Majmu' al-Fatawa - Ibn Taimiya - (14/338)

Section

Among the passages that mention punishment for the absence of faith is the statement of Allah Most High:

“And We turn their hearts and eyes away, just as they did not believe in it the first time, and leave them wandering blindly in their transgression.”

This continues His statement:

“And what will make you realize that, even if it came, they would not believe? And We turn their hearts and eyes away…”

He thus explains that this turning of their hearts occurred only because they did not believe in it the first time. This is the absence of faith.

But it may be said: this occurred only after the Messenger had called them, and they had abandoned faith and denied the Messenger. These are things with positive existence. Yet what warrants punishment is the absence of faith. What has been mentioned is a condition for punishment, comparable to the sending of the Messenger. A person may be distracted from faith by activities of a permissible kind—eating, drinking, trading, travelling, and so forth. He deserves punishment for activities of this kind only because they distract him from the faith obligatory upon him.

Some people say: “The opposite of faith is abandoning it. It is something with positive existence, and has no opposite other than that.”

فَصْلٌ: وَمِمَّا ذَكَرَ فِيهِ الْعُقُوبَةِ عَلَى عَدَمِ الْإِيمَانِ: قَوْله تَعَالَى {وَنُقَلِّبُ أَفْئِدَتَهُمْ وَأَبْصَارَهُمْ كَمَا لَمْ يُؤْمِنُوا بِهِ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ وَنَذَرُهُمْ فِي طُغْيَانِهِمْ يَعْمَهُونَ} وَهَذَا مِنْ تَمَامِ قَوْلِهِ {وَمَا يُشْعِرُكُمْ أَنَّهَا إذَا جَاءَتْ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ} {وَنُقَلِّبُ أَفْئِدَتَهُمْ وَأَبْصَارَهُمْ} الْآيَةَ فَذَكَرَ: أَنَّ هَذَا التَّقْلِيبَ إنَّمَا حَصَلَ لِقُلُوبِهِمْ لَمَّا لَمْ يُؤْمِنُوا بِهِ أَوَّلَ مَرَّةٍ وَهَذَا عَدَمُ الْإِيمَانِ. لَكِنْ يُقَالُ: إنَّمَا كَانَ هَذَا بَعْدَ دَعْوَةِ الرَّسُولِ لَهُمْ وَهُمْ قَدْ تَرَكُوا الْإِيمَانَ وَكَذَّبُوا الرَّسُولَ. وَهَذِهِ أُمُورٌ وُجُودِيَّةٌ لَكِنْ الْمُوجِبَ لِلْعَذَابِ: هُوَ عَدَمُ الْإِيمَانِ. وَمَا ذَكَرَ شَرْطٌ فِي التَّعْذِيبِ بِمَنْزِلَةِ إرْسَالِ الرَّسُولِ. فَإِنَّهُ قَدْ يَشْتَغِلُ عَنْ الْإِيمَانِ بِمَا جِنْسُهُ مُبَاحٌ - مِنْ أَكْلٍ وَشُرْبٍ وَبَيْعٍ وَسَفَرٍ وَغَيْرِ ذَلِكَ - وَهَذَا الْجِنْسُ لَا يَسْتَحِقُّ عَلَيْهِ الْعُقُوبَةَ إلَّا لِأَنَّهُ شَغَلَهُ عَنْ الْإِيمَانِ الْوَاجِبِ عَلَيْهِ. وَمِنْ النَّاسِ مَنْ يَقُولُ: ضِدُّ الْإِيمَانِ هُوَ تَرْكُهُ. وَهُوَ أَمْرٌ وُجُودِيٌّ لَا ضِدَّ لَهُ إلَّا ذَلِكَ.