Al-Sharḥ al-Mumtiʿ - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (15/424)

Al-Sharḥ al-MumtiʿIbn al-'Uthaymin

—then many of the early generations explicitly declared this view to be disbelief. They said: If he says that the Quran is created, then he has denied the saying of Allah, the Exalted:

“He sent it down with His knowledge.” [al-Nisa’: 166]

Allah thus described it as having been sent down with His knowledge, not as created by His power. If it was sent down with His knowledge, it cannot have been created by His power. To say that it is created, therefore, is to deny His saying, the Exalted: “He sent it down with His knowledge.” In that case, he is an unbeliever.

Likewise, whoever says that Allah, in His Essence, is everywhere is an unbeliever; there is no doubt about his disbelief. Accordingly, one who blindly follows him in this matter is sinful, on condition that the truth has been presented to him, yet he persists and fanatically clings to his leader’s view. Similarly, whoever says that Allah is neither above nor below, neither to the right nor to the left, neither connected nor separate, is likewise an unbeliever, because this is, in reality, a description of nonexistence.

The point is that we examine the statements of the scholars regarding an innovation that constitutes disbelief. If the independently reasoning person—that is, one who has set himself up to issue legal rulings and teach—adopts such an innovation, then his follower, after the truth has been presented to him and he rejects it, is sinful.

Second: Maintaining propriety: this means doing that which beautifies and adorns a person, and avoiding that which sullies and disgraces him.

His statement, “Second: maintaining propriety,” means that the second matter considered in integrity is maintaining propriety. Propriety means adopting virtuous character traits. Although al-Rawḍ (1) states that propriety is humanity, meaning that a person should possess character traits for which he is not blameworthy and which no one criticizes him for. This returns to customary practice. Some aspects of it may be religiously prescribed, but its fundamental basis is custom. Thus, propriety is what people conventionally regard as good, while what they conventionally regard as ugly is contrary to propriety. Since this is so, the basis for determining propriety

(1) Al-Rawd al-Murabbi, with Ibn Qasim's marginal commentary, 7:598.

﷿، فإن كثيراً من السلف أطلق عليه القول بالكفر، وقال: إنه إذا قال: إن القرآن مخلوق فقد كذب قول الله تعالى: ﴿أَنْزَلَهُ بِعِلْمِهِ﴾ [النساء: ١٦٦]، فجعله ﷾ نازلاً بالعلم لا مخلوقاً بالقدرة، وإذا كان نازلاً بالعلم لم يكن مخلوقاً بالقدرة وإذا قلنا: إنه مخلوق صار تكذيباً لقوله تعالى: ﴿أَنْزَلَهُ بِعِلْمِهِ﴾، وحينئذٍ يكون كافراً، كذلك من قال: إن الله تعالى بذاته في كل مكان، فهذا كافر ولا شك في كفره، فيكون الذي يقلده في هذا فاسقاً بشرط أن يعرض عليه الحق، ولكنه يصر ويتعصب لرأي متبوعه، كذلك من قال: إن الله ﷾ ليس فوقاً، ولا تحتاً، ولا يميناً، ولا شمالاً، ولا متصلاً، ولا منفصلاً، فهو ـ أيضاً ـ كافر؛ لأن هذا حقيقة العدم، المهم أننا نتتبع أقوال أهل العلم في البدعة المكفرة، فإذا صار الإنسان المجتهد أي: الذي نصب نفسه للفتوى والتعليم يقول بهذه البدعة المكفرة فالمقلد له بعد أن يعرض عليه الحق ويرده يكون فاسقاً. الثَّانِي: اسْتِعْمَالُ الْمُرُوءَةِ، وَهُوَ فِعْلُ مَا يُجَمِّلُهُ، وَيَزِينُهُ، وَاجْتِنابُ مَا يُدَنِّسُهُ وَيَشِينُهُ. قوله: «الثاني: استعمال المروءة» أي: الثاني مما يعتبر في العدالة استعمال المروءة، والمروءة التخلق بالأخلاق الفاضلة، وإن كان في الروض (١) يقول: المروءة هي الإنسانية، فيكون الإنسان متخلقاً بالأخلاق التي ليس عليه فيها مثلب، ولا أحد ينتقده، وهذه ترجع للعادة، وقد يكون بعضها ديناً، لكن أصلها العادة، فالمروءة هي ما تعارف الناس على حسنه، وما تعارفوا على قبحه فهو خلاف المروءة، وإذا كان هذا فإن مرجع المروءة

(١) الروض المربع مع حاشية ابن قاسم (٧/ ٥٩٨).