Darʾ Taʿâroud al-ʿAql wa-n-Naql - Ibn Taimiya - (5/37)

Darʾ Taʿâroud al-ʿAql wa-n-NaqlIbn Taimiya

one eternal being. The Kullābīs and Ash'arīs affirmed eternal entities subsisting in the essence of the Creator, exalted is He. Among these is an entity that makes Him knowing, without which He would not be knowing; an entity that makes Him powerful, without which He would not be powerful; and an entity that makes Him living, without which He would not be living. The same applies to hearing, sight, and will.

They also affirmed that His speech is eternal. They said that these properties are neither Allah, nor other than Him, nor a part of Him; and that each is neither identical with another, nor other than it, nor a part of it. They said that if nothing existed except the essence of the Creator, exalted is He, alone, He would be neither powerful, nor knowing, nor living. In our view, however, Allah, exalted is He, is powerful, knowing, and living by virtue of His essence. By this we mean that His essence is distinguished from all other essences in a way that necessarily entails His knowing things, having power over an unlimited range of things, and being living. He needs no property through which He is powerful, no property through which He knows, and no property through which He lives. Even if nothing existed except Allah’s essence alone, He would, in our view, be knowing, living, powerful, hearing, and seeing.”

He said: “If they say, ‘Allah has knowledge, power, and life,’ they are to be told: ‘If you mean that He is powerful, knowing, and living, then yes: Allah has knowledge of everything and power over all things, without limit, in the sense that He is knowing, powerful, and living. But if by knowledge you mean an entity through which He is knowing, without which He would not be knowing, and which you call knowledge; if by power you mean an entity through which He is powerful, and which you call power; and if by life you mean an entity through which He is living, and which you call life—then Allah, exalted is He, has no need of that.’”

He said: “The dualists affirmed two eternal beings, neither of which subsists in the essence of the other: light and darkness. They attributed all good to light and all evil to

قديم واحد فالكلابية والأشعرية أثبتوا ذواتاً قديمة قائمة بذات الباري تعالى منها ذات توجب أن يكون عالماً ولولاها لم يكن عالماً وذات توجب كونه قادراً ولولاها لم يكن قادراً وذات توجب كونه حياً ولولاها لم يكن حياً وكذلك القول في السمع والبصر والإرادة. وأثبتت كلامه قديماً وقالوا هذه المعاني لا هي الله ولا غيره ولا بعضه وكل منها ليس هو الآخر ولا غيره ولا بعضه وقالوا لو لم يكن في ذات الباري تعالى وحده لكان غير قادر ولا عالم ولا حي وعندنا أن الله تعالى قادر عالم حي لذاته ونعني بذلك أن ذاته متميزة عن سائر الذوات تمييزاً يجب معه أن يعلم الأشياء ويقدر على ما لا نهاية له ويحيا ولا يحتاج إلى معنى به يقدر وإلى معنى به يعلم وإلى معنى به يحيا ولو لم يكن في الوجود إلا ذات الله تعالى فقط لكان عندنا عالماً حياً قادراً سميعاً بصيراً. قال فإن قالوا لله علم وقدرة وحياة قيل لهم إن أردتم بذلك أنه قادر عالم حي فنعم لله علم بكل شيء وقدرة على كل شيء مما لا نهاية له بمعنى أنه عالم قادر حي وإن أردتم بالعلم ذاتاً كان بها عالماً ولولاها ما كان عالماً تسمونها علماً وأردتم بالقدرة ذاتاً بالعلم قادراً تسمونها قدرة وأردتم بالحياة ذاتاً بها كان حياً تسمونها حياة فالله تعالى مستغن عن ذلك. قال وذهبت الثنوية إلى إثبات قديمين لا يقوم أحدهما بذات الآخر نور وظلمة ونسبوا الخير كله إلى النور ونسبوا الشر كله إلى