أَخْبَرَنَا
عُمَرُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الْهَمْدَانِيُّ ، قَالَ : حَدَّثَنَا
مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِِسْمَاعِيلَ الْبُخَارِيُّ ، قَالَ : حَدَّثَنَا
الْحَجَّاجُ بْنُ الْمِنْهَالِ ، قَالَ : حَدَّثَنَا
حَمَّادُ بْنُ سَلَمَةَ ، عَنْ
يَعْلَى بْنِ عَطَاءٍ ، عَنْ
وَكِيعِ بْنِ حُدُسٍ ، عَنْ عَمِّهِ
أَبِي رَزِينٍ الْعُقَيْلِيِّ ، قَالَ : قُلْتُ : يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ، هَلْ نَرَى رَبَّنَا يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ ؟ قَالَ : " هَلْ تَرَوْنَ لَيْلَةَ الْبَدْرِ الْقَمَرَ أَوِ الشَّمْسَ بِغَيْرِ سَحَابٍ ؟ " ، قَالُوا : نَعَمْ ، قَالَ : " فَاللَّهُ أَعْظَمُ " ، قُلْتُ : يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ ! أَيْنَ كَانَ رَبُّنَا قَبْلَ أَنْ يَخْلُقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضَ ؟ ، قَالَ : " فِي عَمَاءٍ ، مَا فَوْقَهُ هَوَاءٌ وَمَا تَحْتَهُ هَوَاءٌ " ، قَالَ أَبُو حَاتِمٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ : وَهِمَ فِي هَذِهِ اللَّفْظَةِ حَمَّادُ بْنُ سَلَمَةَ مِنْ حَيْثُ " فِي غَمَامٍ " إِِنَّمَا هُوَ " فِي عَمَاءٍ " ، يُرِيدُ بِهِ أَنَّ الْخَلْقَ لا يَعْرِفُونَ خَالِقَهُمْ مِنْ حَيْثُ هُمْ ، إِِذْ كَانَ وَلا زَمَانَ وَلا مَكَانَ ، وَمَنْ لا يُعْرَفُ لَهُ زَمَانٌ ، وَلا مَكَانٌ ، وَلا شَيْءٌ مَعَهُ ، لأَنَّهُ خَالِقُهَا ، كَانَ مَعْرِفَةُ الْخَلْقِ إِِيَّاهُ ، كَأَنَّهُ كَانَ فِي عَمَاءٍ عَنْ عِلْمِ الْخَلْقِ ، لا أَنَّ اللَّهَ كَانَ فِي عَمَاءٍ ، إِِذْ هَذَا الْوَصْفُ شَبِيهٌ بِأَوْصَافِ الْمَخْلُوقِينَ .
Sayyiduna Abu Razin Uqayli (may Allah be pleased with him) narrates: I asked, "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! Will we see our Lord on the Day of Resurrection?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "When there are no clouds, can you see the moon on the night of the full moon or the sun?" The people replied, "Yes." The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "Allah is greater than that." I asked, "O Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him)! Where was our Lord before He created the heavens and the earth?" The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: "He was in a place of 'Ama' (meaning it cannot be comprehended); above Him and below Him was emptiness."
(Imam Ibn Hibban, may Allah have mercy on him, says:) In narrating these words, a person named Hammad bin Salamah made a mistake; he narrated the word 'Ghamam' (cloud), whereas the word is 'Ama', and by this the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) meant that the creation does not have the ability to truly comprehend its Creator, because their Lord existed even when neither time nor place existed, and He cannot be known by time, place, or anything else, because He is the Lord of all these things. Thus, the knowledge of the creation about His essence is as if His essence is veiled in 'Ama' from the knowledge of the creation. This does not mean that Allah was in the state of 'Ama', because this is an attribute that resembles the attributes of the creation.