Al-Tisʿīniyya - Ibn Taimiya - (3/800)

Al-TisʿīniyyaIbn Taimiya

those who came later any religion other than it.

Allah, exalted is He, says:
“Do they seek a religion other than Allah’s, when everything in the heavens and on the earth has submitted to Him—willingly or unwillingly—and to Him they will be returned? (83)
Say: We believe in Allah and in what has been sent down to us, and in what was sent down to Abraham, Ishmael, Isaac, Jacob, and the Tribes; and in what was given to Moses, Jesus, and the prophets from their Lord. We make no distinction between any of them, and to Him we submit. (84)
Whoever seeks a religion other than Islam, it will never be accepted from him, and in the Hereafter he will be among the losers.” (1)

Thus the religion Allah demands of His servants (2) is that they devote themselves to Him and yield to Him: that they worship Him alone and obey Him. That is Islam, and whoever pursues any other religion, it will not be accepted from him.

Similarly, He says in another verse:
“Allah bears witness that there is no god but Him—and so do the angels and those endowed with knowledge—upholding justice. There is no god but Him, the All-Mighty, the All-Wise. (18)
Indeed, the religion with Allah is Islam.” (3)

He stated that the religion with Allah is Islam after informing us of His testimony, and the testimony of the angels and those endowed with knowledge, (4) that there is no god but Him. A deity (ilāh) is the One who alone deserves worship. Therefore, whoever acknowledges that Allah is the Lord and Creator of everything yet still worships another besides Him is a polytheist with respect to his Lord, having taken a god alongside Him. Divinity is not simply the act of creating, or the power to create, or pre-eternity, (5) as those innovators among the scholastic theologians define monotheism. The idolaters—Arabs and others—whom Allah and His Messenger declared to be polytheists never doubted that Allah is the Creator and Lord of everything; had they

(1) Sura 3 (Al Imran), verses 83–85. In manuscript S: wa ilayhi turjaʿūn (and to Him you will return), which is erroneous. In the original text: qūlū āmannā billāh (say, “We have believed in God”), which is also erroneous. (2) In the original text: li-l-ʿibād (for the servants). This reading is attested by manuscripts S and T. (3) Sura 3 (Al Imran), verses 18–19. (4) In the original text and in manuscript S: awlu. This reading is attested by T. (5) In all manuscripts: huwa (he/it). I have supplied what I deemed appropriate for the text.

الآخرين دينًا غيره، قال تعالى: {أَفَغَيْرَ دِينِ اللَّهِ يَبْغُونَ وَلَهُ أَسْلَمَ مَنْ فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ طَوْعًا وَكَرْهًا وَإِلَيْهِ يُرْجَعُونَ (٨٣) قُلْ آمَنَّا بِاللَّهِ وَمَا أُنْزِلَ عَلَيْنَا وَمَا أُنْزِلَ عَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ وَإِسْحَاقَ وَيَعْقُوبَ وَالْأَسْبَاطِ وَمَا أُوتِيَ مُوسَى وَعِيسَى وَالنَّبِيُّونَ مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ لَا نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِنْهُمْ وَنَحْنُ لَهُ مُسْلِمُونَ (٨٤) وَمَنْ يَبْتَغِ غَيْرَ الْإِسْلَامِ دِينًا فَلَنْ يُقْبَلَ مِنْهُ وَهُوَ فِي الْآخِرَةِ مِنَ الْخَاسِرِينَ} (١) . فدين الله أن يدينه العباد (٢) ويدينون له، فيعبدونه وحده ويطيعونه، وذلك هو الإسلام له، فمن ابتغى غير هذا دينًا فلن يقبل منه، وكذلك قال في الآية الأخرى: {شَهِدَ اللَّهُ أَنَّهُ لَا إِلَهَ إلا هُوَ وَالْمَلَائِكَةُ وَأُولُو الْعِلْمِ قَائِمًا بِالْقِسْطِ لَا إِلَهَ إلا هُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ (١٨) إِنَّ الدِّينَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ الْإِسْلَامُ} (٣) . فذكر أن الدين عند الله الإسلام، بعد إخباره بشهادته وشهادة الملائكة وأولي (٤) العلم أنه لا إله إلا هو، والإله هو المستحق للعبادة، فأما من اعتقد في الله أنه رب كل شيء وخالقه، وهو مع هذا يعبد غيره، فإنه مشرك بربه متخذ من دونه إلهًا آخر، فليست الإلهية هي (٥) الخلق أو القدرة على الخلق أو القدم، كما يفسرها هؤلاء المبتدعون في التوحيد من أهل الكلام، إذ المشركون الذين شهد الله ورسوله بأنهم مشركون من العرب وغيرهم، لم يكونوا يشكون في أن الله خالق كل شيء وربه، فلو

(١) سورة آل عمران، الآيات: ٨٣ - ٨٥. في س: (وإليه ترجعون) وهو خطأ. في الأصل: (قولوا آمنا بالله) وهو خطأ. (٢) في الأصل: للعباد. والمثبت من: س، ط. (٣) سورة آل عمران، الآيتان: ١٨، ١٩. (٤) في الأصل، س: أولو والمثبت من: ط. (٥) في جميع النسخ: هو. وأثبت ما رأيته مناسبًا للكلام.