Al-Tisʿīniyya - Ibn Taimiya - (1/187)

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As for their statement, “What we require him to believe is that he must negate from Allah any jiha (direction) and any taḥayyuz (spatial confinement)(1),” the reply may be set out in several points.

First: Neither this wording nor the meaning they intend by it is found in any of the books Allah revealed, nor is it transmitted from any of Allah’s prophets or messengers—neither the Seal of the Messengers nor anyone before him. It is likewise not preserved at all from the earliest generations(2) of this ummah or from its leading imams. Since this is so—and since it is known(3) that Allah has perfected for this community its religion, and that He has clarified for it(4) what it must avoid(5), as He says,

“Today I have perfected for you your religion …” (6) [Qur’an 5:3],

and He also says,

“Allah would never mislead a people after He has guided them until He makes clear to them what they must beware of.” (7) [Qur’an 9:115],

and since the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—made plain to the ummah the faith Allah commanded them to hold, just as the early generations and their imams did, it becomes clear, when these two matters(8) are taken together, that this assertion is not part of Allah’s religion, nor of

(1) In S: “wal-tahayyuz bihi.” (2) In S and T: “an ahad min salaf…” (i.e. “from one of the predecessors…”). (3) Text enclosed in brackets is an addition found in S and T. (4) The word “al-ummah” is omitted in T. (5) In the original text: “tanfeeh,” but the form confirmed by S and T. (6) Surah al-Maʾidah, verse 3. (7) Surah al-Tawbah, verse 115. (8) In the original text, S reads “al-majmuʿ,” but the form retained is that of T.

فصل وأما قولهم: الذي نطلب منه أن يعتقده أن ينفي الجهة عن الله والتحيز (١) . فالجواب من وجوه: أحدها: أن هذا اللفظ ومعناه الذي أرادوه، ليس هو في شيء من كتب الله المنزلة من عنده، ولا هو مأثورًا عن أحد من أنبياء الله ورسله، لا خاتم المرسلين، ولا غيره، ولا هو -أيضًا- محفوظًا عن سلف (٢) الأمة وأئمتها أصلًا، وإذا كان بهذه المثابة، وقد [علم أن الله] (٣) أكمل لهذه الأمة دينها، وأن الله بين لهذه الأمة (٤) ما تتقيه (٥) ، كما قال: {الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ} (٦) . . . الآية، وقال: {وَمَا كَانَ اللَّهُ لِيُضِلَّ قَوْمًا بَعْدَ إِذْ هَدَاهُمْ حَتَّى يُبَيِّنَ لَهُمْ مَا يَتَّقُونَ} (٧) ، وأن النبي - صلى الله عليه وسلم - بين للأمة الإيمان الذي أمرهم الله به، وكذلك سلف الأمة وأئمتها، علم بمجموع (٨) هذين الأمرين، أن هذا الكلام ليس من دين الله، ولا من

(١) في س: "والتحيز به". (٢) في س، ط: "عن أحد من سلف. . . ". (٣) ما بين المعقوفتين زيادة من س، ط. (٤) "الأمة": ساقطة من ط. (٥) في الأصل "تنفيه" والمثبت من: س، ط. (٦) سورة المائدة، الآية: ٣. (٧) سورة التوبة، الآية: ١١٥. (٨) في الأصل، س: "المجموع"، والمثبت من: ط.