Al-Tisʿīniyya - Ibn Taimiya - (2/419)

Al-TisʿīniyyaIbn Taimiya

—through the Book and the Sunnah—while keeping silent about that of which knowledge has not become manifest, and by censuring anyone who denies what has been mentioned and (1) labors to acquire knowledge of what has not been mentioned. He said:

“Realize that you have no need to strain yourself to describe anything the Lord has not described of Himself, for your very inability to grasp the measure of what He has described proves the point. He has indicated that there are aspects of Himself (2) which He has not described, and He has forbidden presuming to describe them (3); for if one is incapable of knowing the extent of what He has described of Himself, then being incapable regarding what He has not mentioned is even more appropriate. He said: ‘When you do not know the measure of what He has described, why burden yourself (4) with seeking knowledge of that which He has not described?’”

He then added: “As for the one who rejects what the Lord has described of Himself, out of excessive delving and over-speculation, such a person argues—so he claims—in order to deny what the Lord has described and named of Himself, saying: ‘If He possessed such-and-such, then He would necessarily possess such-and-such.’ Thus he denies what the Lord has named of Himself on the pretext that the Lord remained silent about what He did not name.”

He further stated (5) in this passage that the Lord has, of His own accord, described and named of Himself whatever He wished to describe and name, and that He has remained silent about what He did not name. The Jahmiyya, however, repudiate what He has described and named, claiming that it entails certain consequences; they then negate those alleged consequences—matters about which the Lord has kept silent, neither affirming nor denying them.

He also clarified that the Jahmi denies the vision (6) of Allah because he knows that when Allah unveils Himself to them on the Day of Resurrection they will behold of Him what the believers had affirmed beforehand and what he himself had rejected. Thus he declared that the believers will see of Him on the Day of Resurrection what they had attested to in this world and what the Jahmiyya had denied, and that the Jahmi recognized that this vision necessarily confirms what he has repudiated; therefore he denied it.

(1) In edition T: “or.” (2) The text between angle brackets is an addition found in manuscripts s and T. (3) In manuscript s: taklif (obligation). (4) In manuscripts s and T: kallafaka (it imposed upon you). (5) In the original reading: fa sara (it thus became); this is confirmed in manuscripts s and T. (6) In the original reading: wa al ruya (and the vision); this is confirmed in manuscripts s and T. The discussion of the vision has already been presented above.

بالكتاب والسنة، والسكوت عما لم يظهر علمه، وذم من نفى ما ذكر و (١) تكلف علم ما لم يذكر فقال: اعرف غناك عن تكلف صفة ما لم يصف الرب من نفسه بعجزك عن معرفة قدر ما وصف منها، فذكر أن [من] (٢) نفسه ما لم يصفه، ونهى عن تكلف (٣) صفته، لأنَّ الذي وصفه من نفسه يعجز عن معرفة قدره، فالعجز عن ما لم يذكر أولى، قال: إذا لم تعرف قدر ما وصف فما تكلفك (٤) علم ما لم يصف؟ ثم قال: فأمَّا الذي جحد ما وصف الرب من نفسه تعمقًا وتكلفًا، مضاه يستدل بزعمه على جحد ما وصف الرب وسمى من نفسه بأنَّ قال: لا بد إلي كان له كذا من أن يكون له كذا، فجحد ما سمى الرَّبّ من نفسه بصمت الرَّبِّ عما لم يسم منها، فذكر (٥) -أيضًا- في هذا الكلام أن الرَّبَّ وصف من نفسه وسمى من نفسه ما وصف وسمى، وصمت عن ما لم يسم من نفسه، وأن الجهمية يجحدون الموصوف المسمى من نفسه بأنَّ ذلك يستلزم كذا، وينفون اللازم الذي صمت الرَّبّ عنه فلم يذكره بنفي ولا إثبات. ثم بين أن الجهمي ينكر الرؤية (٦) ، لأنَّه قد عرف إذا تجلى لهم يوم القيامة رأوا منه ما كانوا به قبل ذلك مؤمنين وكان له جاحدًا، فذكر أن المؤمنين يرون منه يوم القيامة ما صدقوا به في الدُّنيا وجحدته الجهمية، وأن الجهمي علم أن رؤيته تستلزم ثبوت ما جحده، فلذلك أنكرها

(١) في ط: أو. (٢) ما بين المعقوفتين زيادة من: س، ط. (٣) في س: تكليف. (٤) في س، ط: كلفك. (٥) في الأصل: فصار. والمثبت من: س، ط. (٦) في الأصل: والرؤية. والمثبت من: س، ط. وقد تقدم الكلام على الرؤية.