Al-Iklīl fī al-Mutashābih wa-al-Taʾwīl - Ibn Taimiya - (7)

Al-Iklīl fī al-Mutashābih wa-al-TaʾwīlIbn Taimiya

And the second kind is never devoid of one of two possibilities: either the truth is fixed in it, never departing because of its strength joined to softness, or its softness is coupled with weakness and disintegration. The latter is the heart that is ill, whereas the former is the strong yet supple heart.

The heart, in fact, is like the limbs of the body. Take the hand, for instance: it may be stiff and dry, unable to bend or to grasp—or it may grasp only with violence; that is the likeness of the hard heart. Or it may be weak, diseased, and incapable on account of its frailty and sickness; that is the likeness of the heart afflicted with disease. Or it may grasp with both power and gentleness; that is the likeness of the heart that is knowledgeable and compassionate. By compassion it is freed from hardness, and by knowledge it is freed from illness, for the illness arises from doubts and deceptive ambiguities. Hence those who escape these two defects are described as possessing knowledge, faith, and humble submission.

His words, “so that those who have been granted knowledge may know that it is the truth from your Lord, and therefore believe in it, and their hearts humble themselves to it” ⦗Q 22:54⦘, prove that knowledge leads to faith; the people of knowledge have not, as a group of speculative theologians imagine, risen above the rank of faith. Rather, they combine knowledge and faith, as the Exalted says, “Yet those of them who are firmly grounded in knowledge, and the believers, believe in what has been revealed to you and what was revealed before you” ⦗Q 4:162⦘, and as He says, “Those who were given knowledge and faith will say, ‘You remained according to Allah’s decree…’ ” ⦗Q 30:56⦘.

In the same vein is His saying, “But those who are firmly grounded in knowledge say, ‘We believe in it; all of it is from our Lord’ ” ⦗Q 3:7⦘. Here He tells us that those endowed with knowledge recognize it as the truth from their Lord, while there He tells us that, when confronted with what is ambiguous, they declare, “We believe in it; all of it is from our Lord.”

و " الثاني " لا يخلو إما أن يكون الحق ثابتا فيه لا يزول عنه لقوته مع لينه أو يكون لينه مع ضعف وانحلال. فالثاني هو الذي فيه مرض والأول هو القوي اللين. وذلك أن القلب بمنزلة أعضاء الجسد كاليد مثلا فإما أن تكون جامدة يابسة لا تلتوي ولا تبطش أو تبطش بعنف فذلك مثل القلب القاسي أو تكون ضعيفة مريضة عاجزة لضعفها ومرضها فذلك مثل الذي فيه مرض أو تكون باطشة بقوة ولين فهو مثل القلب العليم الرحيم فبالرحمة خرج عن القسوة وبالعلم خرج عن المرض؛ فإن المرض من الشكوك والشبهات. ولهذا وصف من عدا هؤلاء بالعلم والإيمان والإخبات. وفي قوله: {وليعلم الذين أوتوا العلم أنه الحق من ربك فيؤمنوا به فتخبت له قلوبهم} دليل على أن العلم يدل على الإيمان ليس أن أهل العلم ارتفعوا عن درجة الإيمان - كما يتوهمه طائفة من المتكلمة - بل معهم العلم والإيمان كما قال تعالى: {لكن الراسخون في العلم منهم والمؤمنون يؤمنون بما أنزل إليك وما أنزل من قبلك} وقال تعالى: {وقال الذين أوتوا العلم والإيمان لقد لبثتم في كتاب الله} الآية. وعلى هذا فقوله: {والراسخون في العلم يقولون آمنا به كل من عند ربنا} نظير هذه الآية فإنه أخبر هنا أن الذين أوتوا العلم يعلمون أنه الحق من ربهم وأخبر هناك أنهم يقولون في المتشابه: {آمنا به كل من عند ربنا}