Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (2/537)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

entails the certain knowledge that they are not (1) the intellects and souls spoken of by these people, whether they say that the intellects are ten and the souls nine, as is well known among them, or say otherwise. (2)

Nor are the angels the cognitive faculties (3) residing within souls, as they sometimes maintain. Rather, Gabriel, peace be upon him, (4) is an angel (5) existing separately from the Messenger. He hears Allah’s speech from Allah and brings it down to the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—as indicated by the scriptural texts and the consensus of the Muslims. (6)

These people say that Gabriel is the Active Intellect, (7) or that he consists of imaginary forms conceived within (8) the soul of the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—and that Allah’s speech is what exists within his soul, just as it exists within the soul of someone asleep. (9)

(1) MSS (Bā) and (Alif): “that it is not.” (2) In most of their books and treatises, the Muslim philosophers state that the celestial intellects are none other than angels. See, for example: al-Fārābī, al-Siyāsāt al-Madaniyya, p. [0–9], Hyderabad ed., 1345; Ibn Sīnā, Aqsām al-Ulūm al-Aqliyya, p. 13[0–9], in Tis Rasāil fī al-Hikma wa-l-Tabīiyyāt, Cairo, 1326/1908; Risālat al-Ziyāra wa-l-Duā, p. 33, in Jāmi al-Badāi, Cairo, 1330/1917. (3) MSS (Bā) and (Alif): “righteous.” (4) “Peace be upon him” is added in MS (Ayn). (5) “An angel” is omitted from MS (Ayn). (6) MS (Ayn): “the consensus of the Muslims.” (7) See, for example: al-Fārābī, al-Siyāsāt al-Madaniyya, p. [0–9]; Ibn Sīnā, Aqsām al-Ulūm al-Aqliyya, p. 14[0–9]. (8) MSS (Bā) and (Alif): “and it is what is imagined from…” (9) See, for example: Ibn Sīnā, al-Risāla al-Arshiyya, p. 12, in Majmū Rasāil al-Shaykh al-Raīs, Hyderabad ed., 1354.

يُوجِبُ الْعِلْمَ الضَّرُورِيَّ أَنَّهَا لَيْسَتْ (١) مَا يَقُولُهُ: هَؤُلَاءِ فِي الْعُقُولِ وَالنُّفُوسِ، سَوَاءٌ قَالُوا: إِنَّ الْعُقُولَ عَشْرَةٌ وَالنُّفُوسَ تِسْعَةٌ، كَمَا هُوَ الْمَشْهُورُ عِنْدَهُمْ، أَوْ قَالُوا: غَيْرَ ذَلِكَ. (٢) وَلَيْسَتِ الْمَلَائِكَةُ أَيْضًا الْقُوَى الْعَالِمَةَ (٣) الَّتِي فِي النُّفُوسِ كَمَا قَدْ يَقُولُونَهُ، بَلْ جِبْرِيلُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ (٤) مَلَكٌ (٥) مُنْفَصِلٌ عَنِ الرَّسُولِ يَسْمَعُ كَلَامَ اللَّهِ مِنَ اللَّهِ وَيَنْزِلُ بِهِ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ -، كَمَا دَلَّ عَلَى ذَلِكَ النُّصُوصُ وَالْإِجْمَاعُ مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ. (٦) وَهَؤُلَاءِ يَقُولُونَ: إِنَّ جِبْرِيلَ هُوَ الْعَقْلُ الْفَعَّالُ، (٧) أَوْ هُوَ مَا يُتَخَيَّلُ فِي (٨) نَفْسِ النَّبِيِّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - مِنَ الصُّوَرِ الْخَيَالِيَّةِ، وَكَلَامُ اللَّهِ مَا يُوجَدُ فِي نَفْسِهِ كَمَا يُوجَدُ فِي نَفْسِ النَّائِمِ (٩) .

(١) ب، أ: أَنَّهُ لَيْسَ. (٢) يَذْكُرُ الْفَلَاسِفَةُ الْمُسْلِمُونَ فِي أَكْثَرِ كُتُبِهِمْ وَرَسَائِلِهِمْ أَنَّ الْعُقُولَ السَّمَاوِيَّةَ إِنَّمَا هِيَ مَلَائِكَةٌ. انْظُرْ مَثَلًا: الْفَارَابِيَّ: السِّيَاسَاتِ الْمَدَنِيَّةَ، ص [٠ - ٩] ، ط. حَيْدَرَ آبَادَ، ١٣٤٥ ; ابْنَ سِينَا: أَقْسَامَ الْعُلُومِ الْعَقْلِيَّةِ ص [٠ - ٩] ١٣، ضِمْنَ تِسْعِ رَسَائِلَ فِي الْحِكْمَةِ وَالطَّبِيعِيَّاتِ، الْقَاهِرَةَ، ١٣٢٦/١٩٠٨ ; رِسَالَةَ الزِّيَارَةِ وَالدُّعَاءِ، ص ٣٣، ضِمْنَ مَجْمُوعَةِ جَامِعِ الْبَدَائِعِ، الْقَاهِرَةَ، ١٣٣٠/١٩١٧. (٣) ب، أ: الصَّالِحَةَ. (٤) عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ: زِيَادَةٌ فِي (ع) . (٥) مَلَكٌ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ع) . (٦) ع: إِجْمَاعُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ. (٧) انْظُرْ مَثَلًا: السِّيَاسَاتِ الْمَدَنِيَّةَ لِلْفَارَابِيِّ، ص [٠ - ٩] ; أَقْسَامَ الْعُلُومِ الْعَقْلِيَّةِ لِابْنِ سِينَا، ص [٠ - ٩] ١٤. (٨) ب، أ: وَهُوَ مَا يُتَخَيَّلُ مِنْ. . . (٩) انْظُرْ مَثَلًا: الرِّسَالَةَ الْعَرْشِيَّةَ لِابْنِ سِينَا، ص ١٢، ضِمْنَ مَجْمُوعِ رَسَائِلِ الشَّيْخِ الرَّئِيسِ، ط. حَيْدَرَ آبَادَ، ١٣٥٤.