Ithbāt Ṣifat al-ʿUlū - Ibn Qudama - (181)

Ithbāt Ṣifat al-ʿUlūIbn Qudama

hadith whom I met and from whom I received knowledge (1), such as Sufyan, Malik, and others: to affirm the testimony that there is no god but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah; (he mentioned certain matters and then said:) (2) and that Allah is upon His Throne in His heaven, yet He draws near to His creation however He wills; and that Allah, exalted is He, descends to the lowest heaven however He wills; and he went on to mention the rest of the creed (3).

93 – With this same chain (4) ʿAbd al-Rahman ibn Abi Hatim said: Yūnus ibn ʿAbd al-Aʿla narrated to us; he said: I heard Abū ʿAbd Allah Muhammad ibn Idris al-Shafiʿi (5) say—after he had been asked about the attributes of Allah (exalted is He) (6) and what a Muslim must believe concerning them:

‘Allah, exalted is He, has names and attributes that His Book sets forth and that His Prophet ﷺ conveyed to his community. No one among Allah’s creation, once the proof has reached him, may reject them; for the Quran was revealed with them, and it is authentically established from the Messenger of Allah ﷺ that he affirmed them, as the trustworthy narrators (7) transmitted from him. Whoever opposes them after the proof has been established against him is a disbeliever; but before the proof reaches him he is excused due to ignorance, because knowledge of these matters is not attained by reason, nor by sight and reflection. We therefore do not declare anyone an unbeliever on account of ignorance of them until the report concerning them reaches him. These attributes are affirmed, and we deny for them any resemblance, just as He denied resemblance for Himself when He said: “There is nothing like unto Him, and He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing.”

Al-Shafiʿi, may Allah have mercy on him, also said: “The caliphate of Abu Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, was decreed in Heaven, and Allah united upon it the hearts of the Companions of His Prophet ﷺ.” (8)

(1) The text enclosed in parentheses does not appear in copies H and R. (2) The text in parentheses is absent from the other manuscripts and from al-Dhahabi. (3) Al-Dhahabi records it in al-ʿUlu, judging its isnad to be weak. See al-ʿUlu, p. 120, and al-ʿilla by al-Hukkari. His condition is detailed above. (4) This phrase occurs only in the original manuscript. (5) It is not found in the other copies. (6) It is not found in the other copies. (7) In the original and in H and R it reads “al-ʿadl” (justice), with the emendation drawn from M. (8) This too comes via al-Hukkari, its status being the same as in the previous note. Imam al-Dhahabi includes it in Siyar Aʿlam al-Nubalaʾ, vol. 10, pp. 79–80, quoting Kitab al-ʿAqida al-Shafiʿiyya by al-Hukkari; however, the passage is not found there, where al-Shafiʿi states: “My position is contrary to that of Abu Bakr…,” etc.

الْحَدِيثِ الَّذِينَ رَأَيْتُهُمْ (فَأَخَذْتُ عَنْهُمْ) (١) ، مِثْلَ سُفْيَانَ، وَمَالِكٍ، وَغَيْرِهِمَا، الإِقْرَارُ بِشَهَادَةِ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ، وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ (وَذَكَرَ شَيْئًا ثُمَّ قَالَ:) (٢) وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ عَلَى عَرْشِهِ فِي سَمَائِهِ، يُقَرِّبُ مِنْ خَلْقِهِ كَيْفَ شَاءَ، وَأَنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى يَنْزِلُ إِلَى السَّمَاءِ الدُّنْيَا كَيْفَ شَاءَ وَذَكَرَ سَائِرَ الاعْتِقَادِ (٣) . ٩٣- (وَبِهَذَا الإِسْنَادِ) (٤) قَالَ عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ أَبِي حَاتِمٍ: ثَنَا يُونُسُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الأَعْلَى، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ أَبَا عَبْدِ اللَّهِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ إِدْرِيسَ الشَّافِعِيَّ ﵁ (٥) يَقُولُ -وَقَدْ سُئِلَ عَنْ صِفَاتِ اللَّهِ (تَعَالَى) (٦) وَمَا يُؤْمِنُ بِهِ- فَقَالَ: لِلَّهِ تَعَالَى أَسْمَاءٌ وَصِفَاتٌ، جَاءَ بِهَا كِتَابُهُ، وَأَخْبَرَ بِهَا نَبِيُّهُ ﷺ أُمَّتَهُ، لا يسمع أحدا مِنْ خَلْقِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى قَامَتْ عَلَيْهِ الْحُجَّةُ رَدَّهَا، لَأَنَّ الْقُرْآنَ نَزَلَ بِهَا، وَصَحَّ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ القول بها في ما رَوَى عَنْهُ (الْعُدُولُ) (٧) ، فَإِنْ خَالَفَ ذَلِكَ بَعْدَ ثُبُوتِ الْحُجَّةِ عَلَيْهِ فَهُوَ كَافِرٌ، فَأَمَّا قَبْلَ ثُبُوتِ الْحُجَّةِ فَمَعْذُورٌ بِالْجَهْلِ، لِأَنَّ عِلْمَ ذَلِكَ لَا يُدْرَكُ بِالْعَقْلِ، وَلَا بِالرُّؤْيَةِ وَالْفِكْرِ، وَلَا نُكَفِّرُ بِالْجَهْلِ بِهَا أَحَدًا إِلَّا بَعْدَ انْتِهَاءِ الْخَبَرِ إليه بها، وثبت هَذِهِ الصِّفَاتَ، وَنَنْفِي عَنْهَا التَّشْبِيهَ، كَمَا نَفَى التَّشْبِيهَ عَنْ نَفْسِهِ، فَقَالَ: ﴿لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ﴾ . وَقَالَ الشَّافِعِيُّ ﵁: خِلَافَةُ أَبِي بَكْرٍ ﵁ قَضَاهَا فِي سَمَائِهِ، وَجَمَعَ عَلَيْهِ قُلُوبَ أَصْحَابِ نَبِيِّهِ ﷺ (٨) .

(١) ما بين القوسين لا يوجد في (هـ) ، و (ر) . (٢) ما بين القوسين لا يوجد في النسخ الأخرى، ولا عند الذهبي. (٣) أورده الذهبي في العلو، وحكم بأن إسناده واه. انظر: العلو ص ١٢٠، والعلة للهكاري. وقد تقدم بيان حاله. (٤) هذه العبارة لا توجد في غير الأصل. (٥) لا توجد في النسخ الأخرى. (٦) لا توجد في النسخ الأخرى. (٧) في الأصل، وفي (هـ) ، و (ر) : "العدل" والتصحيح من (م) . (٨) وهذا أيضا عن طريق الهكاري، فحاله حال سابقه، وقد أورده الإمام الذهبي في سير أعلام النبلاء ١٠/٧٩-٨٠، نقلا عن كتاب عقيدة الشافعي للهكاري، وليس فيه، وقال الشافعي: خلافه أبي بكر ... إلخ.