Taqrib al-Tadmuriyyah - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (81)

Taqrib al-TadmuriyyahIbn al-'Uthaymin

Within the two verses there seems to be a clash. Those whose hearts are deviant seize upon that appearance and imagine a contradiction—negation in the first verse and affirmation in the second—then they proceed to claim, “The Qur’an contradicts itself.”

By contrast, the scholars firmly grounded in knowledge say, “There is no contradiction at all.” In the first verse, “guidance” means guidance of enabling grace (tawfīq); that belongs exclusively to Allah—neither the Messenger nor anyone else possesses it. In the second verse, “guidance” means pointing the way (dalālah); this may come from Allah as well as from others, such as the messengers and their heirs among the godly scholars.

The third example 1: Allah’s words to His Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, “If you are in doubt about what We have sent down to you, then ask those who read the Scripture before you. The truth has certainly come to you from your Lord, so do not be among the doubters” (10:94).

Someone might infer from this verse that the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, actually entertained doubt about what had been revealed to him. A person with a crooked heart follows that notion, alleging that the Prophet doubted and thereby maligning the Messenger of Allah.

Those firmly rooted in knowledge reply: “The Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, never doubted nor hesitated regarding the revelation. How could he, when Allah Himself attested to his faith: ‘The Messenger believes in what was sent down to him from his Lord, and so do the believers. Each of them believes in Allah, His angels, His books, and His messengers; they make no distinction between any of His messengers’ (2:285). And He said: ‘So believe in Allah and His Messenger, the unlettered Prophet, who believes in Allah and His words; follow him so that you may be guided’ (7:158)?”

They further explain that an expression such as “If you are in doubt” (10:94) neither entails the occurrence of the condition nor even its possibility—just like His statement, “Say: If the All-Merciful had a son, I would be the first to worship” 2 (43:81), for the very notion that Allah could have a child is utterly impossible.

(1) The misconception of something that is unbecoming of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. (2) There are several interpretations of this verse. The strongest is that, if the Most Merciful had a son—by way of an impossible hypothetical—this would not lead me to worship that son. Rather, I would be the first to worship Allah, and I would not worship =

ففي الآيتين موهم تعارض فيتبعه من في قلبه زيغ ويظن بينهما تناقضاً وهو النفي في الأولى، والإثبات في الثانية. فيقول: في القرآن تناقض. وأما الراسخون في العلم؛ فيقولون: لا تناقض في الآيتين فالمراد بالهداية في الآية الأولى هداية التوفيق، وهذه لا يملكها إلا الله وحده فلا يملكها الرسول ولا غيره. والمراد بها في الآية الثانية هداية الدلالة، وهذه تكون من الله تعالى ومن غيره فتكون من الرسل وورثتهم من العلماء الربانيين. ومثال الثالث ١: قوله تعالى لنبيه ﷺ: ﴿فَإِنْ كُنْتَ فِي شَكٍّ مِمَّا أَنْزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ فَاسْأَلِ الَّذِينَ يَقْرَأُونَ الْكِتَابَ مِنْ قَبْلِكَ لَقَدْ جَاءَكَ الْحَقُّ مِنْ رَبِّكَ فَلا تَكُونَنَّ مِنَ الْمُمْتَرِينَ﴾ [يونس: ٩٤] . ففي الآية ما يوهم وقوع الشك من النبي ﷺ مما أنزل إليه فيتبعه من في قلبه زيغ فيدعي أن النبي ﷺ وقع منه ذلك فيطعن في رسول الله ﷺ. وأما الراسخون في العلم؛ فيقولون: إن النبي ﷺ لم يقع منه شك ولا امتراء فيما أنزل إليه، كيف وقد شهد الله له بالإيمان في قوله تعالى: ﴿آمَنَ الرَّسُولُ بِمَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ رَبِّهِ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ كُلٌّ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَمَلائِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ لا نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِنْ رُسُلِهِ﴾ [البقرة: ٢٨٥] . وقوله: ﴿فَآمِنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ النَّبِيِّ الْأُمِّيِّ الَّذِي يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَكَلِمَاتِهِ وَاتَّبِعُوهُ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَهْتَدُونَ﴾ [لأعراف: ١٥٨] ؟! ويقولون: إن مثل هذا التعبير - ﴿فَإِنْ كُنْتَ فِي شَكٍّ﴾ [يونس: ٩٤] – لا يلزم منه وقوع الشرط، بل ولا إمكانه كقوله تعالى: ﴿قُلْ إِنْ كَانَ لِلرَّحْمَنِ وَلَدٌ فَأَنَا أَوَّلُ الْعَابِدِينَ٢﴾ [الزخرف: ٨١] ؛ فإن وجود الولد لله ﷿ ممتنع غاية

١ توهم ما لا يليق برسول الله ﷺ. ٢ في معنى هذه الآية أقوال: أظهرها أنه إن كان للرحمن ولد – على سبيل الفرض الممتنع – فإن ذلك لن يحملني على عبادة ذلك الولد، بل سأكون أول العابدين لله، ولن أعبد =