Al-Radd ʿalā man qāla bi-fanāʾ al-Janna wa-al-Nār - Ibn Taimiya - (60)

Al-Radd ʿalā man qāla bi-fanāʾ al-Janna wa-al-NārIbn Taimiya

And He, exalted is He, says:

“Indeed, the devils whisper to their allies so that they may dispute with you; and if you obey them, you will surely be polytheists.” (1)

He thus informs us that they inspire their human allies so that these may argue with you (2). Verses such as this make it clear that the unbelievers are allies of the devils; hence they are the people most deserving of inclusion in His words:

“Their human allies will say, ‘Our Lord, we benefited one another and have now reached the term You appointed for us.’ He will say, ‘The Fire is your abode, therein to remain, except as Allah wills. Truly your Lord is All-Wise, All-Knowing.’” (3)

Ibn Abī Ṭalḥah narrated from Ibn ʿAbbās:

“This verse implies that no one should presume to judge Allah with regard to His creation, assigning them either to Paradise or to Hell.” (4)

This shows that, in his view, the exception mentioned in the verse signifies the removal of punishment from them—precisely what the verse indicates. For this reason one must suspend judgment, neither determining on Allah’s behalf the fate of His creatures nor consigning them to Paradise or to Hell. This contradicts the view of those who say (5) that “except as Allah wills” refers to other kinds of punishment, or to the period of their stay before entry—from the time they are resurrected until they actually enter—for it is known that before entry they are not yet in it. It likewise opposes the opinion of those who maintain that the verse concerns the people of Paradise, for its wording explicitly addresses the unbelievers.

Al-Baghawī, however, reported that Ibn ʿAbbās said:

“The exception refers to a people concerning whom Allah had prior knowledge that they would accept Islam; they will therefore be taken out of the Fire.” (6)

He did not specify who transmitted (7) this from Ibn

(1) Surah al-Anʿām, 6:121. (2) In the original margin: "li yujādalū al-mu’minīn" (to argue with the believers), noting that it appears this way in another manuscript. (3) Surah al-Anʿām, 6:128. (4) This report (athar) was previously traced on p. 58. (5) In the original above it is "qāla" (he said), with a note indicating that it likewise appears thus in another copy. (6) Tafsīr al-Baghawī, entitled Maʿālim al-Tanzīl, 2:131. (7) In the original "qāla" is written, above which "naqala" (transmitted) appears, marked for correction and noted to occur likewise in another copy.

وقال تعالى: {وَإِنَّ الشَّيَاطِينَ لَيُوحُونَ إِلَى أَوْلِيَائِهِمْ لِيُجَادِلُوكُمْ وَإِنْ أَطَعْتُمُوهُمْ إِنَّكُمْ لَمُشْرِكُونَ} (١) . فأخبر أنهم يوحون إلى أوليائهم من الإنس ليجادلوكم (٢) ، فهذه وأمثالها تبين أن الكفار أولياء الشياطين، فهم أحق الناس بدخول في قوله: {وَقَالَ أَوْلِيَاؤُهُمْ مِنَ الْأِنْسِ رَبَّنَا اسْتَمْتَعَ بَعْضُنَا بِبَعْضٍ وَبَلَغْنَا أَجَلَنَا الَّذِي أَجَّلْتَ لَنَا قَالَ النَّارُ مَثْوَاكُمْ خَالِدِينَ فِيهَا إِلَّا مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ إِنَّ رَبَّكَ حَكِيمٌ عَلِيمٌ} (٣) . وقد قال ابن أبي طلحة، عن ابن عباس: "إن هذه الآية تقتضي أنه لا ينبغي لأحد أن يحكم على الله في خلقه، ولا ينزلهم جنة ولا نارا" (٤) . فدل على أن هذا الاستثناء عنده دفع العذاب عنهم، وهذا مدلول الآية، وأنه لأجل هذه الآية يجب أن يتوقف، فلا يحكم على الله في خلقه ولا ينزلهم جنة ونارا، وهذا يناقض قول من يقول (٥) سوى ما شاء الله من أنواع العذاب، وإلا مدة مقامهم قبل الدخول من حين بعثوا إلى أن دخلوا، فإن ذلك معلوم أنه قبل الدخول لم يكونوا فيها، وقول من يقول في أهل الجنة فإنها صريحة في تناول الكفار. لكن ذكر البغوي، أن ابن عباس قال: "الاستثناء يرجع إلى قوم سبق فيهم علم الله وأنهم يسلمون فيخرجون من النار" (٦) . ولم يذكر من نقل (٧) هذا عن ابن

(١) سورة الأنعام، الآية: ١٢١. (٢) مقابلة بهامش الأصل "ليجادلوا المؤمنين "مع الإشارة إلى كونه هكذا بنسخة أخرى. (٣) سورة الأنعام، الآية: ١٢٨. (٤) الأثر سبق تخريجه "ص٥٨". (٥) فوقها بالأصل "قال" مع الإشارة لكونها بنسخة أخرى. (٦) تفسير البغوي المسمى: "معالم التنزيل" ٢/١٣١. (٧) في الأصل "قال" ومكتوب فوقها "نقل" وعليها علامة التصحيح وعلامة كونها هكذا أيضا في نسخة أخرى.