Majmu' al-Fatawa - Ibn Taimiya - (5/256)

Majmu' al-FatawaIbn Taimiya

Shaykh al-Islām Abū al-‘Abbās Ahmad ibn Taymiyyah—may Allah have mercy on him—was asked about two men who differed concerning belief. One said, “Whoever does not believe that Allah, glorified and exalted is He, is in heaven is misguided.” The other said, “Allah, glorified is He, is not confined to a place.” Both men follow the Shāfi‘ī school. Please explain which teachings of al-Shāfi‘ī’s creed—may Allah be pleased with him—we should follow, and what is correct concerning this matter.

The answer:

All praise is due to Allah. The creed of al-Shāfi‘ī—may Allah be pleased with him—and that of Islam’s early generations (*)—such as Mālik, al-Thawrī, al-Awzā‘ī, Ibn al-Mubārak, Ahmad ibn Hanbal, and Ishāq ibn Rāhawayh—is also the creed of the exemplary spiritual teachers, such as al-Fudayl ibn ‘Iyād, Abū Sulaymān al-Dārānī, Sahl ibn ‘Abd Allāh al-Tustarī, and others. These imams and others like them do not disagree concerning the fundamentals of religion.

The same applies to Abū Hanīfah—may Allah have mercy on him—for the beliefs reliably transmitted from him concerning Allah’s oneness, divine decree, and similar matters agree with theirs. Their creed is that held by the Companions and those who followed them in righteousness, and it is what the Quran and Sunnah declare.

(*) Shaykh Nāsir ibn Hamad al-Fahd stated (pp. 46–47): This fatwa is abridged, as indicated by expressions such as the following: 1. On p. 257: “Until he said: He is the One who created the heavens and the earth …” 2. On p. 258: “Until he said: Whoever believes that Allah is inside heaven …” 3. On p. 259: “After a lengthy discussion, he cited the hadith, ‘Every child is born upon the fitrah (natural disposition)’ …” This indicates that some of the shaykh’s words—may Allah have mercy on him—have been omitted. I have not found its original version among his published works. And Allah knows best.

سُئِلَ شَيْخُ الْإِسْلَامِ أَبُو الْعَبَّاسِ أَحْمَد بْنُ تَيْمِيَّة - رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ -: عَنْ رَجُلَيْنِ اخْتَلَفَا فِي الِاعْتِقَادِ، فَقَالَ أَحَدُهُمَا: مَنْ لَا يَعْتَقِدُ أَنَّ اللَّهَ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى فِي السَّمَاءِ فَهُوَ ضَالٌّ. وَقَالَ الْآخَرُ: إنَّ اللَّهَ سُبْحَانَهُ لَا يَنْحَصِرُ فِي مَكَانٍ وَهُمَا شَافِعِيَّانِ فَبَيِّنُوا لَنَا مَا نَتَّبِعُ مِنْ عَقِيدَةِ " الشَّافِعِيِّ " رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ وَمَا الصَّوَابُ فِي ذَلِكَ؟ الْجَوَابُ: الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ، اعْتِقَادُ الشَّافِعِيِّ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ - وَاعْتِقَادُ " سَلَفِ الْإِسْلَامِ " (*) كَمَالِكِ وَالثَّوْرِيِّ وَالْأَوْزَاعِي وَابْنِ الْمُبَارَكِ وَأَحْمَد بْنِ حَنْبَلٍ وَإِسْحَاقَ بْنِ رَاهَوَيْه؛ وَهُوَ اعْتِقَادُ الْمَشَايِخِ الْمُقْتَدَى بِهِمْ كالْفُضَيْل بْنِ عِيَاضٍ وَأَبِي سُلَيْمَانَ الداراني وَسَهْلِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ التستري وَغَيْرِهِمْ. فَإِنَّهُ لَيْسَ بَيْنَ هَؤُلَاءِ الْأَئِمَّةِ وَأَمْثَالِهِمْ نِزَاعٌ فِي أُصُولِ الدِّينِ. وَكَذَلِكَ أَبُو حَنِيفَةَ - رَحْمَةُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ - فَإِنَّ الِاعْتِقَادَ الثَّابِتَ عَنْهُ فِي التَّوْحِيدِ وَالْقَدَرِ وَنَحْوِ ذَلِكَ مُوَافِقٌ لِاعْتِقَادِ هَؤُلَاءِ وَاعْتِقَادُ هَؤُلَاءِ هُوَ مَا كَانَ عَلَيْهِ الصَّحَابَةُ وَالتَّابِعُونَ لَهُمْ بِإِحْسَانِ وَهُوَ مَا نَطَقَ بِهِ الْكِتَابُ وَالسُّنَّةُ.

(*) قال الشيخ ناصر بن حمد الفهد (ص ٤٦ - ٤٧): وهذه الفتوى مختصره، ففيها ما يدل على ذلك، كقوله في: ١ - ص ٢٥٧ (إلى أن قال: وهو الذي خلق السماوات والأرض. .). ٢ - وفي ص ٢٥٨ (إلى أن قال: فمن اعتقد أن الله في جوف السماء. . .). ٣ - وفي ص ٢٥٩ (وذكر بعد كلام طويل الحديث (كل مولود يولد على الفطرة). . .). وهذا مما يدل على كلام للشيخ رحمه الله محذوف. ولم أجد أصلها في المطبوع من كتبه، والله أعلم.