Majmu' al-Fatawa - Ibn Taimiya - (12/264)

Majmu' al-FatawaIbn Taimiya

anything but the reciter’s voice.” This reflects their ignorance, for Allah’s speech—indeed, any speech—may be heard directly from the one who speaks it, without an intermediary, or through a messenger conveying it. Allah Most High says:

“It is not for any human being that Allah should speak to him except by revelation, or from behind a veil, or by sending a messenger who reveals, by His permission, whatever He wills.”

Whoever says, “Allah has spoken to us through the Quran just as He spoke to Moses son of ʿImrān,” or, “We hear His speech just as Moses son of ʿImrān heard it,” is among the most ignorant and misguided of people.

If someone were to say, “We hear the Prophet’s speech—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—just as his Companions heard it from him,” his error would be obvious. What, then, of someone who says, “I hear Allah’s speech directly from Him just as Moses heard it”? Even if Allah spoke directly to Moses with a voice that Moses heard, the voices of created beings are not the Creator’s voice.

The same applies to His calling His servants with a voice heard by those far away just as it is heard by those nearby; His speaking revelation so that the inhabitants of the heavens and the earth hear His voice like the sound of a chain being dragged across smooth rock; and similar matters related in the scriptural texts and transmitted reports. None of these indicates that a creature’s attribute is the Creator’s attribute, or even that it resembles it. Rather, they indicate the distinction between the Creator’s attributes and those of created beings.

Thus, His speech is not like a creature’s speech; its meaning is not like the meaning of a creature’s speech; its letters are not like the letters of a creature’s speech; and His voice is not like a creature’s voice. Likewise, His knowledge is not like a creature’s knowledge, His power is not like a creature’s power, His hearing is not like a creature’s hearing, and His sight is not like a creature’s sight. For there is nothing like Allah, whether in His essence, His attributes, or His actions.

إلَّا صَوْتَ الْقَارِئِ وَهَذَا جَهْلٌ مِنْهُمْ فَإِنَّ سَمَاعَ كَلَامِ اللَّهِ بَلْ وَسَمَاعَ كُلِّ كَلَامٍ يَكُونُ تَارَةً مِنْ الْمُتَكَلِّمِ بِهِ بِلَا وَاسِطَةٍ وَيَكُونُ بِوَاسِطَةِ الرَّسُولِ الْمُبَلِّغِ لَهُ قَالَ تَعَالَى: {وَمَا كَانَ لِبَشَرٍ أَنْ يُكَلِّمَهُ اللَّهُ إلَّا وَحْيًا أَوْ مِنْ وَرَاءِ حِجَابٍ أَوْ يُرْسِلَ رَسُولًا فَيُوحِيَ بِإِذْنِهِ مَا يَشَاءُ} وَمَنْ قَالَ: إنَّ اللَّهَ كَلَّمَنَا بِالْقُرْآنِ كَمَا كَلَّمَ مُوسَى بْنَ عِمْرَانَ أَوْ إنَّا نَسْمَعُ كَلَامَهُ كَمَا سَمِعَهُ مُوسَى بْنُ عِمْرَانَ فَهُوَ مِنْ أَعْظَمِ النَّاسِ جَهْلًا وَضَلَالًا. وَلَوْ قَالَ قَائِلٌ: إنَّا نَسْمَعُ كَلَامَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ كَمَا سَمِعَهُ الصَّحَابَةُ مِنْهُ لَكَانَ ضَلَالُهُ وَاضِحًا فَكَيْفَ مَنْ يَقُولُ أَنَا أَسْمَعُ كَلَامَ اللَّهِ مِنْهُ كَمَا سَمِعَهُ مُوسَى وَإِنْ كَانَ اللَّهُ كَلَّمَ مُوسَى تَكْلِيمًا بِصَوْتِ سَمِعَهُ مُوسَى فَلَيْسَ صَوْتُ الْمَخْلُوقِينَ صَوْتًا لِلْخَالِقِ. وَكَذَلِكَ مُنَادَاتُهُ لِعِبَادِهِ بِصَوْتِ يَسْمَعُهُ مَنْ بَعُدَ كَمَا يَسْمَعُهُ مَنْ قُرِبَ وَتَكَلُّمُهُ بِالْوَحْيِ حَتَّى يَسْمَعَ أَهْلُ السَّمَوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ صَوْتَهُ كَجَرِّ السِّلْسِلَةِ عَلَى الصَّفَا وَأَمْثَالُ ذَلِكَ مِمَّا جَاءَتْ بِهِ النُّصُوصُ وَالْآثَارُ كُلُّهَا لَيْسَ فِيهَا أَنَّ صِفَةَ الْمَخْلُوقِ هِيَ صِفَةُ الْخَالِقِ؛ بَلْ وَلَا مِثْلُهَا بَلْ فِيهَا الدَّلَالَةُ عَلَى الْفَرْقِ بَيْنَ صِفَةِ الْخَالِقِ وَبَيْنَ صِفَةِ الْمَخْلُوقِ فَلَيْسَ كَلَامُهُ مِثْلَ كَلَامِهِ وَلَا مَعْنَاهُ مِثْلُ مَعْنَاهُ وَلَا حَرْفُهُ مِثْلُ حَرْفِهِ وَلَا صَوْتُهُ مِثْلُ صَوْتِهِ كَمَا أَنَّهُ لَيْسَ عِلْمُهُ مِثْلَ عِلْمِهِ وَلَا قُدْرَتُهُ مِثْلَ قُدْرَتِهِ وَلَا سَمْعُهُ مِثْلَ سَمْعِهِ وَلَا بَصَرُهُ مِثْلَ بَصَرِهِ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ لَا فِي ذَاتِهِ وَلَا فِي صِفَاتِهِ وَلَا فِي أَفْعَالِهِ.