Majmu' al-Fatawa - Ibn Taimiya - (8/82)

Majmu' al-FatawaIbn Taimiya

People have also discussed “the reasons underlying religious rulings, commands, and prohibitions,” such as the commands to affirm Allah’s oneness, be truthful and just, establish prayer, pay zakah, fast, and perform Hajj, and the prohibitions against associating partners with Allah, lying, wrongdoing, and indecencies. Did He prescribe these things for a wise purpose, a benefit, and a reason that called for them? Or was this solely a matter of His will and sheer volition? Are the reasons assigned by revealed law to be understood as motives and impetuses, or as indicators and signs? Is it compatible with wisdom for Allah to forbid affirming His oneness, truthfulness, and justice, and to command associating partners with Him, lying, and wrongdoing, or not?

People have also discussed Allah Most High’s freedom from injustice: is He free from it despite having the power to commit it, or is injustice intrinsically impossible and therefore incapable of occurring? They have discussed Allah’s love, pleasure, anger, and displeasure: do these mean His will, or are they the created reward and punishment, or are they attributes more specific than will?

They have disagreed concerning the disbelief, wickedness, and disobedience that occur on earth: does He will, love, and approve of them just as He wills and loves everything else that happens? Or do they occur independently of His power and will, while He is unable to guide someone who is astray or lead astray someone who is rightly guided? Or do they occur by His power and will, such that nothing occurs in His dominion that He does not will, and He has consummate wisdom in all that He creates, while He hates and abhors these things and detests those who commit them, neither loves corruption nor approves of disbelief for His servants, and does not will it by His religious will, which entails His love and pleasure, even if He wills it by His universal will, which encompasses whatever He has ordained and decreed?

The subsidiary questions arising from this fundamental issue are numerous; this is not the place to examine them exhaustively.

وَقَدْ تَكَلَّمَ النَّاسُ فِي " تَعْلِيلِ الْأَحْكَامِ الشَّرْعِيَّةِ وَالْأَمْرِ وَالنَّهْيِ " كَالْأَمْرِ بِالتَّوْحِيدِ وَالصِّدْقِ وَالْعَدْلِ وَالصَّلَاةِ وَالزَّكَاةِ وَالصِّيَامِ وَالْحَجِّ وَالنَّهْيِ عَنْ الشِّرْكِ وَالْكَذِبِ وَالظُّلْمِ وَالْفَوَاحِشِ هَلْ أَمَرَ بِذَلِكَ لِحِكْمَةِ وَمَصْلَحَةٍ وَعِلَّةٍ اقْتَضَتْ ذَلِكَ؟ أَمْ ذَلِكَ لِمَحْضِ الْمَشِيئَةِ وَصَرْفِ الْإِرَادَةِ؟ وَهَلْ عَلَّلَ الشَّرْعُ بِمَعْنَى الدَّاعِي وَالْبَاعِثِ؟ أَوْ بِمَعْنَى الْأَمَارَةِ وَالْعَلَامَةِ؟ وَهَلْ يَسُوغُ فِي الْحِكْمَةِ أَنْ يَنْهَى اللَّهُ عَنْ التَّوْحِيدِ وَالصِّدْقِ وَالْعَدْلِ وَيَأْمُرُ بِالشِّرْكِ وَالْكَذِبِ وَالظُّلْمِ أَمْ لَا؟ وَتَكَلَّمَ النَّاسُ فِي تَنْزِيهِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى عَنْ الظُّلْمِ هَلْ هُوَ مُنَزَّهٌ عَنْهُ مَعَ قُدْرَتِهِ عَلَيْهِ أَمْ الظُّلْمُ مُمْتَنِعٌ لِنَفْسِهِ لَا يُمْكِنُ وُقُوعُهُ؟ وَتَكَلَّمُوا فِي مَحَبَّةِ اللَّهِ وَرِضَاهُ وَغَضَبِهِ وَسَخَطِهِ هَلْ هِيَ بِمَعْنَى إرَادَتِهِ أَوْ هِيَ الثَّوَابُ وَالْعِقَابُ الْمَخْلُوقُ أَمْ هَذِهِ صِفَاتٌ أَخَصُّ مِنْ الْإِرَادَةِ؟ وَتَنَازَعُوا فِيمَا وَقَعَ فِي الْأَرْضِ مِنْ الْكُفْرِ وَالْفُسُوقِ وَالْعِصْيَانِ هَلْ يُرِيدُهُ وَيُحِبُّهُ وَيَرْضَاهُ كَمَا يُرِيدُ وَيُحِبُّ سَائِرَ مَا يَحْدُثُ؟ أَمْ هُوَ وَاقِعٌ بِدُونِ قُدْرَتِهِ وَمَشِيئَتِهِ وَهُوَ لَا يَقْدِرُ أَنْ يَهْدِيَ ضَالًّا وَلَا يُضِلَّ مُهْتَدِيًا؟ أَمْ هُوَ وَاقِعٌ بِقُدْرَتِهِ وَمَشِيئَتِهِ؟ وَلَا يَكُونُ فِي مُلْكِهِ مَا لَا يُرِيدُ وَلَهُ فِي جَمِيعِ خَلْقِهِ حِكْمَةٌ بَالِغَةٌ وَهُوَ يُبْغِضُهُ وَيَكْرَهُهُ وَيَمْقُتُ فَاعِلَهُ وَلَا يُحِبُّ الْفَسَادَ وَلَا يَرْضَى لِعِبَادِهِ الْكُفْرَ وَلَا يُرِيدُهُ الْإِرَادَةَ الدِّينِيَّةَ الْمُتَضَمِّنَةَ لِمَحَبَّتِهِ وَرِضَاهُ وَإِنْ أَرَادَهُ الْإِرَادَةَ الْكَوْنِيَّةَ الَّتِي تَتَنَاوَلُ مَا قَدَّرَهُ وَقَضَاهُ؟ وَفُرُوعُ هَذَا الْأَصْلِ كَثِيرَةٌ لَا يَحْتَمِلُ هَذَا الْمَوْضِعُ اسْتِقْصَاءَهَا.