Majmu' al-Fatawa - Ibn Taimiya - (8/472)

Majmu' al-FatawaIbn Taimiya

As for Abū Lahab and others being charged with believing, this is indeed true. If he is commanded to affirm everything the Messenger says, while it is also declared that he will not affirm him but will die a disbeliever, there is no contradiction in this, nor is he commanded to combine two contradictories. He is commanded to affirm everything the Messenger conveys, but this affirmation will not come from him. If he is told, “We have commanded you to do something, and we know that you will not do it,” this does not amount to requiring him to combine two contradictories.

If he says, “Affirming everything you say entails that I become a believer if I affirm you. Yet if I affirm you, I will not be a believer, because you have declared that I will not believe everything I am told,” he is answered:

“Had you affirmed us, this report would not have been included, nor would it have been reported that you would not believe. You are capable of affirming us, and, supposing that you did so, this report would not be made. It was made only because you yourself did not do what you were capable of doing—affirming us regarding this report. Thus, it came after your rejection and your failure to do what you had been capable of doing. We did not say this to you when we commanded you to affirm everything, which you were capable of doing.

“Even if you were told, ‘Believe, though we know that you will not believe this report,’ what you were commanded to believe is the declaration that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. This you are capable of doing, but you do not do it. If you affirm our report that you will not believe, there is no contradiction here. It is, however, impossible to combine faith with affirming that report, for it has not occurred, and we have not commanded you to do this. Rather, we commanded you to have faith without qualification, which you are capable of, while also declaring that you will not do what you are capable of doing. We did not tell you, ‘Affirm both this and that at the same time.’ Rather, what is obligatory for you is

أَمَّا تَكْلِيفُ أَبِي لَهَبٍ وَغَيْرِهِ بِالْإِيمَانِ فَهَذَا حَقٌّ وَهُوَ إذَا أُمِرَ أَنْ يُصَدِّقَ الرَّسُولَ فِي كُلِّ مَا يَقُولُهُ وَأَخْبَرَ مَعَ ذَلِكَ أَنَّهُ لَا يُصَدِّقُهُ بَلْ يَمُوتُ كَافِرًا لَمْ يَكُنْ هَذَا مُتَنَاقِضًا وَلَا هُوَ مَأْمُورٌ أَنْ يَجْمَعَ بَيْنَ النَّقِيضَيْنِ فَإِنَّهُ مَأْمُورٌ بِتَصْدِيقِ الرَّسُولِ فِي كُلِّ مَا بَلَّغَ وَهَذَا التَّصْدِيقُ لَا يَصْدُرُ مِنْهُ فَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُ أَمَرْنَاكَ بِأَمْرِ وَنَحْنُ نَعْلَمُ أَنَّكَ لَا تَفْعَلُهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ هَذَا تَكْلِيفًا لِلْجَمْعِ بَيْنَ النَّقِيضَيْنِ. فَإِنْ قَالَ: تَصْدِيقُكُمْ فِي كُلِّ مَا تَقُولُونَ يَقْتَضِي أَنْ أَكُونَ مُؤْمِنًا إذَا صَدَّقْتُكُمْ وَإِذَا صَدَّقْتُكُمْ لَمْ أَكُنْ مُؤْمِنًا لِأَنَّكُمْ أَخْبَرْتُمْ أَنِّي لَا أُؤْمِنُ بِكُلِّ مَا أُخْبِرَ بِهِ قِيلَ لَهُ لَوْ وَقَعَ مِنْك لَمْ يَكُنْ فِيهِ هَذَا الْخَبَرُ وَلَمْ يَكُنْ يُخْبِرُ أَنَّكَ لَا تُؤْمِنُ فَأَنْتَ قَادِرٌ عَلَى تَصْدِيقِنَا وَبِتَقْدِيرِ وُجُودِهِ لَا يَحْصُلُ هَذَا الْخَبَرُ وَإنَّمَا وَقَعَ لِأَنَّكَ أَنْتَ لَمْ تَفْعَلْ مَا قَدَرْتَ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ تَصْدِيقِنَا بِهَذَا الْخَبَرِ فَوَقَعَ بَعْدَ تَكْذِيبِكَ وَتَرْكِكَ مَا كُنْتَ قَادِرًا عَلَيْهِ لَمْ نَقُلْ لَكَ حِينَ أَمَرْنَاكَ بِالتَّصْدِيقِ الْعَامِّ وَأَنْتَ قَادِرٌ عَلَيْهِ. وَلَوْ قِيلَ لَكَ آمِنْ وَنَحْنُ نَعْلَمُ أَنَّكَ لَا تُؤْمِنُ بِهَذَا الْخَبَرِ فَاَلَّذِي أُمِرْتَ أَنْ تُؤْمِنَ بِهِ هُوَ الْإِخْبَارُ بِأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ وَهَذَا أَنْتَ قَادِرٌ عَلَيْهِ وَلَا تَفْعَلُهُ وَإِذَا صَدَّقْتَنَا فِي خَبَرِنَا أَنَّكَ لَا تُؤْمِنُ لَمْ يَكُنْ هُنَا تَنَاقُضٌ لَكِنْ لَا يُمْكِنُ الْجَمْعُ بَيْنَ الْإِيمَانِ وَالتَّصْدِيقِ فَإِنَّهُ لَمْ يَقَعْ وَنَحْنُ لَمْ نَأْمُرْكَ بِهَذَا بَلْ أَمَرْنَاكَ بِإِيمَانِ مُطْلَقٍ تَقْدِرُ عَلَيْهِ وَأَخْبَرْنَا مَعَ ذَلِكَ أَنَّكَ لَا تَفْعَلْ ذَلِكَ الْمَقْدُورَ عَلَيْهِ وَلَمْ نَقُلْ لَكَ صَدِّقْنَا فِي هَذَا وَهَذَا فِي حَالٍ وَاحِدَةٍ لَكِنَّ الْوَاجِبَ عَلَيْكَ هُوَ