Al-Radd ʿalā al-Manṭiqiyyīn - Ibn Taimiya - (333)

Al-Radd ʿalā al-ManṭiqiyyīnIbn Taimiya

Hence the Exalted One says:

“O you who believe! Obey Allah, obey the Messenger, and those in authority among you. Should you quarrel about anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger if you truly believe in Allah and the Last Day; that is best and fairest in outcome.” (Q 4:59)

Along with His messengers He sent down the Book and the Balance, as He, Most High, declares:

“We certainly sent Our messengers with clear proofs, and We sent down with them the Book and the Balance so that people might uphold justice. And We sent down iron, in which lies great might and benefits for mankind, so that Allah may know who supports Him and His messengers while unseen. Truly Allah is Strong, Almighty.” (Q 57:25)

He also says:

“Allah is the One who has sent down the Book in truth, and the Balance.” (Q 42:17)

Many Qur’anic commentators say that the Balance means “justice,” while others hold that it is whatever one uses to weigh things and thus to recognize justice.

They give the same explanation for His words:

“He raised the heaven and set the Balance.” (Q 55:7)

That is, the parables struck and the rational analogies that gather together what is alike and separate what is different.

Whenever the term Book occurs on its own, as in the verse,

“and He sent down with them the Book in truth so that it might judge between people concerning that over which they differed” (Q 2:213),

the Balance is included within it, because Allah has set forth in His Book parables and rational criteria by which truth and falsehood are distinguished.

The same principle applies to the word wisdom. At times it is mentioned together with the Book, as in:

“Allah has sent down to you the Book and wisdom” (Q 4:113),

and at other times the Book is mentioned alone, as in:

“All praise belongs to Allah who has sent down the Book upon His servant” (Q 18:1).

When the Book is mentioned alone, wisdom is understood to be encompassed within it. The same holds for the words Qur’an and faith. The Almighty says:

“Thus We have revealed to you a Spirit of Our command; you did not know what the Book was, nor faith, but We made it a light by which We guide whom We will among Our servants, and truly you guide to a straight path.” (Q 42:52)

ولهذا قال تعالى: {يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُولِي الأَمْرِ مِنْكُمْ فَإِنْ تَنَازَعْتُمْ فِي شَيْءٍ فَرُدُّوهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَالرَّسُولِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ ذَلِكَ خَيْرٌ وَأَحْسَنُ تَأْوِيلاً} وقد أنزل مع رسله الكتاب والميزان كما قال تعالى: {لَقَدْ أَرْسَلْنَا رُسُلَنَا بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ وَأَنْزَلْنَا مَعَهُمُ الْكِتَابَ وَالْمِيزَانَ لِيَقُومَ النَّاسُ بِالْقِسْطِ وَأَنْزَلْنَا الْحَدِيدَ فِيهِ بَأْسٌ شَدِيدٌ وَمَنَافِعُ لِلنَّاسِ وَلِيَعْلَمَ اللَّهُ مَنْ يَنْصُرُهُ وَرُسُلَهُ بِالْغَيْبِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ قَوِيٌّ عَزِيزٌ} وقال: {اللَّهُ الَّذِي أَنْزَلَ الْكِتَابَ بِالْحَقِّ وَالْمِيزَانَ} . والميزان قال كثير من المفسرين: "هو العدل" وقال بعضهم: "هو ما به توزن الأمور وهو ما به يعرف العدل" وكذلك قالوا في قوله: {وَالسَّمَاءَ رَفَعَهَا وَوَضَعَ الْمِيزَانَ} الامثال المضروبة والأقيسة العقلية التي تجمع بين المتماثلات وتفرق بين المختلفات وإذا أطلق لفظ الكتاب كما في قوله: {وَأَنْزَلَ مَعَهُمُ الْكِتَابَ بِالْحَقِّ لِيَحْكُمَ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ فِيمَا اخْتَلَفُوا فِيهِ} دخل فيه الميزان لأن الله تعالى بين في كتابه من الامثال المضروبة والمقاييس العقلية ما يعرف به الحق والباطل. وهذا كلفظ الحكمة تارة يقرن ب الكتاب كما في قوله: {وَأَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ عَلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ وَالْحِكْمَةَ} وتارة يفرد الكتاب كقوله: {الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ الَّذِي أَنْزَلَ عَلَى عَبْدِهِ الْكِتَابَ} وإذا أفرد دخلت الحكم في معناه وكذلك في لفظ القرآن والإيمان قال تعالى: {وَكَذَلِكَ أَوْحَيْنَا إِلَيْكَ رُوحاً مِنْ أَمْرِنَا مَا كُنْتَ تَدْرِي مَا الْكِتَابُ وَلا الإِيمَانُ وَلَكِنْ جَعَلْنَاهُ نُوراً نَهْدِي بِهِ مَنْ نَشَاءُ مِنْ عِبَادِنَا وَإِنَّكَ لَتَهْدِي إِلَى صِرَاطٍ مُسْتَقِيمٍ}