An Investigation on the Validity of the Tradition "Arafto-Allah" and the Bounds of Proving God and His Attributes by the Proof of "Dissolution of Firm Decisions"

One of the most important matters among the followers of religions and intellectuals is the ways to know [and prove] God. One of the valuable experiences is what is narrated from Imam Ali PBUH that he has proved God by dissolution of firm decisions, contravention of motivations, or the break of an agreement which has opened a new way to knowledge of God. This research will try to investigate the traditional validity, the different approaches of interpreters of Nahj-ol-Balaqah and the possibility of proving God and His attributes by this tradition using a library research method in the collection of data and an analytic method in its judgment. Among the present narrations of this tradition, two traditions narrated by Sheikh Saduq are good [hasan] and are reliable. The proof of "dissolution of firm decisions" has been noticed by the interpreters of Nahj-ol-Balaqah since sixth century and they have analyzed this tradition with two approaches: intra-religious and extra-religious. The dissolution of firm decisions, mentioned by Imam Ali PBUH, not only proves God's existence, it proves some of His attributes such as unity, power, being alldominant, knowledge and management as well.