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of everything,” He is not referring to His speech together with the created things.
Allah said to Moses,
“And I have prepared you for Myself” [Ṭā Hā 20:41],
and He said,
“Allah warns you of Himself” [Āl ʿImrān 3:30].
He also said,
“Your Lord has written mercy upon Himself” [Al-Anʿām 6:54],
and,
“You know what is within my soul, and I do not know what is within Yours” [Al-Māʾidah 5:116].
Then He said,
“Every soul shall taste death” [Āl ʿImrān 3:185].
Anyone who reflects on Allah’s words realises that He is not including His own Self among the souls that taste death, even though He mentioned “every soul.”
Likewise, when He says,
“Creator of everything” [Al-Anʿām 6:102],
He does not mean His own Self, His knowledge, or His speech along with the created things.¹
(1) Ibn Batta – may Allah have mercy on him – writes in al-Ibana ‘an shariʿat al-firqa al-najiya, 171/2–172:
One may answer him thus: Your claim that the word “all” (kull) necessarily embraces every single thing is refuted by the Quran itself. Allah the Exalted says:
“Every soul shall taste death” (Al ʿImran 3:185); yet Allah – exalted is He – possesses a nafs (self) that is not included in that universality. In the same way, His speech is a “thing” that is not subsumed under created things, for He also says:
“Everything shall perish except His Face” (Al-Qasas 28:88), and: “Rely upon the Living One who does not die” (Al-Furqan 25:58).
If you allege that Allah has no nafs, the Quran exposes your error. Allah Most High says: “Your Lord has prescribed mercy for His nafs” (Al-Anʿam 6:54); “Allah warns you about His nafs” (Al ʿImran 3:28); “I have fashioned you for My nafs” (Ta Ha 20:41); and, reporting the words of Jesus: “You know what is within my nafs, whereas I do not know what is within Your nafs” (Al-Maʾida 5:116).
Anyone who believes in Allah and the Last Day knows that the Book of Allah is true and that whatever it affirms is true: Allah has a nafs, His nafs does not die, and therefore His nafs is outside the scope of the verse “Every soul shall taste death” (Al ʿImran 3:185).
Likewise, His speech is excluded from created speech, just as His nafs is excluded from the souls that die.
كُلِّ شَيْءٍ} لا يعني كلامه مع الأشياء المخلوقة.
وقال الله لموسى:
{وَاصْطَنَعْتُكَ لِنَفْسِي}
[طه: ٤١]
{وَيُحَذِّرُكُمُ اللَّهُ نَفْسَهُ}
[آل عمران: ٣٠]
.
وقال:
{كَتَبَ رَبُّكُمْ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ الرَّحْمَةَ}
[الأنعام: ٥٤]
.
وقال:
{تَعْلَمُ مَا فِي نَفْسِي وَلا أَعْلَمُ مَا فِي نَفْسِكَ}
[المائدة: ١١٦]
.
ثم قال:
{كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَائِقَةُ الْمَوْتِ}
[آل عمران: ١٨٥]
.
فقد عرف من عقل عن الله أنه لا يعني نفسه مع الأنفس التي تذوق الموت، وقد ذكر الله -عز وجل- كل نفس،
فكذلك إذا قال:
{خَالِقُ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ}
[الأنعام: ١٠٢]
لا يعني نفسه ولا علمه ولا كلامه مع الأشياء المخلوقة١.
١ قال ابن بطة -رحمه الله- في كتاب "الإبانة عن شريعة الفرقة الناجية" "١٧١/٢، ١٧٢": فيقال له: أما قولك: إن الكل يجمع كل شيء، فقد رد الله عليك ذلك وأكذبك القرآن، قال الله تعالى: {كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَائِقَةُ الْمَوْتِ} [آل عمران: ١٨٥] ولله -عز وجل- نفس لا تدخل في هذا الكل، وكذلك كلامه شيء لا يدخل في الأشياء المخلوقة، كما قال: {كُلُّ شَيْءٍ هَالِكٌ إِلاَّ وَجْهَهُ} [القصص: ٨٨] ، وقال: {وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَى الْحَيِّ الَّذِي لا يَمُوتُ} [الفرقان: ٥٨] فإن زعمت أن الله لا نفس له، لقد أكذبك القرآن ورد عليك قولك، قال الله تعالى: {كَتَبَ رَبُّكُمْ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ الرَّحْمَةَ} [الأنعام: ٥٤] ، وقال: {وَيُحَذِّرُكُمُ اللَّهُ نَفْسَهُ} [آل عمران: ٢٨] وقال: {وَاصْطَنَعْتُكَ لِنَفْسِي} [طه: ٤١] ، وقال فيما حكاه عن عيسى: {تَعْلَمُ مَا فِي نَفْسِي وَلا أَعْلَمُ مَا فِي نَفْسِكَ} [المائدة: ١١٦] فقد علم من آمن بالله واليوم الآخر أن كتاب الله حق، وما قاله فيه حق، وأن لله نفسًا وأن نفسه لا تموت، وأن قوله: {كُلُّ نَفْسٍ ذَائِقَةُ الْمَوْتِ} [آل عمران: ١٨٥] لا تدخل في هذا نفس الله.
وكذلك يخرج كلامه من الكلام المخلوق، كما تخرج نفسه من الأنفس التي تموت =