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It is reported that al-Muzanī—the close disciple of al-Shāfiʿī—came to visit him. When al-Muzanī left, he was asked, “How did you find him?” He replied, “I have never seen anyone more learned, nor anyone of quicker intellect—despite his youth (1).
He composed a book entitled Al-Imāma, and it is said that the scholars copied it and forwarded it to the caliph al-Mutawakkil.
He was a man of devoted worship, humility, ribāṭ (guarding the frontier), and forthright proclamation of the truth.
He once debated (2) a Muʿtazilī shaykh and said, “Shaykh, does a created thing abase itself before its Creator?” The man fell silent, whereupon he added, “If you attribute abasement to the Qur’an, you have opposed the Almighty’s words: ‘Yet it is indeed a mighty Book’ (Fussilat 41).”
Ibn ʿAbdūs was asked about faith: is it created or uncreated? He
(1) See Riyad al-Nufus, vol. 1, p. 346; the additional wording is taken from that source.
(2) The author of Riyad al-Nufus records the following debate (1/350–351): “Muhammad b. Sahnun once attended the gathering of the vizier ʿAli b. Humayd, who cherished him and held him in great esteem. Present were several accomplished debaters as well as an eastern shaykh named Abu Sulayman al-Nahawi, a disciple of al-Kisaʾi al-saghir, who maintained that the Quran was created and adhered to Muʿtazili doctrine.
The vizier said to Muhammad, ‘Abu ʿAbd Allah, this shaykh has come to us from the East. These people have already debated with him; now you engage him.’
Muhammad asked the shaykh, ‘Will you speak first, or will you listen?’ The shaykh replied, ‘Speak, my son.’
Muhammad then inquired, ‘Tell me, does every created being humble itself before its Creator?’ The shaykh fell silent, unable to answer; a long time passed and he became distressed, producing nothing.
Muhammad next asked, ‘How many years have passed over you, shaykh?’ He answered, ‘Eighty years.’
Ibn Sahnun turned to the vizier and said, ‘Scholars have differed about offering the funeral prayer for a deceased person one year after his death; some allow it, but they all agree that after a full year it is no longer performed. This shaykh has been dead for eighty years—he is numbered among the dead—so, by consensus, no prayer remains for him.’ With that he rose, and ʿAli b. Humayd and the entire assembly were delighted.
When Ibn Sahnun was asked to explain his question, he said: ‘Had the shaykh replied that every created thing humbles itself before its Creator, he would have fallen into disbelief, for he regards the Quran as created and would thereby have declared it humbled—yet God says: wa innahu la-kitabun ʿaziz, la yaʾtihi l-batil min bayni yadayhi wala min khalfihi, tanzilun min hakimin hamid (“Indeed it is an exalted Book; falsehood cannot approach it from before it or from behind it; [it is] a revelation from One who is all-wise, praiseworthy,” 41:41–42). If instead he had said that it does not humble itself, he would have returned to the doctrine of Ahl al-Sunnah, for in that case he could not deem it created, since it is one of God’s attributes.’”
وَقِيْلَ: إِنَّ المُزَنِيَّ - صَاحِبَ الشَّافِعِيِّ - أَتَاهُ، فَلَمَّا خَرَجَ، قِيْلَ لَهُ: كَيْفَ رَأَيْتَهُ؟
فَقَالَ: لَمْ أَرَ أَعْلَمَ مِنْهُ، وَلاَ أَحَدَّ ذِهْناً - عَلَى حَدَاثَةِ سِنِّهِ (١) -.
وَأَلَّف كِتَابَ: (الإِمَامَةِ) ، فَقِيْلَ: كَتَبُوْهُ وَنفَّذُوْهُ إِلَى المُتَوَكِّلِ.
وَكَانَ ذَا تَعَبُّدٍ وَتَوَاضُعٍ وَرِبَاطٍ، وَصَدْعٍ بِالْحَقِّ.
ونَاظَرَ (٢) شَيْخاً مُعْتَزِلِيّاً، فَقَالَ: يَا شَيْخُ! المَخْلُوْقُ يَذِلُّ لِخَالِقِهِ؟ فَسَكَتَ، فَقَالَ: إِنْ قُلْتَ بِالذِّلَّةِ عَلَى القُرْآنِ، فَقَدْ خَالَفْتَ قَوْلَهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَإِنَّهُ لَكِتَابٌ عَزِيْزٌ﴾ . [فُصِّلَتْ: ٤١]
وَسُئِلَ ابْنُ عَبْدُوْسٍ عَنِ الإِيْمَانِ: أَمَخْلُوْقٌ هُوَ، أَوْ غَيْرُ مَخْلُوْقٍ؟ فَلَمْ
(١) انظر: رياض النفوس: ١ / ٣٤٦. والزيادة منه.
(٢) ذكر صاحب " رياض النفوس " المناظرة ١ / ٣٥٠ - ٣٥١، ونصها: " وحضر محمد ابن سحنون يوما عند علي بن حميد الوزير، وكان علي يبغيه، وكان يجل محمدا ويعظمه ويكبره، وكان في مجلسه جماعة ممن يحسنون المناظرة، وأحضر معهم شيخا قدم من المشرق، يقال له: أبو سليمان النحوي، صاحب الكسائي الصغير، وكان يقول بخلق القرآن، ويذهب إلى الاعتزال، فقال علي بن حميد الوزير لمحمد: يا أبا عبد الله! إن هذا الشيخ وصل إلينا من المشرق، وقد تناظر معه هؤلاء، فناظره أنت.
فقال محمد: تقول أيها الشيخ أو تسمع؟ فقال له الشيخ: قل يا بني.
فقال محمد: أرأيت كل مخلوق هل يذل لخالقه؟ فسكت الشيخ، ولم يحر جوابا، ومضى وقت طويل، وانحصر، ولم يأت بشيء.
فقال له محمد: كم سنة اتت عليك أيها الشيخ؟ فقال له: ثمانون سنة.
فقال ابن سحنون للوزير ابن حميد: قد اختلف أهل العلم في الصلاة على الميت بعد سنة من يوم موته، فقال بعضهم: يصلى عليه، وأجمعوا أنه إذا جاوز السنة لا يصلى عليه.
وهذا الشيخ له ثمانون سنة ميت في عداد الموتى، فقد سقطت الصلاة عليه بإجماع. ثم قام. فسر بذلك علي بن حميد وأهل المجلس.
فسئل ابن سحنون: أن يبين لهم معنى سؤاله هذا.
فقال: إن قال: إن كل مخلوق يذل لخالقه، فقد كفر، لأنه جعل القرآن ذليلا، لأنه يذهب إلى أنه مخلوق، وقد قال الله عزوجل: (وإنه لكتاب عزيز لا يأتيه الباطل من بين يديه ولا من خلفه تنزيل من حكيم حميد) وإن قال: إنه لا يذل، فقد رجع إلى مذهب أهل السنة، لأنه لا يذهب في هذه الحالة إلى أنه مخلوق الذي هو صفة من صفاته ".