Majmu' al-Fatawa - Ibn Taimiya - (9/302)

of indivisible atoms or of matter and form may likewise regard the soul as a body; some who hold this view do so. Among those who understand “substance” to mean that which occupies space and is divisible, some consider the soul a substance. The correct view is that it is composed neither of indivisible atoms nor of matter and form, and that it does not belong to the category of familiar, observable bodies that occupy space. As for pointing to it, it can indeed be pointed to. It ascends and descends, leaves the body and is drawn out of it, as the scriptural texts attest and rational evidence indicates.

Section

As for the question, “Where in the body does it reside?” the spirit is not confined to any particular part of the body. Rather, it permeates the body, just as life—which is an accident—permeates the entire body. Life depends upon the spirit: when the spirit is in the body, the body is alive; when the spirit leaves it, life leaves it too.

مِنْ الْجَوَاهِرِ الْمُفْرَدَةِ أَوْ الْمَادَّةِ وَالصُّورَةِ فَبَعْضُ هَؤُلَاءِ قَالَ إنَّهَا جِسْمٌ أَيْضًا. وَمَنْ عَنَى بِالْجَوْهَرِ الْمُتَحَيِّزَ الْقَابِلَ لِلْقِسْمَةِ فَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَقُولُ إنَّهَا جَوْهَرٌ وَالصَّوَابُ أَنَّهَا لَيْسَتْ مُرَكَّبَةً مِنْ الْجَوَاهِرِ الْمُفْرَدَةِ وَلَا مِنْ الْمَادَّةِ وَالصُّورَةِ وَلَيْسَتْ مِنْ جِنْسِ الْأَجْسَامِ الْمُتَحَيِّزَاتِ الْمَشْهُودَةِ الْمَعْهُودَةِ وَأَمَّا الْإِشَارَةُ إلَيْهَا فَإِنَّهُ يُشَارُ إلَيْهَا وَتَصْعَدُ وَتَنْزِلُ وَتَخْرُجُ مِنْ الْبَدَنِ وَتُسَلُّ مِنْهُ كَمَا جَاءَتْ بِذَلِكَ النُّصُوصُ وَدَلَّتْ عَلَيْهِ الشَّوَاهِدُ الْعَقْلِيَّةُ. فَصْلٌ: وَأَمَّا قَوْلُ الْقَائِلِ أَيْنَ مَسْكَنُهَا مِنْ الْجَسَدِ؟ فَلَا اخْتِصَاصَ لِلرُّوحِ بِشَيْءِ مِنْ الْجَسَدِ بَلْ هِيَ سَارِيَةٌ فِي الْجَسَدِ كَمَا تَسْرِي الْحَيَاةُ الَّتِي هِيَ عَرَضٌ فِي جَمِيعِ الْجَسَدِ فَإِنَّ الْحَيَاةَ مَشْرُوطَةٌ بِالرُّوحِ فَإِذَا كَانَتْ الرُّوحُ فِي الْجَسَدِ كَانَ فِيهِ حَيَاةٌ وَإِذَا فَارَقَتْهُ الرُّوحُ فَارَقَتْهُ الْحَيَاةُ.