Darʾ Taʿâroud al-ʿAql wa-n-Naql - Ibn Taimiya - (7/146)

and that it establishes the science of divine oneness and defends Allah’s religion.”

He said:

“Al-Shāfi‘ī, Mālik, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, Sufyān, and all the hadith scholars among the early generations held that it was forbidden. Ibn ‘Abd al-A‘lā said: ‘On the day al-Shāfi‘ī debated Hafs al-Fard—who was one of the Mu‘tazilite speculative theologians—I heard him say: “It is better for a servant to meet Allah with every sin except associating partners with Him than to meet Him with any involvement in speculative theology. I heard Hafs say things that I cannot bring myself to repeat.”’

He also said: ‘I have discovered things among the speculative theologians that I had never imagined. It is better for a servant to be afflicted with everything Allah has forbidden, except associating partners with Him, than to engage in speculative theology.’”

“He also said: ‘If people knew the wayward inclinations found in speculative theology, they would flee from it as they flee from a lion.’”

وإنه تحقيق لعلم التوحيد، ونضال على دين الله) . قال: (وإلى التحريم ذهب الشافعي ومالك وأحمد بن حنبل وسفيان وجميع أهل الحديث من السلف، قال ابن عبد الأعلى سمعت الشافعي يوم ناظر حفصاً الفرد - وكان من متكلمي المعتزلة - يقول: لأن يلقى الله العبد بكل ذنب ما خلا الشرك خير له من أن يلقاه بشيء من الكلام، وإني سمعت من حفص كلاماً لا أقدر أن أحكيه. وقال أيضاً: قد اطلعت من أهل الكلام على شيء ما كنت ظننته قط، ولأن يبتلى العبد بكل ما نهى الله عنه، ما عدا الشرك، خير له من أن ينظر في الكلام) . (وقال أيضاً: لو علم الناس ما في الكلام من الأهواء لفروا منه فرارهم من الأسد) .