ عِظَمِ يَدَيْهِ وَ مِنْهُمْ مَنِ السَّمَاوَاتُ إِلَى حُجْزَتِهِ وَ مِنْهُمْ مَنْ قَدَمُهُ عَلَى غَيْرِ قَرَارٍ فِي جَوِّ الْهَوَاءِ الْأَسْفَلِ وَ الْأَرَضُونَ إِلَى رُكْبَتَيْهِ
And from them is one who blocks out the surroundings with a wing from his wings, besides the largeness of his hands. And from them is one (who is from) the skies to his side. And from them is one whose feet are unsteady in the lowest atmosphere of the sky and the earths to his knees.
وَ مِنْهُمْ مَنْ لَوْ أُلْقِيَ فِي نُقْرَةِ إِبْهَامِهِ جَمِيعُ الْمِيَاهِ لَوَسِعَتْهَا وَ مِنْهُمْ مَنْ لَوْ أُلْقِيَتِ السُّفُنُ فِي دُمُوعِ عَيْنَيْهِ لَجَرَتْ دَهْرَ الدَّاهِرِينَ فَتَبارَكَ اللَّهُ أَحْسَنُ الْخالِقِينَ
And from them is one, if the entirety of the waters were to be thrown in the fovea of his thumb, it would be capacious for it. And from them is one, if the ships were to be thrown in the tears of his eyes, these would flow for ages and ages. So Blessed is Allah, the best of the creators [23:14]’.[1]
[1] Bihar Al Anwaar – V 56 The book of creation – Ch 23 H 13