Naṣīḥat al-Mulūk - Abu Hamid al-Ghazali - (9)

Naṣīḥat al-MulūkAbu Hamid al-Ghazali

The Foundations of Faith

Introducing the doctrinal basis that constitutes the root of faith

Know, O Sultan, that you are a created being and that you have a Creator—the Creator of the universe and of everything it contains. He has no partner; He is One without equal. He existed from pre-eternity, and His existence can never lapse; He will abide for all eternity, and His permanence will never come to an end. His being encompasses the eternal past and the everlasting future; non-existence can never gain access to Him. He exists by His very essence, while every being depends on Him, and He depends on no one. He exists through Himself, and the existence of all things is by Him.

Second Principle: Declaring the transcendence of the Exalted Creator

Know that the Originator—exalted be His remembrance—possesses neither form nor likeness. He does not descend into, nor dwell within, any mold. He is exalted above modality and measure, above the questions of “how” and “how much.” Nothing resembles Him, nor does He resemble anything. Whatever crosses the realms of imagination, fancy, or thought—of picturing, representing, or attributing a mode to Him—He is far above it, for such notions belong to the attributes of created beings, and He is their Creator; therefore He is not to be described by them. Exalted is His majesty: He is not in a place, nor upon a place, for place cannot confine Him. Everything in the universe lies beneath His Throne, and His Throne is under His power and subjugation. Before the Throne existed He already was, utterly free of any need for location; the Throne does not bear Him—rather, the Throne and those who bear it are borne by His grace and power. His establishment (istiwaʾ) upon the Throne is exactly as He has stated, in the manner He wills and with the meaning He intends—an establishment unsullied by settling, contact, occupation of space, indwelling, or movement. He—glorified be He—is above the Throne and above all things, down to the deepest depths of the earth, while at the same time He is near to every creature; indeed, He is nearer even to the one who thinks himself far away.

أصول الإيمان ابتداء قاعدة الاعتقاد الذي هو أصل الإيمان اعلم أيها السلطان أنك مخلوق ولك خالق وهو خالق العالم وجميع ما في العالم، وأنه لا شريك له، فرد لا مثل له، كان في الأزل وليس لكونه زوال، ويكون مع الأبد وليس لبقائه فناء، وجوده في الأبد والأزل وما للعدم إليه سبيل، وهو موجود بذاته، وكل أحد محتاج إليه وليس له إلى أحد احتياج، وجوده به ووجود كل شيء به. الأصل الثاني في تنزيه الخالق تعالى إعلم أن البارئ، تعالى ذكره، ليس له صورة ولا مثل، وأنه لا ينزل ولا يحل في قالب، وأنه تعالى منزّه عن الكيف والكم، وعن لماذا وكم، وأنه لا يشبه شيئاً ولا يشبه شيء، وكلما يخطر في الوهم والخيال والفكر من التخيل والتمثيل والتكيف فانه منزّه عن ذلك، لأن ذلك من صفات المخلوقين وهو خالقها فلا يوصف بها، وأنه تعالى جدّه ليس في مكان ولا على مكان، فإن المكان لا يحصره، وكل ما في العالم فإنه تحت عرشه، وعرشه تحت قدرته وتسخيره، وأنه قبل العرش كان فترها عن المكان وليس العرش بحامل له بل العرش وحملته يحملهم لطفه وقدرته، واستواؤه على العرش كما قال، وعلى الوجه الذي قال وبالمعنى الذي أراد، استواء منزهاً عن الاستقرار والمماسة والتمكن والحلول والانتقال، وهو سبحانه فوق العرش وفوق كل شيء إلى تخوم الثرى، وهو مع ذلك قريب من كل موجود، وهو أقرب الى البعيد