Al-Tisʿīniyya - Ibn Taimiya - (1/349)

Al-TisʿīniyyaIbn Taimiya

ʿAbd Allah ibn Kullāb said: Allah has never ceased to be speaking, and the Speech of Allah is an attribute subsisting in Him. He is eternal by virtue of His Speech, and His Speech inheres in Him just as knowledge inheres in Him and power inheres in Him; He is eternal by His knowledge and His power. Speech is neither a letter (1) nor a sound; it is not divided, partitioned, fragmented, or subject to variation. Rather, it is a single meaning that is with Allah, exalted be He. The rasm (written form) consists of the differing letters that make up the recitation of the Qur’an (2).

It is a mistake to say: “The Speech of Allah is He Himself,” or “a part of Him,” or “other than Him.” The phrases used to express the Speech of Allah differ and vary, whereas the Speech of Allah itself neither differs nor varies—just as our remembrance of Allah varies while the One remembered does not differ or vary.

The Speech of Allah was called “Arabic” for a reason: the rasm that serves as its expression (3)—namely, its recitation—is Arabic, so it was termed Arabic on that account. In the same way it is called “Hebrew” for a reason, namely that the written form that expresses it is Hebrew. Likewise, it is called a command for a reason, and a prohibition (4) for a reason, [and a report for a reason] (5).

Allah has ever been speaking before He named His Speech a command, (6) and before the cause on account of which He named (7) His Speech a command ever existed.

(1) In Maqalat it reads “bi huruf” (in letters). (2) In all manuscripts it reads “duna qira’at al-qari’” (without the reader’s recitation). The form preserved in Maqalat is “wa-huwa ma yastaqim bihi al-kalam” (and it is what maintains the coherence of the discourse). This aligns with his view that al-qira’a (the recitation) is not al-maqrū’ (the uttered), and that the maqrū’ depends on Allah; just as dhikr Allah (the mention of God) is not God Himself—the dhikr is eternal and ever-present, while its mention is a created event. Likewise, the maqrū’ has always existed—Allah has eternally spoken through it—whereas the qira’a is created and constitutes a human acquisition. See Maqalat al-Islamiyyin by al-Ashari, vol. 2, p. 270. (3) In all manuscripts it reads “wa-al-mudawwal” (and the transmitted). The form preserved in Maqalat renders the discourse coherent. (4) In Maqalat it reads “wa-sumiya nihyan” (and it was termed a prohibition). (5) The words enclosed in brackets are an addition found in S, T, and Maqalat. (6) In T the conjunction “wa-” is omitted. (7) In T it reads “yusamma” (it is called), whereas in Maqalat it reads “laha summiya” (it was called for it).

قال عبد الله بن كلاب: إن الله لم يزل متكلمًا، وإن كلام الله صفة له قائمة به، وإنه قديم بكلامه، وإن كلامه قائم به، كما أن العلم قائم به، والقدرة قائمة به، وهو قديم بعلمه وقدرته، وإن الكلام ليس بحرف (١) ولا صوت، ولا ينقسم، ولا يتجزأ، ولا يتبعض، ولا يتغاير وإنه معنى واحد بالله تعالى، وإن الرسم هو الحروف المتغايرة وهو قراءة القرآن (٢) ، وإنه خطأ أن يقال: كلام الله هو هو أو بعضه أو غيره وإن العبارات عن كلام الله تعالى تختلف وتتغاير، وكلام الله ليس بمختلف ولا متغاير، كما أن ذكرنا لله يختلف ويتغاير، والمذكور لا يختلف ولا يتغاير، وإنما سمي كلام الله عربيًّا، لأن الرسم الذي هو العبارة (٣) عنه وهو قراءته عربي، فسمي عربيًّا لعلة، وكذلك يسمى عبرانيًّا لعلة، وهي أن الرسم الذي هو عبارة عنه عبراني، وكذلك سمي أمرًا لعلة، ونهيًا (٤) لعلة، [وخبرًا لعلة] (٥) ولم يزل الله متكلمًا قبل أن يسمي كلامه أمرًا، و (٦) قبل وجود العلة التي بها سمى (٧) كلامه أمرًا،

(١) في المقالات: بحروف. (٢) في جميع النسح: دون قراءة القارئ. والمثبت من: المقالات. وهو ما يستقيم به الكلام. ويوافق رأيه في أن القراءة غير المقروء، والمقروء قائم بالله، كما أن ذكر الله غير الله، فالمذكور قديم لم يزل موجودًا، وذكره محدث، فكذلك المقروء لم يزل الله متكلمًا به، والقراءة محدثة مخلوقة وهي كسب الإنسان. راجع: مقالات الإسلاميين -للأشعري - ٢/ ٢٧٠. (٣) في جميع النسح: والمداول. والمثبت من: المقالات. والكلام يستقيم به. (٤) في المقالات: وسمي نهيًا. (٥) ما بين المعقوفتين زيادة من: س، ط، والمقالات. (٦) الواو ساقطة من: ط. (٧) في ط: يسمى. وفي المقالات: لها سمي.