Al-Furūsiyya - Ibn al-Qayyim - (الكتاب/119)

When people learn the requisite skills, train in them, and practice them before ever meeting the enemy, that instruction will, when the encounter finally comes, find them able to overcome their foe and prepared to face him. Each of the racers or archers wants to defeat his counterpart just as a fighter wants to defeat his opponent; he studies how to prevail over his companion in order (1) to prevail over his enemy.

The same holds true for the dialectic (2) conducted by scholarly disputants: each puts to his colleague objections (3), counter-arguments, and various questions that unsettle the other’s reply, all so that the truth of the matter may be uncovered. Then, if a purveyor of falsehood later debates him, he is ready to engage because of the experience he has already gained from disputing with his peer (4).

Scholarly disputation, therefore, is of two kinds. One is an exercise (5) and training in presenting proofs and dispelling doubts. The other is for upholding the truth and breaking (6) falsehood. The first is analogous to racing and archery, while the second is akin to jihad and combat—

(1) The Z manuscript reads “ghalabatu sahibihi bal ila ghalabati ʿaduwwihi” (“overcoming one’s companion—even to the point of overcoming one’s enemy”), whereas H and Mt replace this with the single word “ʿalayhi” (“against him”); the correct wording is the one retained in the main text. (2) Mt and H read “ka-hal” (“as a state”). (3) Mt and H have “sahibihi al-maniʿat” (“his companion, the preventers”). (4) Z records “mimma taqaddama lahu min al-munazara sahibihi” (“from what had previously reached him of debate with his companion”), while H and Mt give “bima taqaddama lahu bi-l-munazara maʿa sahibihi” (“for what had previously occurred to him through debate with his companion”). (5) H and Mt read “li-l-tamarrun” (“for training”). (6) Mt reads “li-nusrat al-haqq wa kabt al-batil” (“to support the truth and suppress falsehood”), whereas H has “li-nasr al-haqq, wa kabt al-batil” (“to aid the truth and suppress falsehood”).

فإذا تعلَّم الناس أسبابه وتدرَّبوا فيها وتمرَّنوا عليها قبل لقاء العدو = ألفاهم ذلك عند اللقاء قادرين على عدوهم، مستعدِّين للقائه، وكل من المتسابقين والمتناضلين يريد أن يغلب صاحبه كما يريد المقاتل أن يغلب خصمه، فهو يتعلَّم غَلَبة صاحبه، ليتوصل (١) إلى غلبة عدوه. وهذا كجدل (٢) المتناظرين في العلم؛ فإن أحدهما يورِد على صاحبه من الممانعات (٣)، والمعارضات، وأنواع الأسئلة ما يرد على الآخر جوابه، ليعرف الحق في المسألة، فإذا جادله مبطلٌ، كان مستعدًّا لمجادلته بما تقدَّم له من المناظرة مع صاحبه (٤). فالمناظرة في العلم نوعان: أحدهما: للتمرين (٥) والتدرُّب على إقامة الحجج ودفع الشبهات. والثاني: لنصر الحق، وكسر (٦) الباطل. والأول: يشبه السباق والنضال، والثاني: يشبه الجهاد وقتال

(١) في (ظ) (غَلَبة صاحبه بل إلى غلبة عدوه) وفي (ح)، (مط) (عليه) بدل (غلبة صاحبه) والصواب ما أثبت. (٢) في (مط)، (ح) (كحال). (٣) فى (مط) (ح) (صاحبه المانعات). (٤) في (ظ) (مما تقدم له من المناظرة صاحبه)، وفي (ح، مط) (بما تقدم له بالمناظرة مع صاحبه). (٥) في (ح، مط) (للتمرن). (٦) في (مط) (لنصرة الحق وكبت الباطل)، وفي (ح) (لنصر الحق، وكَبْت الباطل).