Majmu' al-Fatawa - Ibn Taimiya - (10/270)

Majmu' al-FatawaIbn Taimiya

of everyone who assents to something, “He has faith in it.” If someone said, “I accept as true that one is half of two, that the sky is above us and the earth beneath us,” or similar things that people observe and know, he would not be described as having faith in these things. Rather, this expression is used only in connection with someone reporting matters beyond direct observation, as Joseph’s brothers said:

“You will not believe us.”

They were reporting to him something he had not witnessed. They distinguish between believing someone and believing in something: the former expression applies to the person giving the report, and the latter to what is reported. Thus Joseph’s brothers said:

“You will not believe us.”

And the Exalted said:

“None believed Moses except some of his people’s offspring.”

The Exalted also said:

“Among them are those who offend the Prophet and say, ‘He listens to everyone.’ Say, ‘His listening is for your good: he believes in Allah and believes the believers.’”

He thus distinguished between his believing in Allah and his believing the believers, for the latter means that he accepts what the believers tell him as true, whereas his believing in Allah is a matter of acknowledging Him.

Another example is what the Exalted relates of Pharaoh and his chiefs:

“Shall we believe two human beings like ourselves?”

That is, shall we acknowledge them and accept what they say as true? Another example is His saying:

“Do you then hope that they will believe you, when a group of them used to hear the words of Allah and then knowingly distort them after understanding them?”

Another is the saying of the Exalted:

“So Lot believed him, and he said, ‘I am emigrating to my Lord.’”

Examples of the other meaning include the saying of the Exalted:

“They believe in the unseen.”

And His saying:

“The Messenger believes in what has been sent down to him from his Lord, and so do the believers. All believe in Allah, His angels, His Books, and His messengers: ‘We make no distinction between any of His messengers.’”

And His saying:

“Rather, righteousness is found in one who believes

لِكُلِّ مُصَدِّقٍ بِشَيْءِ: إنَّهُ مُؤْمِنٌ بِهِ. فَلَوْ قَالَ: أَنَا أُصَدِّقُ بِأَنَّ الْوَاحِدَ نِصْفُ الِاثْنَيْنِ وَأَنَّ السَّمَاءَ فَوْقَنَا وَالْأَرْضَ تَحْتَنَا وَنَحْوَ ذَلِكَ مِمَّا يُشَاهِدُهُ النَّاسُ وَيَعْلَمُونَهُ لَمْ يُقَلْ لِهَذَا: إنَّهُ مُؤْمِنٌ بِذَلِكَ؛ بَلْ لَا يُسْتَعْمَلُ إلَّا فِيمَنْ أَخْبَرَ بِشَيْءِ مِنْ الْأُمُورِ الْغَائِبَةِ كَقَوْلِ إخْوَةِ يُوسُفَ: {وَمَا أَنْتَ بِمُؤْمِنٍ لَنَا} فَإِنَّهُمْ أَخْبَرُوهُ بِمَا غَابَ عَنْهُ وَهُمْ يُفَرِّقُونَ بَيْنَ مَنْ آمَنَ لَهُ وَآمَنَ بِهِ فَالْأَوَّلُ يُقَالُ لِلْمُخْبِرِ وَالثَّانِي يُقَالُ لِلْمُخْبَرِ بِهِ كَمَا قَالَ إخْوَةُ يُوسُفَ {وَمَا أَنْتَ بِمُؤْمِنٍ لَنَا} وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: {فَمَا آمَنَ لِمُوسَى إلَّا ذُرِّيَّةٌ مِنْ قَوْمِهِ} . وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: {وَمِنْهُمُ الَّذِينَ يُؤْذُونَ النَّبِيَّ وَيَقُولُونَ هُوَ أُذُنٌ قُلْ أُذُنُ خَيْرٍ لَكُمْ يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَيُؤْمِنُ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ} فَفَرَّقَ بَيْنَ إيمَانِهِ بِاَللَّهِ وَإِيمَانِهِ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ؛ لِأَنَّ الْمُرَادَ يُصَدِّقُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إذَا أَخْبَرُوهُ وَأَمَّا إيمَانُهُ بِاَللَّهِ فَهُوَ مِنْ بَابِ الْإِقْرَارِ بِهِ. وَمِنْهُ قَوْله تَعَالَى عَنْ فِرْعَوْنَ وَمَلَئِهِ: {أَنُؤْمِنُ لِبَشَرَيْنِ مِثْلِنَا} أَيْ نُقِرُّ لَهُمَا وَنُصَدِّقُهُمَا. وَمِنْهُ قَوْلُهُ: {أَفَتَطْمَعُونَ أَنْ يُؤْمِنُوا لَكُمْ وَقَدْ كَانَ فَرِيقٌ مِنْهُمْ يَسْمَعُونَ كَلَامَ اللَّهِ ثُمَّ يُحَرِّفُونَهُ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا عَقَلُوهُ وَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ} وَمِنْهُ قَوْله تَعَالَى {فَآمَنَ لَهُ لُوطٌ وَقَالَ إنِّي مُهَاجِرٌ إلَى رَبِّي} . وَمِنْ الْمَعْنَى الْآخَرِ قَوْله تَعَالَى {يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْغَيْبِ} وَقَوْلُهُ: {آمَنَ الرَّسُولُ بِمَا أُنْزِلَ إلَيْهِ مِنْ رَبِّهِ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ كُلٌّ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَمَلَائِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ لَا نُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ أَحَدٍ مِنْ رُسُلِهِ} وَقَوْلُهُ: {وَلَكِنَّ الْبِرَّ مَنْ آمَنَ