Al-Ṣafadiyyah - Ibn Taimiya - (2/241)

Al-ṢafadiyyahIbn Taimiya

Now, when these people imagined that human perfection lies solely in the mere knowledge of existence—and assumed that the notions they had set forth were sufficient for such knowledge—they concluded that, for the one who has attained this so-called “gnosis,” the prescribed acts of worship are no longer obligatory and the sacred prohibitions are no longer binding. They became a proverb, so that one writing a letter might say:

“They violated my sanctity just as the philosophers deem the prohibitions of the sacred laws permissible.”

For this reason the esoteric atheists (al-Bāṭiniyyah) adopted the same approach: they abolish the religious obligations for those of their adherents who have reached legal majority and permit to them what the Law has forbidden. Certain antinomian extremists who affiliate themselves with Sufism have followed a type of this path, although they do not reach the level of unbelief found among the outright atheists of the Ismāʿīlīs and the like—groups that claim affiliation with Shi‘ism while the Muslim Shi‘ites themselves unanimously declare them unbelievers. All of these factions stand far removed from the ḥanīfiyyah, the religion of Abraham, indeed from the mission of all the messengers.

God, exalted is He, sent the messengers to call creation to worship Him alone without partner, as He says:

“I did not create jinn and mankind except that they worship Me.” (Sūrat al-Dhāriyāt 51:56)

and He says:

“We sent no messenger before you without revealing to him, ‘There is no deity but I; so worship Me.’” (Sūrat al-Anbiyāʾ 21:25)

and He says:

“We certainly raised in every nation a messenger [proclaiming], ‘Worship God and shun false gods.’” (Sūrat al-Naḥl 16:36)

and He says:

“O people, worship your Lord who created you and those before you, that you may become God-fearing.” (Sūrat al-Baqarah 2:21)

He further relates that every prophet summoned his people to the same call. Concerning Noah, He stated:

“We certainly sent Noah to his people, and he said, ‘My people, worship God; you have no deity other than Him. I fear for you the punishment of a tremendous day.’” (Sūrat al-Aʿrāf 7:59)

and concerning Hūd

وهؤلاء لما ظنوا أن كمال الإنسان في أن يعرف الوجود فقط وظنوا أن ما ذكروه يحصل به معرفة الوجود ظنوا أن العارف منهم لا تجب عليه العبادات الشرعية ولا تحرم عليه المحرمات الشرعية حتى صار المثل يضرب بهم فيقول المترسل في رسائله: "إنهم استحلوا حرمتي كاستحلال الفلاسفة محظورات الشرائع" . ولهذا صارت الملاحدة الباطنية تسلك هذا المسلك فيسقطون الواجبات الشرعية عن البالغين منهم ويبيحون لهم المحرمات الشرعية والملاحدة الباطنية من الصوفية سلكوا نوعا من هذا وإن كانوا لا يصلون إلى إلحاد ملاحدة الإسماعيلية ونحوهم من المنتسبين إلى التشيع مع اتفاق الشيعة المسلمين على أنهم كفار وهؤلاء الطوائف براء من الحنيفية ملة إبراهيم بل من أتباع المرسلين كلهم. فإن الله تعالى أرسل الرسل ليدعوا الخلق إلى عبادته وحده لا شريك له كما قال تعالى: {وَمَا خَلَقْتُ الْجِنَّ وَالإِنْسَ إِلاَّ لِيَعْبُدُونِ} (سورة الذاريات ٥٦) وقال تعالى: {وَمَا أَرْسَلْنَا مِنْ قَبْلِكَ مِنْ رَسُولٍ إِلاَّ نُوحِي إِلَيْهِ أَنَّهُ لا إِلَهَ إِلاَّ أَنَا فَاعْبُدُونِ} (سورة الأنبياء ٢٥) وقال تعالى: {وَلَقَدْ بَعَثْنَا فِي كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ رَسُولاً أَنِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ وَاجْتَنِبُوا الطَّاغُوتَ} (سورة النحل ٣٦) وقال تعالى: {يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ اعْبُدُوا رَبَّكُمُ الَّذِي خَلَقَكُمْ وَالَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تَتَّقُونَ} (سورة البقرة ٢١) . وأخبر عن كل نبي أنه دعا قومه إلى ذلك فقال عن نوح: {وَلَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا نُوحاً إِلَى قَوْمِهِ فَقَالَ يَا قَوْمِ اعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مَا لَكُمْ مِنْ إِلَهٍ غَيْرُهُ إِنِّي أَخَافُ عَلَيْكُمْ عَذَابَ يَوْمٍ عَظِيمٍ} (سورة الأعراف ٥٩) وقال عن هود