Al-Risālah al-ʿArshiyyah - Ibn Taimiya - (19)

Al-Risālah al-ʿArshiyyahIbn Taimiya

when He grasps them, no more than a small object in the hand of one of us, such that He tosses them as a ball is tossed.

The imam ‘Abd al-‘Azīz ibn ‘Abdullāh ibn Abī Salamah al-Mājishūn, a peer of Mālik, said in his well-known statement refuting the Jahmiyyah, those who opposed them, and those who reinterpreted his words:

“As for the one who denies what the Lord has described concerning Himself through excessive probing and strained reasoning, the devils have led him astray, bewildered upon the earth. He then offers what he supposes to be proof for denying the attributes and names the Lord has declared concerning Himself, saying: ‘If He has such-and-such, He must necessarily have such-and-such.’ Thus, the obscure blinds him to the clear, and he denies what the Lord has declared concerning Himself on the grounds that the Lord has remained silent about what He has not declared.

“Satan continues to encourage him until he denies the words of Allah Most High:

‘Some faces that Day will be radiant, looking at their Lord.’ [al-Qiyāmah: 22, 23]

“He says: ‘No one will see Him on the Day of Resurrection.’ By Allah, he has thereby denied the greatest honor Allah bestows upon His devoted servants on the Day of Resurrection: looking upon His face and His making them radiant,

‘In a seat of truth, near a Sovereign, Perfect in Ability.’ [al-Qamar: 55]

“He has decreed that they will not die, and they become radiant through looking upon Him.”

Later he said:

“He denied the vision of Allah on the Day of Resurrection only to uphold his misguided and misleading argument. For it was known that when He reveals Himself to them on the Day of Resurrection, they will see of Him what they had previously believed in and what this man had denied.

“The Muslims asked: ‘O Messenger of Allah, will we see our Lord on the Day of Resurrection?’ The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, replied: ‘Do you have any difficulty seeing the sun when no clouds obscure it?’ They said: ‘No.’ He said: ‘Do you have any difficulty seeing the moon on the night of the full moon when no clouds obscure it?’ They said: ‘No.’ He said: ‘You will see your Lord in the same way.’

“The Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, also said: ‘The Fire will not be filled until the Compeller places His foot in it. Then it will say: “Enough! Enough!” and its sides will draw together.’

“And he said to Thābit ibn Qays:

مَعَ قَبْضِهِ لَهَا إلَّا كَالشَّيْءِ الصَّغِيرِ فِي يَدِ أَحَدِنَا، حَتَّى يَدْحُوَهَا كَمَا تُدْحَى الْكُرَةُ. قَالَ عَبْدُ الْعَزِيزِ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي سَلَمَةَ الماجشون الْإِمَامُ نَظِيرُ مَالِكٍ فِي كَلَامِهِ الْمَشْهُورِ الَّذِي رَدَّ فِيهِ عَلَى الْجَهْمِيَّة وَمَنْ خَالَفَهَا وَمَنْ أَوَّلَ كَلَامَهُ قَالَ: فَأَمَّا الَّذِي جَحَدَ مَا وَصَفَ الرَّبُّ مِنْ نَفْسِهِ تَعَمُّقًا وَتَكَلُّفًا، فَقَدْ اسْتَهْوَتْهُ الشَّيَاطِينُ فِي الْأَرْضِ حَيْرَانَ، فَصَارَ يَسْتَدِلُّ بِزَعْمِهِ عَلَى جَحْدِ مَا وَصَفَ الرَّبُّ وَسَمَّى مِنْ نَفْسِهِ، بأن قال: لابد إنْ كَانَ لَهُ كَذَا مِنْ أَنْ يَكُونَ لَهُ كَذَا، فَعَمِيَ عَنْ الْبَيِّنِ بِالْخَفِيِّ، فَجَحَدَ مَا سَمَّى الرَّبُّ مِنْ نَفْسِهِ، بِصَمْتِ الرَّبِّ عَمَّا لَمَّ يُسَمَّ مِنْهَا، فَلَمْ يَزَلْ يُمْلِي لَهُ الشَّيْطَانُ حَتَّى جَحَدَ قَوْلَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى: {وُجُوهٌ يَوْمَئِذٍ نَاضِرَةٌ إلَى رَبِّهَا نَاظِرَةٌ} [القيامة: ٢٢، ٢٣] ، فَقَالَ: لَا يَرَاهُ أَحَدٌ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ، فَجَحَدَ وَاَللَّهِ أَفْضَلَ كَرَامَةِ اللَّهِ الَّتِي أَكْرَمَ بِهَا أَوْلِيَاءَهُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ، مِنْ النَّظَرِ إلَى وَجْهِهِ وَنَضْرَتِهِ إيَّاهُمْ: {فِي مَقْعَدِ صِدْقٍ عِنْدَ مَلِيكٍ مُّقْتَدِرٍ} [القمر: ٥٥] ، وَقَدْ قَضَى أَنَّهُمْ لَا يَمُوتُونَ، فَهُمْ بِالنَّظَرِ إلَيْهِ يَنْضُرُونَ. إلَى أَنْ قَالَ: وَإِنَّمَا جَحَدَ رُؤْيَةَ اللَّهِ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ إقَامَةً لِلْحُجَّةِ الضَّالَّةِ الْمُضِلَّةِ؛ لِأَنَّهُ قَدْ عُرِفَ أَنَّهُ إذَا تَجَلَّى لَهُمْ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ، رَأَوْا مِنْهُ مَا كَانُوا بِهِ قَبْلَ ذَلِكَ مُؤْمِنِينَ، وَكَانَ لَهُ جَاحِدًا. وَقَالَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ، هَلْ نَرَى رَبَّنَا يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ؟ فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: " هَلْ تُضَارُّونَ فِي رُؤْيَةِ الشَّمْسِ لَيْسَ دُونَهَا سَحَابٌ؟ " قَالُوا: لَا. قَالَ: " فَهَلْ تُضَارُّونَ فِي رُؤْيَةِ الْقَمَرِ لَيْلَةَ الْبَدْرِ لَيْسَ دُونَهُ سَحَابٌ؟ " قَالُوا: لَا. قَالَ: " فَإِنَّكُمْ تَرَوْنَ رَبَّكُمْ كَذَلِكَ " . وَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: " لَا تَمْتَلِئُ النَّارُ حَتَّى يَضَعَ الْجَبَّارُ فِيهَا قَدَمَهُ فَتَقُولُ: قَطُّ، قَطُّ، وَيَنْزَوِي بَعْضُهَا إلَى بَعْضٍ " ، وَقَالَ لِثَابِتِ بْنِ قَيْسٍ: