Al-Jawāb as-Sahīh li-man baddala dīn al-Masīh - Ibn Taimiya - (4/298)

Al-Jawāb as-Sahīh li-man baddala dīn al-MasīhIbn Taimiya

the completion of his own existence, let alone to act for another so as to complete that other’s existence; and for this reason no nation on earth has ever affirmed such a notion.

What the Christians have actually maintained is that the very subsistence of the Creator—exalted be He—depends upon a creature.

We therefore say to them:
This too is, by the clear light of reason, even more impossible than the idea of each of two creators depending on the other—though that as well is impossible. A creature is needy in every one of its affairs for the Creator; hence, given its dependence for both its existence and the perfection of that existence upon the Creator, it is inconceivable that the Creator’s subsistence should be through it. Such a claim would require that the creature uphold the Creator and that the completion of His existence be through the creature, even though the creature possesses nothing of its own existence except through the Creator.

Accordingly, whatever is alleged to uphold the Creator is itself from the Creator; the Creator is its maker and the maker of every created thing, so it has neither existence nor subsistence except through Him. How, then, could His subsistence depend upon it?

This is not like the relation of a substance to its inescapable accidents, or of matter to form for those who deem the form a substance when the two are inseparable. Such cases belong to simultaneous circularity—like fatherhood and sonship—which, as noted earlier, is admissible because Allah is the One who brings both into being.

When, however, each of the two is claimed to be the creator, the notion is impossible; and when one is said to be the creator and the other the creature, the impossibility is even more emphatic.

The Lord—exalted is He—is independent of everything besides Himself in every respect, while everything besides Him is utterly dependent on Him in every respect. This is the meaning of His Name al-Samad: al-samad is the One to whom every thing turns on account of its need for Him, while He is free of need from everything; He does not turn to

تَمَامِ وَجُودِهِ، أَنْ يَكُونَ فَاعِلًا لِغَيْرِهِ تَمَامَ وُجُودِ ذَلِكَ الْغَيْرِ، وَلِهَذَا لَمْ يَقُلْ بِهَذَا أَحَدٌ مِنَ الْأُمَمِ. وَلَكِنِ الَّذِي قَالَهُ النَّصَارَى، إِنَّهُمْ جَعَلُوا قِوَامَ الْخَالِقِ - تَعَالَى - بِالْمَخْلُوقِ. فَيُقَالُ لَهُمْ: هَذَا أَيْضًا مُمْتَنِعٌ فِي صَرِيحِ الْعَقْلِ أَعْظَمَ مِنِ امْتِنَاعِ قِيَامِ كُلٍّ مِنَ الْخَالِقَيْنِ بِالْآخَرِ، وَإِنْ كَانَ هَذَا أَيْضًا مُمْتَنِعًا، فَإِنَّ الْمَخْلُوقَ مُفْتَقِرٌ فِي جَمِيعِ أُمُورِهِ إِلَى الْخَالِقِ، فَيَمْتَنِعُ مَعَ فَقْرِهِ فِي وُجُودِهِ وَتَمَامِ وَجُودِهِ إِلَى الْخَالِقِ أَنْ يَكُونَ قِوَامُ الْخَالِقِ بِهِ ; لِأَنَّ ذَلِكَ يَقْتَضِي أَنْ يَكُونَ مُقِيمًا لَهُ، وَأَنْ يَكُونَ تَمَامُ وَجُودِهِ بِهِ، فَيَكُونَ الْمَخْلُوقُ لَا وُجُودَ لِشَيْءٍ مِنْهُ إِلَّا بِالْخَالِقِ. فَالْقَدْرُ الَّذِي يُقَالُ: إِنَّهُ يُقِيمُ بِهِ الْخَالِقَ - هُوَ مِنَ الْخَالِقِ، وَالْخَالِقُ خَالِقُهُ وَخَالِقُ كُلِّ مَخْلُوقٍ، فَلَا وُجُودَ لَهُ وَلَا قِيَامَ إِلَّا بِالْخَالِقِ، فَكَيْفَ يَكُونُ بِهِ قِيَامُ الْخَالِقِ؟ وَلَيْسَ هَذَا كَالْجَوْهَرِ وَأَعْرَاضِهِ اللَّازِمَةِ، أَوْ كَالْمَادَّةِ وَالصُّورَةِ عِنْدَ مَنْ يَزْعُمُ أَنَّ الصُّورَةَ جَوْهَرٌ إِذَا كَانَا مُتَلَازِمَيْنِ، فَإِنَّ هَذَا مِنْ بَابِ الدَّوْرِ الْمَعِيِّ، كَالنُّبُوَّةِ مَعَ الْأُبُوَّةِ، وَهَذَا جَائِزٌ كَمَا تَقَدَّمَ، إِذْ كَانَ الْخَالِقُ لَهُمَا جَمِيعًا هُوَ اللَّهُ. وَأَمَّا مَعَ كَوْنِ كُلٍّ مِنْهُمَا هُوَ الْخَالِقُ، فَهُوَ مُمْتَنِعٌ، وَمَعَ كَوْنِ أَحَدِهِمَا خَالِقًا وَالْآخِرِ مَخْلُوقًا، فَهُوَ أَشَدُّ امْتِنَاعًا. وَالرَّبُّ - تَعَالَى - غَنِيٌّ عَنْ كُلِّ مَا سِوَاهُ مِنْ كُلِّ وَجْهٍ، وَكُلُّ مَا سِوَاهُ فَقِيرٌ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ كُلِّ وَجْهٍ، وَهَذَا مَعْنَى اسْمِهِ " الصَّمَدِ " ، فَإِنَّ الصَّمَدَ الَّذِي يَصْمُدُ إِلَيْهِ كُلُّ شَيْءٍ ; لِافْتِقَارِهِ إِلَيْهِ، وَهُوَ غَنِيٌّ عَنْ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ، لَا يَصْمُدُ