Al-Radd ʿalā al-Jahmiyyah - Ibn Qutayba - (46)

Al-Radd ʿalā al-JahmiyyahIbn Qutayba

Transmitted through numerous channels by trustworthy narrators, these reports leave no room for doubt. When Allah, exalted be He, says, “Vision cannot encompass Him” (6:103) while the Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) declares, “You will see your Lord on the Day of Resurrection,” any discerning person understands that the promised vision occurs at a particular time, not at every time.

Moses’ request as recorded in the words, “My Lord, show Yourself to me so that I may look at You” (7:143), is an even clearer proof that He will be seen on the Day of Resurrection. Were it impossible to behold Allah under any circumstance, Moses would have been unaware of an attribute of his Lord that these objectors now claim to possess.

According to their reasoning, whoever affirms that Allah will be perceived by eyesight on the Day of Resurrection has, in their view, confined Him; whoever confines Him likens Him to created beings; and whoever likens Him to creation, they declare, has fallen into unbelief.

What, then, are we to say of Moses—from the moment Allah commissioned him and spoke to him from the bush until he said, “Show Yourself to me that I may look at You”? Shall we condemn him—God forbid—for likening Allah to His creatures and imposing limits upon Him? By Allah, it is inconceivable that Moses could have been ignorant of such an element of divine knowledge, were their assumption correct. Rather, Moses knew that Allah will indeed be seen on the Day of Resurrection; he merely asked to be granted in this world what Allah has reserved for His prophets and devoted servants on that Day. Allah replied, “You shall not see Me”—meaning, in this world—“but look at the mountain; if it remains firm in its place, then you will see Me” (7:143). Thus He informed him that the mountain itself would not withstand His Self-disclosure and would crumble to dust; if the mountains are unable to bear it, the child of Adam is even less capable—until Allah, on the Day of Resurrection, endows him with the strength to behold and lifts from his sight the veil that covered it in this life, so that his vision, once fatigued, becomes piercingly sharp.

Tajallī—Self-disclosure—means manifestation; one says, “I have polished the mirror or the sword” when clearing away rust so that their surfaces gleam, and “I have unveiled the bride” when bringing her forth.

(Refutation of those who deny the attribute of the Divine Self)

They further object to His words, “You know what is within myself, whereas I do not know what is within Yourself” (5:116).

به من الجهات الكثيرة عن الثقات. فلما قال الله – Exalté soit-Il –: ﴿لا تدركه الأبصار﴾ وجاء عن رسول الله ﷺ: ((ترون الله يوم القيامة)) لم يخف على ذي نظر أنه في وقت دون وقت. وفي قول موسى (عليه السلام) أيضاً: ﴿رب أرني أنظر إليك﴾ أبين الدلالة بأنه يرى في القيامة ولو كان الله لا يرى في حال من الأحوال ولا يجوز عليه النظر لكان موسى قد خفي عليه من صفة الله ما علموه. ومن قال إن الله يدرك بالبصر يوم القيامة فقد حده عندهم ومن كان الله عنده محدوداً فقد شبهه بالمخلوقين، ومن شبهه عندهم بالخلق فقد كفر. فما نقول في موسى فيما بين أن نبأه الله – Exalté soit-Il – وكلمه من الشجرة إلى الوقت الذي قال فيه: ﴿أرني أنظر إليك﴾ أنقضي عليه بأنه كان مشبهاً لله محدداً؟ لا لعمر الله ما يجوز أن يجهل موسى من الله مثل هذا لو كان على تقديرهم، ولكن موسى علم أن الله يرى يوم القيامة فسأل الله أن يجعل له في الدنيا ما أجله لأنبيائه وأوليائه يوم القيامة فقال: ﴿لن تراني﴾ يعني في الدنيا ﴿ولكن انظر إلى الجبل فإن استقر مكانه فسوف تراني﴾ أعلمه أن الجبل لا يقوم لتجليه حتى يصير دكاً وأن الجبال إذا ضعفت عن احتمال ذلك فابن آدم أحرى أن يكون أضعف، إلى أن يعطيه الله يوم القيامة ما يقوى به على النظر، ويكشف عن نظره الغطاء الذي كان في الدنيا فيصير بعد الكلال حديداً، والتجلي هو الظهور ومنه يقال جلوت المرآة والسيف إذا أظهرتهما من الصدأ وجلوت العروس إذا أبرزتها. (الرد عل نفاة صفة النفس) وقالوا في قوله: ﴿تعلم ما في نفسي ولا أعلم ما في نفسك﴾