Majmu' al-Fatawa - Ibn Taimiya - (8/244)

Majmu' al-FatawaIbn Taimiya

The Shaykh—may Allah Most High have mercy on him—also said:

The hadith of ‘Alī—may Allah be pleased with him—recorded in al-Sahīh recounts how the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—visited him and Fātimah at night while they were asleep and said, “Will you two not pray?” ‘Alī replied, “O Messenger of Allah, our souls are in Allah’s hand: if He wills, He retains them, and if He wills, He releases them.” The Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—turned away, striking his thigh with his hand and saying:

“But man is, more than anything, prone to dispute.”

This hadith explicitly condemns those who invoke predestination to counter a command. For his words, “Our souls are in Allah’s hand,” and what follows, appeal to predestination to justify not complying with the command. Although this statement is true in itself, it cannot serve to counter the command. Rather, using it to counter the command is a form of the blameworthy disputation concerning which Allah said:

“But man is, more than anything, prone to dispute.”

Such people constitute one category of the “Qadariyyah,” and elsewhere Allah has described them as engaging in false disputation (*).

Shaykh Nāsir ibn Hamad al-Fahd stated (p. 73): The Shaykh’s statement here—may Allah have mercy on him—is repeated in the section on Quranic exegesis (15/229). The two passages derive from different copies, as indicated by slight differences between them. The most significant is in the final line of the present passage (8/244): “These constitute one category of the Qadariyyah, and elsewhere Allah has described them as engaging in false disputation.” The other passage (15/229) reads: “These constitute one category of the Qadariyyah, and I have classified them elsewhere; thus, false disputation.” The folio ends here, and the compiler—may Allah have mercy on him—added the annotation: “Blank in the original.” I say: The correct reading is: “And elsewhere Allah has described them as engaging in false disputation.” The second wording is a textual corruption. Allah Most High knows best.

وَقَالَ الشَّيْخُ - رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى -: حَدِيثُ عَلِيٍّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ الْمُخْرَجُ فِي الصَّحِيحِ لَمَّا طَرَقَهُ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَفَاطِمَةَ - وَهُمَا نَائِمَانِ - فَقَالَ {أَلَا تُصَلِّيَانِ فَقَالَ عَلِيٌّ يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إنَّمَا أَنْفُسُنَا بِيَدِ اللَّهِ إنْ شَاءَ أَنْ يُمْسِكَهَا وَإِنْ شَاءَ أَنْ يُرْسِلَهَا؛ فَوَلَّى النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ وَهُوَ يَضْرِبُ بِيَدِهِ عَلَى فَخِذِهِ وَهُوَ يَقُولُ {وَكَانَ الْإِنْسَانُ أَكْثَرَ شَيْءٍ جَدَلًا} } هَذَا الْحَدِيثُ نَصٌّ فِي ذَمِّ مَنْ عَارَضَ الْأَمْرَ بِالْقَدَرِ، فَإِنَّ قَوْلَهُ: {إنَّمَا أَنْفُسُنَا بِيَدِ اللَّهِ} إلَى آخِرِهِ. اسْتِنَادٌ إلَى الْقَدَرِ فِي تَرْكِ امْتِثَالِ الْأَمْرِ، وَهِيَ فِي نَفْسِهَا كَلِمَةُ حَقٍّ، لَكِنْ لَا تَصْلُحُ لِمُعَارَضَةِ الْأَمْرِ بَلْ مُعَارَضَةُ الْأَمْرِ فِيهَا مِنْ بَابِ الْجَدَلِ الْمَذْمُومِ الَّذِي قَالَ اللَّهُ فِيهِ: {وَكَانَ الْإِنْسَانُ أَكْثَرَ شَيْءٍ جَدَلًا} وَهَؤُلَاءِ أَحَدُ أَقْسَامِ " الْقَدَرِيَّةِ " وَقَدْ وَصَفَهُمْ اللَّهُ فِي غَيْرِ هَذَا الْمَوْضِعِ بِالْمُجَادَلَةِ الْبَاطِلَةِ (*) .

قال الشيخ ناصر بن حمد الفهد (ص ٧٣): وكلام الشيخ رحمه الله الذي هنا كرّر مرة أخرى في قسم التفسير (١٥/ ٢٢٩)، والموضعان من نسختين مختلفتين لوجود فروق يسيرة، أهمها: ما جاء في آخر سطر من هذا الموضع (٨/ ٢٤٤): (وهؤلاء أحد أقسام القدرية وقد وصفهم الله في غير هذا الموضع بالمجادلة الباطلة). وفي الموضع الآخر (١٥/ ٢٢٩): (وهؤلاء أحد أقسام القدرية وقد صنفتهم في غير هذا الموضع فالمجادلة الباطلة) وانتهت الورقة، وعلق الجامع رحمه الله على آخرها بقوله (بياض بالأصل) قلت: والصواب هو (وقد وصفهم الله في غير هذا الموضع بالمجادلة الباطلة)، وأما العبارة الثانية فهي تصحيف، والله تعالى أعلم.