Al-Risālah al-ʿArshiyyah - Ibn Taimiya - (23)

Al-Risālah al-ʿArshiyyahIbn Taimiya

and others, who state that this is a matter of agreement among Muslim scholars. Allah Most High says:

“And He is the One Who created the night and the day, the sun and the moon—each floating in an orbit.” [Al-Anbiyā’: 33]

Ibn ‘Abbās said: “A circular whorl, like the whorl of a spindle.” In Arabic, falak denotes something round. Hence the expression used of a girl’s breast when it becomes rounded. Everyone who knows that the celestial spheres are spherical knows that their outer circumference is above their centre on every side. Anyone who imagines that a person on one side of a celestial sphere actually has those on the other side beneath them is, in their view, mistaken.

Since this is so, if we suppose that the Throne is spherical and encompasses created things, it would be the highest of them and their roof, above them without qualification. A person could therefore turn towards it, and towards what is above it, only by turning upwards, never in any other direction.

Anyone who turns towards the ninth, eighth or any other celestial sphere in a direction other than upwards is ignorant, by the agreement of all rational people. How much more does this apply to turning towards the Throne or towards what is above it, when the most that may be supposed of the Throne is that it is spherical in shape? Allah Most High encompasses all created things in a manner befitting His majesty, for the seven heavens and the earth in His Hand are smaller than a chickpea in the hand of any one of us.

As for someone saying: “If it is spherical, and Allah is beyond it, encompassing it and separate from it, what is the point of a servant turning towards Allah when supplicating and worshipping Him, directing himself upwards rather than downwards? There would then be no difference, when supplicating, between directing oneself upwards and directing oneself towards any of the other directions surrounding the supplicant. Yet we find in our hearts an inclination that seeks what is above, turning neither right nor left. Explain to us, then, this compelling inclination that we find in our hearts and with which we were naturally endowed.”

وَغَيْرُهُمْ أَنَّهُ مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيْهِ بَيْنَ عُلَمَاءِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ، وَقَدْ قَالَ تَعَالَى: {وَهُوَ الَّذِي خَلَقَ اللَّيْلَ وَالنَّهَارَ وَالشَّمْسَ وَالْقَمَرَ كُلٌّ فِي فَلَكٍ يَسْبَحُونَ} [الأنبياء: ٣٣] ، قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ: فَلْكَةٌ مِثْلُ فَلْكَةِ الْمِغْزَلِ. الْفَلَكُ فِي اللُّغَةِ: هُوَ الْمُسْتَدِيرُ، وَمِنْهُ قَوْلُهُمْ: تَفَلَّكَ ثَدْيُ الْجَارِيَةِ إذَا اسْتَدَارَ، وَكُلُّ مَنْ يَعْلَمُ أَنَّ الْأَفْلَاكَ مُسْتَدِيرَةٌ يَعْلَمُ أَنَّ الْمُحِيطَ هُوَ الْعَالِي عَلَى الْمَرْكَزِ مِنْ كُلِّ جَانِبٍ، وَمَنْ تَوَهَّمَ أَنَّ مَنْ يَكُونُ فِي الْفَلَكِ مِنْ نَاحِيَةٍ يَكُونُ تَحْتَهُ مَنْ فِي الْفَلَكِ مِنْ النَّاحِيَةِ الْأُخْرَى فِي نَفْسِ الْأَمْرِ، فَهُوَ مُتَوَهِّمٌ عِنْدَهُمْ. وَإِذَا كَانَ الْأَمْرُ كَذَلِكَ، فَإِذَا قُدِّرَ أَنَّ الْعَرْشَ مُسْتَدِيرٌ مُحِيطٌ بِالْمَخْلُوقَاتِ كَانَ هُوَ أَعْلَاهَا، وَسَقْفَهَا وَهُوَ فَوْقَهَا مُطْلَقًا، فَلَا يَتَوَجَّهُ إلَيْهِ، وَإِلَى مَا فَوْقَهُ الْإِنْسَانُ إلَّا مِنْ الْعُلُوِّ، لَا مِنْ جِهَاتِهِ الْبَاقِيَةِ أَصْلًا. وَمَنْ تَوَجَّهَ إلَى الْفَلَكِ التَّاسِعِ أَوْ الثَّامِنِ أَوْ غَيْرِهِ مِنْ الْأَفْلَاكِ مِنْ غَيْرِ جِهَةِ الْعُلُوِّ، كَانَ جَاهِلًا بِاتِّفَاقِ الْعُقَلَاءِ، فَكَيْفَ بِالتَّوَجُّهِ إلَى الْعَرْشِ أَوْ إلَى مَا فَوْقَهُ وَغَايَةُ مَا يُقَدَّرُ أن يكون كرى الشَّكْلِ، وَاَللَّهُ تَعَالَى مُحِيطٌ بِالْمَخْلُوقَاتِ كُلِّهَا إحَاطَةً تَلِيقُ بِجَلَالِهِ، فَإِنَّ السَّمَوَاتِ السَّبْعَ وَالْأَرْضَ فِي يَدِهِ أَصْغَرُ مِنْ الْحِمَّصَةِ فِي يَدِ أَحَدِنَا. وَأَمَّا قَوْلُ الْقَائِلِ: إذا كان كريًا وَاَللَّهُ مِنْ وَرَائِهِ مُحِيطٌ بِهِ بَائِنٌ عَنْهُ، فَمَا فَائِدَةُ أَنَّ الْعَبْدَ يَتَوَجَّهُ إلَى اللَّهِ حِينَ دُعَائِهِ وَعِبَادَتِهِ؟ فَيَقْصِدُ الْعُلُوَّ دُونَ التَّحْتِ، فَلَا فَرْقَ حِينَئِذٍ وَقْتَ الدُّعَاءِ بَيْنَ قَصْدِ جِهَةِ الْعُلُوِّ وَغَيْرِهَا مِنْ الْجِهَاتِ الَّتِي تُحِيطُ بِالدَّاعِي، وَمَعَ هَذَا نَجِدُ فِي قُلُوبِنَا قَصْدًا يَطْلُبُ الْعُلُوَّ، لَا يلتفت يمنة ولايسرة، فَأَخْبِرُونَا عَنْ هَذِهِ الضَّرُورَةِ الَّتِي نَجِدُهَا فِي قُلُوبِنَا، وَقَدْ فُطِرْنَا عَلَيْهَا.