16
[The Convergence of Two Things under a Single Name That May Be Praiseworthy or Blameworthy]
Aḥmad—may Allah be pleased with him—said:
Realize that when two entities are brought together under one label, and one of them is higher in rank than the other, then if a term of praise is applied to both, the one of higher rank is more entitled to that praise and it will prevail in reference to him. Conversely, if a term of blame is applied, the lower of the two is the one to whom the blame is more appropriate.
Among the proofs of this is the Almighty’s word in His Book:
“Indeed, Allah is Most Kind and Most Merciful toward people.” [al-Ḥajj 22:65]
…“Thus We revealed to you a spirit from Our command; you did not know what the Book was, nor faith” (al-Shura 52), and: “So We sent it down as an Arabic Quran and set out in it many warnings, that they might fear, or that it might engender for them a reminder” (Ta Ha 113).
These verses show that the “newly-produced reminder” (dhikr muhdath) is what arises among the hearers and the one to whom it is taught and revealed. The Quran, however, is not muhdath with respect to God, and it is impossible to say that God ever was while the Quran was not. The Quran proceeds from God’s knowledge; whoever claims that it came into being later is in fact saying that God once existed without knowledge—without awareness of what the Quran contains, without His names, might, or attributes—until He later produced the Quran.
We do not call the Quran one of God’s temporal acts, nor do we say: “God was before it.” Rather, we affirm that God has always been knowing—without asking when or how He knew. The Jahmiyya confuse people, arguing: “Was not God the First, before everything, when nothing existed with Him?” The correct meaning of “God was before all things” is that He existed before the heavens, the earths, and every created entity. To say that He was “before His knowledge, before His power, before His wisdom, greatness, majesty, or light” is the discourse of zindiqs (heretics).
As for the verse, “No newly-produced reminder comes to them from their Lord …” (21 : 2 and similar), it refers to what God brings forth before His Prophet, his Companions, and the believers—fresh knowledge they had never heard, unannounced by any earlier book or messenger.
Have you not heard His words: “He found you unaware and guided you” (al-Duha 7), and His description of what the Quran brings about in the believers’ hearts when they hear it: “When they hear what has been sent down to the Messenger, you see their eyes overflow with tears from what they recognize of the truth” (al-Maʾida 83)? Thus, the Quran’s descent generates for us new knowledge, admonition, and fear; its effect upon us is indeed muhdath, whereas with our Lord—exalted is He—it is not produced anew.
[اجتماع الشيئين في اسم واحد يجري عليه المدح أو الذم]
قال أحمد رضي الله عنه:
اعلم أن الشيئين إذا اجتمعا في اسم يجمعهما فكان أحدهما أعلى من الآخر، ثم جرى عليهما اسم مدح، فكان أعلاهما أولى بالمدح وأغلب عليه، وإن جرى عليه اسم ذم فأدناهما أولى به،
ومن ذلك قول الله تعالى في كتابه:
{إِنَّ اللَّهَ بِالنَّاسِ لَرَءُوفٌ رَحِيمٌ}
[الحج: ٦٥]
= {وَكَذَلِكَ أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ رُوحًا مِنْ أَمْرِنَا مَا كُنْتَ تَدْرِي مَا الْكِتَابُ وَلا الإِيمَانُ} [الشورى: ٥٢] وقال: {وَكَذَلِكَ أَنزَلْنَاهُ قُرْآنًا عَرَبِيًّا وَصَرَّفْنَا فِيهِ مِنَ الْوَعِيدِ لَعَلَّهُمْ يَتَّقُونَ أَوْ يُحْدِثُ لَهُمْ ذِكْرًا} [طه: ١١٣] .
فأخبر أن الذكر المحدث هو ما يحدث من سامعين وممن علّمه وأنزل عليه إلا أن القرآن محدث عند الله، ولا أن الله كان ولا قرآن؛ لأن القرآن إنما هو من علم الله، فمن زعم أن القرآن هو بعد فقد زعم أن الله كان ولا علم ولا معرفة عنده بشيء مما في القرآن ولا اسم له ولا عزة له ولا صفة له حتى أحدث القرآن. ولا نقول: إنه فعل الله، ولا يقال: كان الله قبله، ولكن نقول: إن الله لم يزل عالِمًا، لا متى علم، ولا كيف علم، وإنما وهمت الجهمية الناس ولبست عليهم بأن يقول أليس الله الأول قبل كل شيء، وكان ولا شيء، وإنما المعنى في كان الله قبل كل شيء، قبل السموات وقبل الأرضين، وقبل كل شيء مخلوق، فأما أن نقول قبل علمه وقبل قدرته وقبل حكمته وقبل عظمته وقبل كبريائه وقبل جلاله وقبل نوره، فهذا كلام الزنادقة.
وقوله: {مَا يَأْتِيهِمْ مِنْ ذِكْرٍ مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ مُحْدَثٍ} فإنما هو ما يحدّث الله عند نبيه وعند أصحابه والمؤمنين من عباده، وما يحدثه عندهم من العلم وما لم يسمعوه، ولم يأتهم به كتاب قبله ولا جاءهم به رسول.
ألم تسمع إلى قوله عز وجل: {وَوَجَدَكَ ضَالاًّ فَهَدَى} [الضحى: ٧] وإلى قوله فيما يحدث القرآن في قلوب المؤمنين إذا سمعوه: {وَإِذَا سَمِعُوا مَا أُنزِلَ إِلَى الرَّسُولِ تَرَى أَعْيُنَهُمْ تَفِيضُ مِنَ الدَّمْعِ مِمَّا عَرَفُوا مِنَ الْحَقِّ} [المائدة: ٨٣] فأعلمنا أن القرآن يحدث نزوله لنا علمًا وذكرًا وخوفًا، فعلم نزوله محدث عندنا، وغير محدث عند ربنا عز وجل.