Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (2/488)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

are identical to the essence (1). Thus, he has affirmed these meanings over and above the bare essence. We have discussed this at length elsewhere.

The Third Aspect:

It may be said: The basis of this doctrine is the position of those who affirm the attributes. It is not unique to the Ash‘arīs; rather, it is the position of all Muslim groups except the Jahmiyyah, such as the Mu‘tazilah (2) and those among the Shi‘ah who agree with them. We have already explained that this was the position of the early Imāmīs. If it was wrong, then the Imāmī authorities were mistaken; and if it was correct, then the later Imāmīs were mistaken (3).

The Fourth Aspect:

It may be said: The assertion, “They affirmed numerous eternal beings,” is an ambiguous and misleading expression, suggesting [the claim] that they (4) affirmed gods other than Allah as eternal, or affirmed (5) separate, eternal beings alongside Allah, [or that they affirmed (6) for Allah attributes of perfection subsisting in Him, such as life, knowledge, and power.

If you say:

“They affirmed gods other than Allah, or eternal beings separate from Allah,”]

(1) (N) reads: “Nor does he regard this … as the essence.” (B) and (A) read: “Nor does he regard this … nor this as the essence.” (Ayn) and (M) read: “Nor does he regard one of these as identical to another, nor these things as identical to the essence.” (2) (N) and (M) read: “the Jahmiyyah and the Mu‘tazilah.” (3) Mustajī Zādah added the following comment on this passage: “I say: This argument by the author is an effective rejoinder to the Rāfidah, since their early authorities, such as Hishām ibn al-Hakam and others, were among the Sifātiyyah, who affirmed the divine attributes. When the Rāfidah inclined toward the doctrine of the Mu‘tazilah under the Daylamites, they became like the Mu‘tazilah in negating the attributes and adopted their position.” (4) (B) and (A) read: “suggests that they.” (5) (B), (A), (N), and (M) read: “and they affirmed.” (6) (B) and (A) read: “and they affirmed.” In (N), the text from the beginning of this word through the phrase “this would have been a calumny …,” etc., is omitted.

هِيَ الذَّاتُ (١) ، فَقَدْ أَثْبَتَ هَذِهِ الْمَعَانِي الزَّائِدَةَ عَلَى الذَّاتِ الْمُجَرَّدَةَ، وَقَدْ بَسَطْنَا هَذَا فِي غَيْرِ هَذَا الْمَوْضِعِ. الْوَجْهُ الثَّالِثُ: أَنْ يُقَالَ: أَصْلُ هَذَا الْقَوْلِ هُوَ قَوْلُ مُثْبِتَةِ الصِّفَاتِ، وَهَذَا لَا تَخْتَصُّ بِهِ الْأَشْعَرِيَّةُ، بَلْ هُوَ قَوْلُ جَمِيعِ طَوَائِفِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ إِلَّا الْجَهْمِيَّةَ كَالْمُعْتَزِلَةِ (٢) وَمَنْ وَافَقَهُمْ مِنَ الشِّيعَةِ، وَقَدْ قَدَّمْنَا أَنَّ هَذَا الْقَوْلَ هُوَ قَوْلُ قُدَمَاءِ الْإِمَامِيَّةِ، فَإِنْ كَانَ خَطَأً فَأَئِمَّةُ الْإِمَامِيَّةِ أَخْطَأُوا، وَإِنَّ كَانَ صَوَابًا فَمُتَأَخِّرُوهُمْ أَخْطَأُوا (٣) . الْوَجْهُ الرَّابِعُ: أَنْ يُقَالَ: قَوْلُ الْقَائِلِ: إِنَّهُمْ أَثْبَتُوا قُدَمَاءَ كَثِيرِينَ، لَفْظٌ مُجْمَلٌ مُوهِمٌ [الْقَوْلَ] أَنَّهُمْ (٤) أَثْبَتُوا آلِهَةً غَيْرَ اللَّهِ فِي الْقِدَمِ، أَوْ أَثْبَتُوا (٥) مَوْجُودَاتٍ مُنْفَصِلَةً قَدِيمَةً مَعَ اللَّهِ، [أَمْ أَثْبَتُوا (٦) لِلَّهِ صِفَاتِ الْكَمَالِ الْقَائِمَةَ بِهِ كَالْحَيَاةِ وَالْعِلْمِ وَالْقُدْرَةِ. فَإِنْ قُلْتَ: أَثْبَتُوا آلِهَةً غَيْرَ اللَّهِ، أَوْ مَوْجُودَاتٍ قَدِيمَةً مُنْفَصِلَةً عَنِ اللَّهِ،]

(١) وَلَا يَجْعَلُ هَذَا. . هِيَ الذَّاتُ: كَذَا فِي (ن) ; وَفِي (ب) ، (أ) : وَلَا يَجْعَلُ هَذَا. . . وَلَا هَذِهِ هِيَ الذَّاتُ ; وَفِي (ع) ، (م) : وَلَا يَجْعَلُ هَذَا هُوَ هَذَا، وَلَا هَذِهِ الْأُمُورُ هِيَ الذَّاتُ. (٢) ن، م: الْجَهْمِيَّةَ وَالْمُعْتَزِلَةَ. (٣) كَتَبَ مُسْتَجِي زَادَهْ تَعْلِيقًا عَلَى هَذَا الْكَلَامِ مَا يَلِي: " قُلْتُ: وَهَذَا الْكَلَامُ مِنَ الْمُصَنِّفِ إِلْزَامٌ حَسَنٌ لِلرَّوَافِضِ إِذْ قُدَمَاؤُهُمْ مِثْلُ هِشَامِ بْنِ الْحَكَمِ وَغَيْرِهِ كَانُوا مِنَ الصِّفَاتِيَّةِ، فَلَمَّا مَالَتِ الرَّوَافِضُ إِلَى مَذْهَبِ الْمُعْتَزِلَةِ فِي عَهْدِ الدَّيَالِمَةِ كَانُوا مِثْلَ الْمُعْتَزِلَةِ فِي نَفْيِ الصِّفَاتِ وَقَالُوا بِمَقَالَتِهِمْ ". (٤) ب، ا: يُوهِمُ أَنَّهُمْ. (٥) ب، ا، ن، م: وَأَثْبَتُوا. (٦) ب، ا: وَأَثْبَتُوا. وَفِي (ن) سَقَطَ الْكَلَامُ مِنْ أَوَّلِ هَذِهِ الْكَلِمَةِ حَتَّى قَوْلِهِ: كَانَ هَذَا بُهْتَانًا. . . إِلَخْ.