Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (2/523)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

[The Salaf’s Method Regarding the Divine Attributes]

The way of the Salaf of this Ummah and its imams is to describe Allah as He has described Himself and as His Messenger has described Him (1), without distortion or negation, and without defining their modality or likening Him to creation: affirmation without likening, and transcendence without negation—affirming the attributes while denying any resemblance to created beings.

Allah Most High says:

“There is nothing like Him.”

This refutes those who liken Him to creation.

“And He is the All-Hearing, the All-Seeing” [Surah al-Shūrā: 11]

This refutes those who negate His attributes.

[Their doctrine regarding the attributes rests upon two foundations. The first is that Allah, Glorified and Exalted, is entirely free of every attribute of imperfection, such as drowsiness, sleep, incapacity, ignorance, and the like.

The second is that He possesses attributes of perfection, entirely free of imperfection, in a manner unique to Him; therefore, nothing] (2) among (3 created beings resembles Him in any attribute. 3) (3)

However, those who negate the attributes call anyone who affirms any attribute an Assimilationist. Indeed, the absolute negationists—the Batinis who deny the divine names—call anyone who calls Allah by His Most Beautiful Names an Assimilationist. They say: If we say, “He is Living and Knowing,” we have likened Him to others who are living and knowing. Likewise, if we say (4), “He is Hearing and Seeing,” we have likened Him to a human being who hears and sees (5). And if we say, “He is Compassionate and Merciful,” we have likened Him to the Prophet (6), who is compassionate

(1) (N) and (M) read: “and by what He described.” (2) The passage within square brackets is omitted in (N) and (M). (3) The passage between markers (3–3) appears in (ع). (4) The words “If we say” are omitted in (B) and (A). (5) (ع) reads: “we have thereby likened Him to one who hears and sees.” (6) (B) and (A) read: “to the thing,” which is a corruption.

[طريقة السلف في الصفات] وَطَرِيقَةُ سَلَفِ الْأُمَّةِ وَأَئِمَّتِهَا: أَنَّهُمْ يَصِفُونَ اللَّهَ بِمَا وَصَفَ بِهِ نَفْسَهُ وَبِمَا وَصَفَهُ (١) بِهِ رَسُولَهُ: مِنْ غَيْرِ تَحْرِيفٍ وَلَا تَعْطِيلٍ، وَلَا تَكْيِيفٍ وَلَا تَمْثِيلٍ: إِثْبَاتٌ بِلَا تَمْثِيلٍ، وَتَنْزِيهٌ بِلَا تَعْطِيلٍ، إِثْبَاتُ الصِّفَاتِ، وَنَفْيُ مُمَاثَلَةِ الْمَخْلُوقَاتِ، قَالَ تَعَالَى: {لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ} فَهَذَا رَدٌّ عَلَى الْمُمَثِّلَةِ {وَهُوَ السَّمِيعُ الْبَصِيرُ} [سُورَةُ الشُّورَى: ١١] رَدٌّ عَلَى الْمُعَطِّلَةِ. [فَقَوْلُهُمْ فِي الصِّفَاتِ مَبْنِيٌّ عَلَى أَصْلَيْنِ: أَحَدُهُمَا: أَنَّ اللَّهَ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى مُنَزَّهٌ عَنْ صِفَاتِ النَّقْصِ مُطْلَقًا كَالسِّنَةِ وَالنَّوْمِ وَالْعَجْزِ وَالْجَهْلِ وَغَيْرِ ذَلِكَ. وَالثَّانِي: أَنَّهُ مُتَّصِفٌ بِصِفَاتِ الْكَمَالِ الَّتِي لَا نَقْصَ فِيهَا عَلَى وَجْهِ الِاخْتِصَاصِ بِمَا لَهُ مِنَ الصِّفَاتِ، فَلَا يُمَاثِلُهُ شَيْءٌ] (٢) مِنَ (٣ الْمَخْلُوقَاتِ فِي شَيْءٍ مِنَ الصِّفَاتِ. ٣) (٣) وَلَكِنَّ نُفَاةَ الصِّفَاتِ يُسَمُّونَ كُلَّ مَنْ أَثْبَتَ شَيْئًا مِنَ الصِّفَاتِ مُشَبِّهًا، بَلِ الْمُعَطِّلَةُ الْمَحْضَةُ الْبَاطِنِيَّةُ نُفَاةُ الْأَسْمَاءِ يُسَمُّونَ مَنْ سَمَّى اللَّهَ بِأَسْمَائِهِ الْحُسْنَى مُشَبِّهًا، فَيَقُولُونَ: إِذَا قُلْنَا حَيٌّ عَلِيمٌ فَقَدْ شَبَّهْنَاهُ بِغَيْرِهِ مِنَ الْأَحْيَاءِ الْعَالِمِينَ، وَكَذَلِكَ إِذَا قُلْنَا: (٤) هُوَ سَمِيعٌ بَصِيرٌ فَقَدْ شَبَّهْنَاهُ بِالْإِنْسَانِ السَّمِيعِ الْبَصِيرِ (٥) ، وَإِذَا قُلْنَا: هُوَ رَءُوفٌ رَحِيمٌ فَقَدْ شَبَّهْنَاهُ بِالنَّبِيِّ (٦) الرَّءُوفِ

(١) ن، م: وَبِمَا وَصَفَ. (٢) مَا بَيْنَ الْمَعْقُوفَتَيْنِ سَاقِطٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) . (٣) (٣ - ٣) : فِي (ع) . (٤) إِذَا قُلْنَا: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ب) ، (أ) . (٥) ع: فَقَدْ شَبَّهْنَاهُ بِالسَّمِيعِ الْبَصِيرِ. (٦) ب، أ: بِالشَّيْءِ، وَهُوَ تَحْرِيفٌ.