Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (2/491)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

His own essence, for His essence necessarily entails knowledge, and knowledge necessarily entails His being knowing. His essence (1) is what necessitates both. [Thus, if (2) His essence is supposed to necessitate both, its necessitating both would be greater than its necessitating only one of them] (3), provided neither is a deficiency. It is well known that knowledge is a perfection and that His being knowing is a perfection. Thus, if His essence necessitates both, it is just as if it necessitated life and power.

The Seventh Aspect (4):

His statement, “They made Him dependent, in His being knowing, upon the existence of a meaning—namely, knowledge,” is misleadingly phrased. The term (5) “dependence” suggests that He needs someone to make Him knowing by imparting knowledge to Him. This is false. Rather, this follows necessarily from His essence: His essence necessitates both His knowledge and His being knowing. [The meaning of its necessitating this is that it necessarily entails it—that is, His essence can only be knowing—not that His essence brought knowledge into being or produced it] (6).

Whoever affirms both meanings says: He cannot be knowing unless He has knowledge. He is unquestionably knowing; therefore, He has knowledge. Thus, he regards this as a matter of inference and infers knowledge from His being knowing.

He says that His essence necessitates this; it is not that anything other than His essence made Him knowing or gave Him knowledge. Even if His essence were supposed to necessitate it through an intermediary, whatever necessitates the necessitating factor likewise necessitates its outcome. Similarly, His essence necessitates His being living and His being knowing, while knowledge is conditional upon life. It therefore cannot (7) be said that, in being knowing, He depends upon anything other than Himself,

(1) (N) and (M) read: *āliman bi-dhātihi* (“knowing by virtue of Himself”), which is a corruption. (2) (B) and (A) read: *wa-idhā* (“and if”). (3) The text in square brackets is omitted in (N) and (M). (4) (B), (A), (N), and (M) read: “The Eighth,” which is an error. (5) (B) reads: *fasla*; (A) reads: *fadla*, which is a corruption. (6) The text in square brackets appears only in (Ayn). (7) (B) and (A) read: *wa-lā* (“and not”).

ذَاتِهِ فَإِنَّ ذَاتَهُ مُسْتَلْزِمَةٌ لِلْعِلْمِ، وَالْعِلْمُ مُسْتَلْزِمٌ لِكَوْنِهِ عَالِمًا، فَذَاتُهُ (١) هِيَ الْمُوجِبَةُ لِهَذَا وَلِهَذَا، [فَإِذَا (٢) قُدِّرَ أَنَّهَا أَوْجَبَتِ الِاثْنَيْنِ كَانَ أَعْظَمَ مِنْ أَنْ تُوجِبَ أَحَدَهُمَا] (٣) إِذَا لَمْ يَكُنْ أَحَدُهُمَا نَقْصًا. وَمَعْلُومٌ أَنَّ الْعِلْمَ كَمَالٌ، وَكَوْنُهُ عَالِمًا كَمَالٌ، فَإِذَا أَوْجَبَتْ ذَاتُهُ هَذَا وَهَذَا، كَانَ كَمَا لَوْ أَوْجَبَتِ الْحَيَاةَ وَالْقُدْرَةَ. السَّابِعُ (٤) : قَوْلُهُ: " جَعَلُوهُ مُفْتَقِرًا فِي كَوْنِهِ عَالِمًا إِلَى ثُبُوتِ مَعْنًى هُوَ الْعِلْمُ " ، عِبَارَةٌ مُلْبِسَةٌ. فَإِنَّ لَفْظَ (٥) " الِافْتِقَارِ " يُشْعِرُ بِأَنَّهُ مُحْتَاجٌ إِلَى مَنْ يَجْعَلُهُ عَالِمًا يُفِيدُهُ الْعِلْمُ وَهَذَا بَاطِلٌ، وَإِنَّمَا ثُبُوتُ هَذَا بِطْرِيقِ اللُّزُومِ لِذَاتِهِ، فَذَاتُهُ مُوجِبَةٌ لِعِلْمِهِ وَلِكَوْنِهِ عَالِمًا، [وَمَعْنَى كَوْنِهَا مُوجِبَةً لِذَلِكَ أَيْ مُسْتَلْزِمَةً لَهُ، بِمَعْنَى أَنَّهُ لَا تَكُونُ ذَاتُهُ إِلَّا عَالِمَةً، لَا بِمَعْنَى أَنَّهَا أَبْدَعَتِ الْعِلْمَ أَوْ فَعَلَتْهُ] (٦) ، وَمَنْ أَثْبَتَ الْمَعْنَيَيْنِ قَالَ: لَا يَكُونُ عَالِمًا حَتَّى يَكُونَ لَهُ عِلْمٌ، وَهُوَ عَالِمٌ قَطْعًا فَلَهُ عِلْمٌ، فَهُوَ يَجْعَلُ ذَلِكَ مِنْ بَابِ الِاسْتِدْلَالِ، وَيَسْتَدِلُّ بِكَوْنِهِ عَالِمًا عَلَى الْعِلْمِ، وَيَقُولُ: إِنَّ ذَاتَهُ أَوْجَبَتْ ذَلِكَ - لَا أَنَّهُ هُنَا شَيْءٌ غَيْرُ ذَاتِهِ - جَعَلَتْهُ عَالِمًا أَوْ جَعَلَتْ لَهُ عِلْمًا، وَلَوْ قُدِّرَ أَنَّهَا أَوْجَبَتْهُ بِوَاسِطَةٍ فَمُوجِبُ الْمُوجَبِ مُوجِبٌ، كَمَا أَنَّهَا أَوْجَبَتْ كَوْنَهُ حَيًّا وَكَوْنَهُ عَالِمًا، وَالْعِلْمُ مَشْرُوطٌ بِالْحَيَاةِ، فَلَا (٧) يُقَالُ: إِنَّهُ يَفْتَقِرُ فِي كَوْنِهِ عَالِمًا إِلَى غَيْرِهِ،

(١) ن، م: عَالِمًا بِذَاتِهِ، وَهُوَ تَحْرِيفٌ. (٢) ب، ا: وَإِذَا. (٣) مَا بَيْنَ الْمَعْقُوفَتَيْنِ سَاقِطٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) . (٤) ب، ا، ن، م: الثَّامِنُ، وَهُوَ خَطَأٌ. (٥) ب: فَصْلَ ; أ: فَضْلَ، وَهُوَ تَحْرِيفٌ (٦) مَا بَيْنَ الْمَعْقُوفَتَيْنِ فِي (ع) فَقَطْ. (٧) ب، ا: وَلَا.