Muhammad ibn Abdullah Al-Khorasani, the personal servant of Imam Al-Ridha (AS) reported that:

 

An atheist entered the court of Abul-Hassan Al-Ridha (AS) when the Imam was in audience with a group of people. Abu Al-Hassan (a.s) addressed the atheist, “O´ man, have you realized that if the truth is as you people say(1), although it is not so, then both of us are equal in advantage? Our praying, our fasting, our paying of alms, and our belief (in Allah, God’s Messenger and the life hereafter) will bring us no harm at all.” At this, the man kept silent. Then Abul-Hassan (AS) said: “If the truth is as we say, and undoubtedly it is as we say, then you would have perished and we are saved.”

The man replied, “May Allah be merciful to you! Explain to me how Allah (SWT) is, and where God is.” Imam (AS) replied: “Woe unto you! You have gone astray. Space itself is Allah’s (SWT) creation, hence God cannot be (confined) in it. God gave modality to modal existence, while God was without modality. God cannot be known in terms of modality and space. God cannot be perceived through the senses, nor can God specified by comparison with anything.” The man said: “Since God cannot be perceived through any of our senses, then God is nothing.”

Abul-Hassan (AS) replied: “Woe unto you; when you failed to know God through your senses you refused to accept God’s Lordship. However when we fail to know Him through our senses then we stand (more) convinced that God is our Lord and God is unlike other things.” The man inquired: “Tell me from when God has existed.” Abul-Hassan (AS) replied: “Tell me when God was not, then I will tell you from when God has existed.”

The man inquired: “What is the evidence for God?” Abul-Hassan (AS) replied: “When I observe my body and I find in it nothing in excess or lacking, either in length or in breath, I observe its repelling of the undesirable in its pulling of the beneficial, I thereupon realize that there is someone who has created this body. I acknowledge this when I observe the planets revolving by God’s might, the formation of the clouds, the blowing of the winds, the floating of the sun, the moon and the stars. In addition to these I came to know, by observing other signs, which are astonishing and self-evident, that there is One Who has ordained and originated them all.” (2)

1.    That there is no creator and there is no judgment, hell, or heaven after death
2.    Al-Kafi v1 p78.

Source: en.shafaqna.com