it is no more than an incidental(1) linkage to a positive attribute. Consequently, ḥamd and shukr cannot be understood except by understanding this linkage, just as the meaning of “father” cannot be grasped without first understanding the concept of abūwah (fatherhood), which itself is that very linkage. In the same way, ḥamd and shukr are matters connected to the act for which praise is offered and the act for which thanks are rendered.

This linkage is part and parcel of what the term itself denotes, for proof of which is that whoever is unaware of noble qualities cannot comprehend ḥamd, and whoever does not apprehend iḥsān (beneficence) cannot comprehend shukr.

Therefore, if understanding the two depends on understanding their object, then understanding them must rely even more on grasping the linkage, for the linkage is a branch of and dependent upon the object(2). Accordingly, if their comprehension hinges on apprehending the object—which is further removed from them than the linkage—then its dependence on apprehending the linkage(3) is a fortiori stronger, even though the object may, in some respects, be privative. Allah, exalted is He, knows best.

⦗45⦘ Third Inquiry

A claimant alleged that the Almighty’s words, “Allah has permitted trade and forbidden usury” (Q 2:275), are general(4) and thus apply to everything that may be called a sale.

Shaykh Taqī al-Dīn Ibn Taymiyya replied: The statement “Allah has permitted trade” is immediately followed by “and forbidden usury,” whereas most varieties of ribā are themselves termed sales. If ribā were an ambiguous term, it would be unknown, and excluding the unknown from the known would entail obscurity.