Al-Jawāb as-Sahīh li-man baddala dīn al-Masīh - Ibn Taimiya - (2/17)

Then al-Jahm put forward a claim, saying, “We have found in the Book of Allah a verse proving that the Qur’an is created.”

We replied, “Which verse?”

He answered, “The statement of Allah, ‘The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, is only a messenger of Allah and His word’ (4:171).”

We responded, “Allah has denied you true understanding of the Qur’an. Jesus—peace be upon him—can be described with words that can never be applied to the Qur’an. Jesus is a living human being, born, an infant, a child, a youth; he eats and drinks; he is addressed with commands and prohibitions; reward and punishment are promised to him; he is from the progeny of Noah and of Abraham. It is impermissible for us to speak of the Qur’an as we speak of Jesus. Have you ever heard Allah describe the Qur’an in the same terms He used for Jesus?

“The meaning of His words—majestic is His praise—‘The Messiah, Jesus son of Mary, is only a messenger of Allah and His word which He cast to Mary, and a spirit from Him’ (4:171) is this: the word that He cast to Mary was when He said to him kun (Be!), and by that command Jesus came into existence. Jesus is by means of kun; he is not the kun itself. He existed through the kun, and the kun is from Allah—His utterance—and the kun is not created.

“The Christians and the Jahmiyyah have lied about Allah concerning Jesus. The Jahmiyyah said, ‘Jesus is the spirit of Allah and His word, because the word is created.’”

ثُمَّ إِنَّ الْجَهْمَ ادَّعَى أَمْرًا فَقَالَ: إِنَّا وَجَدْنَا فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ آيَةً تَدُلُّ عَلَى أَنَّ الْقُرْآنَ مَخْلُوقٌ قُلْنَا: أَيَّ آيَةٍ قَالَ: قَوْلُ اللَّهِ {إِنَّمَا الْمَسِيحُ عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ وَكَلِمَتُهُ} [النساء: ١٧١] فَقُلْنَا: إِنَّ اللَّهَ مَنَعَكُمُ الْفَهْمَ فِي الْقُرْآنِ عِيسَى - عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ - تَجْرِي عَلَيْهِ أَلْفَاظٌ لَا تَجْرِي عَلَى الْقُرْآنِ ; لِأَنَّ عِيسَى يَجْرِي عَلَيْهِ نَسَمَةٌ وَمَوْلُودٌ وَطِفْلٌ وَصَبِيٌّ وَغُلَامٌ يَأْكُلُ وَيَشْرَبُ وَهُوَ يُخَاطَبُ بِالْأَمْرِ وَالنَّهْيِ يَجْرِي عَلَيْهِ الْوَعْدُ وَالْوَعِيدُ هُوَ مِنْ ذُرِّيَّةِ نُوحٍ وَمِنْ ذُرِّيَّةِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَلَا يَحِلُّ لَنَا أَنْ نَقُولَ فِي الْقُرْآنِ مَا نَقُولُ فِي عِيسَى هَلْ سَمِعْتُمُ اللَّهَ يَقُولُ فِي الْقُرْآنِ مَا قَالَ عِيسَى؟ وَلَكِنَّ الْمَعْنَى فِي قَوْلِهِ - جَلَّ ثَنَاؤُهُ - {إِنَّمَا الْمَسِيحُ عِيسَى ابْنُ مَرْيَمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ وَكَلِمَتُهُ أَلْقَاهَا إِلَى مَرْيَمَ وَرُوحٌ مِنْهُ} [النساء: ١٧١] فَالْكَلِمَةُ الَّتِي أَلْقَاهَا إِلَى مَرْيَمَ حِينَ قَالَ: لَهُ كُنْ فَكَانَ عِيسَى بِـ كُنْ وَلَيْسَ عِيسَى هُوَ الْكُنْ، وَلَكِنْ بِالْكُنْ كَانَ فَالْكُنْ مِنَ اللَّهِ قَوْلُهُ: وَلَيْسَ الْكُنْ مَخْلُوقًا وَكَذَبَتِ النَّصَارَى وَالْجَهْمِيَّةُ عَلَى اللَّهِ فِي أَمْرِ عِيسَى وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ الْجَهْمِيَّةَ قَالُوا: عِيسَى رُوحُ اللَّهِ وَكَلِمَتُهُ ; لِأَنَّ الْكَلِمَةَ مَخْلُوقَةٌ.