Al-Tisʿīniyya - Ibn Taimiya - (2/501)

Al-TisʿīniyyaIbn Taimiya

He continued: When Moses returned to his people, they said (1), “Describe for us the speech of your Lord.” He replied, “Glorified is Allah! How could I possibly describe it to you?” They said, “Then give us a likeness.” He said, “Have you ever heard (2) the crashing thunderbolts that come with the sweetest sound you have ever heard? It is something like that.” (3)

His statement, “I have addressed you with the power of ten thousand tongues,” means: ten thousand languages; and, “I possess the power of all tongues,” that is, of every language—and I am mightier than that (4).

This shows that speech occurs by Allah’s power and ability, and that He is able to speak words more forceful than other words. It is an explicit affirmation of the view of these scholars, just as it plainly affirms that He spoke to him with a voice—and He could have spoken with a voice stronger than that, or with no voice at all (5).

A similar point is Aḥmad’s statement (6): “We said to the Jahmiyya, Who will be the One who says on the Day of Resurrection, {O Jesus} (7)? And we said (8), Who will be the One who says, {So We shall surely question those to whom a message was sent, and We shall surely question the messengers} (9)?”

(1) In Refutation of the Jahmiyya and the Heretics: “They said to him.” (2) In Refutation of the Jahmiyya: “Have you heard the sound of thunder…?” (3) This hadith was mentioned above. (4) After the word “that” there is a space the width of the word “in” in the original and in manuscript S, while manuscript T marks it with an asterisk. This gap separates his exposition of the hadith’s wording from the point he cites it to illustrate. (5) In the original and in manuscript S it reads “wa ka-annahu” (and it is as if), whereas the reading attested in manuscript T is the one approved. (6) In Refutation of the Jahmiyya and the Heretics, p. 132. (7) Qur’an, Sura al-Mā’ida (5):116. In his refutation of the Jahmiyya: “O Jesus, son of Mary, did you say to the people, ‘Take me and my mother as deities besides Allah’?” (8) In Refutation of the Jahmiyya: “We said.” (9) Qur’an, Sura al-A‘rāf (7):6.

قال: فلما رجع موسى إلى قومه قالوا (١) : صف لنا كلام ربك، فقال: سبحان الله!! وهل أستطيع أن أصفه لكم؟. قالوا: فشبهه، قال: أسمعتم (٢) الصواعق التي تقبل في أحلى حلاوة سمعتموها، فكأنه مثله (٣) . فقوله: إنما كلمتك بقوة عشرة آلاف لسان، أي: لغة، ولي قوة الألسن كلها، أي: اللغات كلها، وأنا أقوى من ذلك (٤) . فيه بيان أن الكلام يكون بقوة الله وقدرته، وأنه يقدر أن يتكلم بكلام أقوى من كلام، وهذا صريح في قول هؤلاء، كما هو صريح في أنَّه كلمه بصوت، وكان (٥) يمكنه أن يتكلم بأقوى من ذلك الصوت، وبدون ذلك الصوت. وكذلك قول أحمد (٦) : وقلنا للجهمية: من القائل يوم القيامة {يَا عِيسَى} (٧) . وقلنا (٨) : فمن القائل: {فَلَنَسْأَلَنَّ الَّذِينَ أُرْسِلَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَلَنَسْأَلَنَّ الْمُرْسَلِينَ} (٩) .

(١) في الرد على الجهمية والزنادقة: قالوا له. (٢) في الرد على الجهمية: قال: هل سمعتم أصوات الصواعق. . . (٣) هذا الحديث تقدم. (٤) بعد كلمة "ذلك" بياض بقدر كلمة في: الأصل، س، ونجمة في: ط. وهو فاصل بين بيانه لمفردات الحديث ووجه الاستشهاد منه. (٥) في الأصل، س: وكأنه. والمثبت من: ط. (٦) في الرد على الجهمية والزنادقة ص: ١٣٢. (٧) سورة المائدة، الآية: ١١٦. في الرد على الجهمية: {يَاعِيسَى ابْنَ مَرْيَمَ أَأَنْتَ قُلْتَ لِلنَّاسِ اتَّخِذُونِي وَأُمِّيَ إِلَهَيْنِ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ}. (٨) في الرد على الجهمية: قلنا. (٩) سورة الأعراف، الآية: ٦. =