Caution: Translations of Quran and Ḥadīth may lead to possible misapplications and misinterpretations. This site is intended for students of sacred knowledge that are proficient in comprehending classical Arabic and have a strong foundation in Islamic sciences. Also note that religious injunctions rely on several aspects beyond what one may glean through reading individual aḥādīth.

ذِكْرُ الْإِخْبَارِ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ جَلَّ وَعَلَا كَانَ وَلَا شَيْءَ غَيْرُهُ

ibnhibban:6140ʿUmar b. Muḥammad al-Hamdānī > Muḥammad b. Ishkāb > Muḥammad b. Abū ʿUbaydah b. Maʿn from my father > al-Aʿmash > Jāmiʿ b. Shaddād > Ṣafwān b. Muḥriz > ʿImrān b. Ḥuṣayn

[Machine] I was sitting with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ while my camel was tied up at the door, when some people from the Banu Tamim entered. They said, "O Messenger of Allah, we have come to learn about the religion and ask you about the beginning of this matter (creation). What was it?" He ﷺ said, "Allah existed and there was nothing else, and His Throne was over the water. Then He wrote everything in the Remembrance. Then He created the heavens and the earth."  

ابن حبّان:٦١٤٠أَخْبَرَنَا عُمَرُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الْهَمْدَانِيُّ حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِشْكَابٍ حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ أَبِي عُبَيْدَةَ بْنِ مَعْنٍ حَدَّثَنَا أَبِي عَنِ الْأَعْمَشِ عَنْ جَامِعِ بْنِ شَدَّادٍ عَنْ صَفْوَانَ بْنِ مُحْرِزٍ عَنْ عِمْرَانَ بْنِ حُصَيْنٍ قَالَ

كُنْتُ جَالِسًا عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَنَاقَتِي مَعْقُولَةٌ بِالْبَابِ إِذْ دَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ نَفَرٌ مِنْ بَنِي تَمِيمٍ فَقَالُوا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ جِئْنَاكَ لِنَتَفَقَّهَ فِي الدِّينِ وَنَسْأَلَكَ عَنْ أَوَّلِ هَذَا الْأَمْرِ مَا كَانَ؟ قَالَ ﷺ «كَانَ اللَّهُ وَلَيْسَ شَيْءٌ غَيْرَهُ وَكَانَ عَرْشُهُ عَلَى الْمَاءِ ثُمَّ كَتَبَ فِي الذِّكْرِ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ ثُمَّ خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ»  


See similar narrations below:

Collected by Ibn Ḥibbān
ibnhibban:6142al-Naḍr b. Muḥammad b. al-Mubārak > Muḥammad b. ʿUthmān al-ʿIjlī > ʿUbaydullāh b. Mūsá al-ʿAbsī > Shaybān > al-Aʿmash > Jāmiʿ b. Shaddād > Ṣafwān b. Muḥriz > ʿImrān b. Ḥuṣayn

[Machine] "I was sitting with the Messenger of Allah ﷺ when a group of Banu Tamim came to him. He said, 'Receive the good news, O people of Tamim.' They said, 'You have already given us good news, O Messenger of Allah, so give us something.' Then some people from the people of Yemen came to him, and he said, 'Receive the good news, O people of Yemen, as the people of Tamim did not accept it.' They said, 'We have already accepted it, O Messenger of Allah. We came to learn about the religion and ask you about the beginning of this matter.' He said, 'Allah was and there was nothing before Him. His throne was over the water, then He created the heavens and the earth and wrote in the Reminder about everything.'"  

ابن حبّان:٦١٤٢أَخْبَرَنَا النَّضْرُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْمُبَارَكِ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ عُثْمَانَ الْعِجْلِيُّ قَالَ حَدَّثَنَا عُبَيْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مُوسَى الْعَبْسِيُّ عَنْ شَيْبَانَ عَنِ الْأَعْمَشِ عَنْ جَامِعِ بْنِ شَدَّادٍ عَنْ صَفْوَانَ بْنِ مُحْرِزٍ عَنْ عِمْرَانَ بْنِ حُصَيْنٍ قَالَ

إِنِّي لَجَالِسٌ عِنْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ إِذْ جَاءَهُ قَوْمٌ مِنْ بَنِي تَمِيمٍ فَقَالَ «اقْبَلُوا الْبُشْرَى يَا بَنِي تَمِيمٍ» قَالُوا قَدْ بَشَّرْتَنَا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ فَأَعْطِنَا فَدَخَلَ عَلَيْهِ نَاسٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْيَمَنِ فَقَالَ «اقْبَلُوا الْبُشْرَى يَا أَهْلَ الْيَمَنِ إِذْ لَمْ يَقْبَلْهَا بَنُو تَمِيمٍ» قَالُوا قَدْ قَبِلْنَا يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ جِئْنَا لِنَتَفَقَّهُ فِي الدِّينِ وَنَسْأَلَكَ عَنْ أَوَّلِ هَذَا الْأَمْرِ مَا كَانَ؟ فَقَالَ «كَانَ اللَّهُ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ شَيْءٌ قَبْلَهُ وَكَانَ عَرْشُهُ عَلَى الْمَاءِ ثُمَّ خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ وَكَتَبَ فِي الذِّكْرِ كُلَّ شَيْءٍ»