Al-Rad 'ala al-Jahmiya - Ahmad Ibn Hanbal - (154)

Al-Rad 'ala al-JahmiyaAhmad Ibn Hanbal

Clarification of how the Jahmiyyah have construed the words of Allah, Exalted be He:

“No private conversation takes place among three but that He is their fourth, nor among five but that He is their sixth …”

Clarification of what the Jahmiyyah have taken from Allah’s words:
“No private conversation takes place among three but that He is their fourth, nor among five but that He is their sixth.”

They said:
“Allah is with us and within us.”

We replied:
Allah—majestic is His praise—says,
“Have you not considered that Allah knows whatever is in the heavens and whatever is on the earth”
(al-Mujādilah 58:7).

Then He said:
“No private conversation takes place among three but that He is their fourth”
(al-Mujādilah 58:7)—
meaning: Allah, through His knowledge, is their fourth;
“nor among five but that He”—meaning: Allah, through His knowledge—
“is their sixth; nor fewer than that nor more, but that He is with them”
meaning: He is with them by His knowledge wherever they may be;
“then He will inform them of what they did on the Day of Resurrection. Indeed, Allah is, of all things …”

He opens the statement with His knowledge and concludes the statement with His knowledge.1

And it is said to the Jahmite:
If Allah were truly with us in the grandeur of His very Essence, then ask him: “Will Allah pardon you for what you have placed between Him and His creation?”

(1) Ibn Batta states in al-Ibana, 3/144–145: The Jahmi sect argued from Allah’s words, “No private conversation of three takes place without Him being their fourth, nor of five without Him being their sixth, nor fewer than that or more except that He is with them wherever they may be” (Q 58:7), saying, “Allah is with us and within us.” They also cited, “Indeed, He encompasses all things” (Q 41:54). The scholars explain, however, that the verse beginning “No private conversation of three…” refers to His knowledge. Observe that He opens with, “Have you not seen that Allah knows what is in the heavens and on the earth? No private conversation of three takes place…”—so the pronoun “He” returns to His knowledge, not to His essence. The verse closes with, “Then He will inform them of what they did on the Day of Resurrection; Allah is Knowing of all things,” again linking the description to knowledge, thereby proving that what is meant is His knowledge and that He is aware of all their affairs.

بيان ماتأولت الجهمية من قول الله تعالى: {مَا يَكُونُ مِنْ نَجْوَى ثَلاثَةٍ إِلاَّ هُوَ رَابِعُهُمْ وَلا خَمْسَةٍ إِلاَّ هُوَ سَادِسُهُمْ} ... بيان ما تأولت الجهمية من قول الله: {مَا يَكُونُ مِنْ نَجْوَى ثَلاثَةٍ إِلاَّ هُوَ رَابِعُهُمْ وَلا خَمْسَةٍ إِلاَّ هُوَ سَادِسُهُمْ} قالوا: إن الله معنا وفينا. فقلنا: الله جل ثناؤه يقول: {أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَعْلَمُ مَا فِي السَّمَوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الأَرْضِ} [المجادلة: ٧] . ثم قال: {مَا يَكُونُ مِنْ نَجْوَى ثَلاثَةٍ إِلاَّ هُوَ رَابِعُهُمْ} [المجادلة: ٧] يعني الله بعلمه، {وَلا خَمْسَةٍ إِلاَّ هُوَ} يعني الله بعلمه {سَادِسُهُمْ وَلا أَدْنَى مِنْ ذَلِكَ وَلا أَكْثَرَ إِلاَّ هُوَ مَعَهُمْ} يعني بعلمه فيهم {أَيْنَ مَا كَانُوا ثُمَّ يُنَبِّئُهُمْ بِمَا عَمِلُوا يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ} يفتح الخبر بعلمه، ويختم الخبر بعلمه١. ويقال للجهمي: إن الله إذا كان معنا بعظمة نفسه فقل له: هل يغفر الله لكم فيما بينه وبين خلقه؟

١ قال ابن بطة في "الإبانة" "١٤٤/٣، ١٤٥": واحتج الجهمي بقول الله تعالى: {مَا يَكُونُ مِنْ نَجْوَى ثَلاثَةٍ إِلاَّ هُوَ رَابِعُهُمْ وَلا خَمْسَةٍ إِلاَّ هُوَ سَادِسُهُمْ وَلا أَدْنَى مِنْ ذَلِكَ وَلا أَكْثَرَ إِلاَّ هُوَ مَعَهُمْ أَيْنَ مَا كَانُوا} [المجادلة: ٧] . فقالوا: إن الله معنا وفينا، واحتجوا بقوله: {إِنَّهُ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ مُحِيطٌ} [فصلت: ٥٤] ، وقد فسر العلماء هذه الآية: {مَا يَكُونُ مِنْ نَجْوَى ثَلاثَةٍ} إلى قوله: {خَمْسَةٍ إِلاَّ هُوَ سَادِسُهُمْ وَلا} إنما عني بذلك: علمه، ألا ترى أنه قال في أول الآية: {أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَعْلَمُ مَا فِي السَّمَوَاتِ وَمَا فِي الأَرْضِ مَا يَكُونُ مِنْ نَجْوَى ثَلاثَةٍ إِلاَّ هُوَ رَابِعُهُمْ} فرجعت الهاء والواو من هو على علمه لا على ذاته. ثم قال في آخر الآية: {ثُمَّ يُنَبِّئُهُمْ بِمَا عَمِلُوا يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ بِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ عَلِيمٌ} فعاد الوصف على العلم، وبين أنه إنما أراد بذلك العلم، وأنه عليم بأمورهم كلها.