Al-Jawāb as-Sahīh li-man baddala dīn al-Masīh - Ibn Taimiya - (1/146)

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

whom He uses to exact vengeance upon those who disobey Him.

These people, then, reject him and disbelieve in him even more flagrantly than the first group, for not one of those kings ever claimed that Allah had revealed a Book to him, or that the words he was conveying were the very speech of Allah, or that Allah had commanded the people to believe everything he reported and obey every order he issued—warning that anyone who failed to believe him inwardly and outwardly would be punished by Allah in this world and the Hereafter.

Rather, those kings were sent by a purely creational dispatch that He had decreed and destined, just as He sends the wind as a form of punishment, and just as He sends the devils.

The Exalted said:

“We have indeed sent the devils against the disbelievers, driving them on incessantly.” (Maryam 19:83)

He, Most High, also said:

“We decreed for the Children of Israel in the Scripture, ‘You will surely cause corruption on the earth twice, and you will surely reach a great height of arrogance. So when the time of the first of the two came, We sent against you servants of Ours endowed with terrible might; they ravaged the homes, and the promise was fulfilled.’” (al-Isrāʾ 17:4-5)

This stands in clear contrast to His statement,

“Indeed, We sent Noah to his people.” (Nūḥ 71:1)

and His words, Exalted is He,

“Indeed, We have sent to you a Messenger as a witness over you, just as We sent to Pharaoh a messenger.” (al-Muzzammil 73:15)

يَنْتَقِمُ بِهِ مِمَّنْ عَصَاهُ، فَهَؤُلَاءِ أَعْظَمُ تَكْذِيبًا لَهُ، وَكُفْرًا بِهِ مِنْ أُولَئِكَ، فَإِنَّ هَؤُلَاءِ الْمُلُوكَ لَمْ يَقُلْ أَحَدٌ مِنْهُمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ أَنْزَلَ عَلَيْهِ كِتَابًا، وَلَا أَنَّ هَذَا الْكَلَامَ الَّذِي أُبَلِّغُهُ إِلَيْكُمْ هُوَ كَلَامُ اللَّهِ، وَلَا أَنَّ اللَّهَ أَمَرَكُمْ أَنْ تُصَدِّقُونِي فِيمَا أَخْبَرْتُكُمْ بِهِ، وَتُطِيعُونِي فِيمَا أَمَرْتُكُمْ بِهِ، وَمَنْ لَمْ يُصَدِّقْنِي بَاطِنًا وَظَاهِرًا، فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ يُعَذِّبُهُ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ، بَلْ هَؤُلَاءِ أَرْسَلَهُمْ إِرْسَالًا كَوْنِيًّا قَدَّرَهُ وَقَضَاهُ، كَمَا يُرْسِلُ الرِّيحَ بِالْعَذَابِ، وَكَمَا يُرْسِلُ الشَّيَاطِينَ قَالَ تَعَالَى: {أَنَّا أَرْسَلْنَا الشَّيَاطِينَ عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ تَؤُزُّهُمْ أَزًّا} [مريم: ٨٣] . وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: {وَقَضَيْنَا إِلَى بَنِي إسْرائِيلَ فِي الْكِتَابِ لَتُفْسِدُنَّ فِي الْأَرْضِ مَرَّتَيْنِ وَلَتَعْلُنَّ عُلُوًّا كَبِيرًا - فَإِذَا جَاءَ وَعْدُ أُولَاهُمَا بَعَثْنَا عَلَيْكُمْ عِبَادًا لَنَا أُولِي بَأْسٍ شَدِيدٍ فَجَاسُوا خِلَالَ الدِّيَارِ وَكَانَ وَعْدًا مَفْعُولًا} [الإسراء: ٤ - ٥] . وَهَذَا بِخِلَافِ قَوْلِهِ: {إِنَّا أَرْسَلْنَا نُوحًا إِلَى قَوْمِهِ} [نوح: ١] . وَقَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: {إِنَّا أَرْسَلْنَا إِلَيْكُمْ رَسُولًا شَاهِدًا عَلَيْكُمْ كَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا إِلَى فِرْعَوْنَ رَسُولًا} [المزمل: ١٥] .