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Likewise, Abd al-Rahmān ibn Kaysān and others like him do not deny that fruit has a taste, color, and smell; this is part of what is meant by “accidents” in the terminology of speculative thinkers. How, then, can it be said that they denied accidents?
Rather, if they say that accidents are not attributes (1) additional to the body, meaning that “body” is a designation for the entities in which accidents subsist, then an accident falls within what the term “body” designates. This is a position that they and others like them could well hold.
I later found that Abū al-Husayn (2) al-Basrī—who was the most astute of the later Mu'tazilites—had discussed (in) Tasfīh al-Adilla wa-l-Ajwiba (3) this same point and stated that what they meant was
(1) The original reads *sifātan* (“attributes,” in the accusative), which is erroneous.
(2) The original reads: Abā al-Hasan.
(3) The original reads: “he had mentioned *Tasfīh al-Adilla wa-l-Ajwiba*.” I added “in” to make the sentence read correctly. A biographical notice on Abū al-Husayn al-Basrī appeared above at 1:397. See *Fadl al-I'tizāl*, p. 387; Sezgin, M [0–9], vol. [0–9], pp. [0–9]6–87. Ibn al-Murtadā mentioned the work in *al-Munya wa-l-Amal fī Sharh Kitāb al-Milal wa-l-Nihal*, p. 70, D., Hyderabad, 1316; *Mu'jam al-Mu'allifīn*, 11:20.
وَكَذَلِكَ عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ كَيْسَانَ وَأَمْثَالُهُ لَا يُنْكِرُ أَنْ يَكُونَ لِلثَّمَرَةِ طَعْمًا وَلَوْنًا وَرِيحًا، وَهَذَا مِنَ الْمُرَادِ بِالْأَعْرَاضِ فِي اصْطِلَاحِ النُّظَّارِ،
فَكَيْفَ يُقَالُ:
إِنَّهُمْ أَنْكَرُوا الْأَعْرَاضَ؟
بَلْ إِذَا قَالُوا:
إِنَّ الْأَعْرَاضَ لَيْسَتْ صِفَاتٍ
(١)
زَائِدَةً عَلَى الْجِسْمِ بِمَعْنَى أَنَّ الْجِسْمَ اسْمٌ لِلَذَّاتِ الَّتِي قَامَتْ بِهَا الْأَعْرَاضُ، فَالْعَرَضُ دَاخِلٌ فِي مُسَمَّى الْجِسْمِ، وَهَذَا مِمَّا يُمْكِنُ أَنْ يَقُولَهُ هَؤُلَاءِ وَأَمْثَالُهُمْ.
ثُمَّ رَأَيْتُ أَبَا الْحُسَيْنِ
(٢)
الْبَصْرِيَّ - وَهُوَ أَحَذَقُ مُتَأَخِّرِي الْمُعْتَزِلَةِ - قَدْ ذَكَرَ
(فِي)
" تَصْفِيحِ الْأَدِلَّةِ وَالْأَجْوِبَةِ "
(٣)
هَذَا الْمَعْنَى، وَذَكَرَ أَنَّ مُرَادَهُمْ هُوَ
(١) فِي الْأَصْلِ: صَفَاتًا، وَهُوَ خَطَأٌ.
(٢) فِي الْأَصْلِ: أَبَا الْحَسَنِ.
(٣) فِي الْأَصْلِ: قَدْ ذَكَرَ تَصْفِيحَ الْأَدِلَّةِ وَالْأَجْوِبَةِ، وَزِدْتُ (فِي) لِيَسْتَقِيمَ الْكَلَامُ وَسَبَقَتْ تَرْجَمَةُ أَبِي الْحُسَيْنِ الْبَصْرِيِّ ١/٣٩٧. وَانْظُرْ فَضْلَ الِاعْتِزَالِ، ص ٣٨٧ ; سِزْكِينَ م [٠ - ٩] ، ج [٠ - ٩] ، ص [٠ - ٩] ٦ - ٨٧. وَذَكَرَ الْكِتَابَ ابْنُ الْمُرْتَضَى فِي كِتَابِهِ الْمُنْيَةِ وَالْأَمَلِ فِي شَرْحِ كِتَابِ الْمِلَلِ وَالنِّحَلِ ص ٧٠، د. حَيْدَرَ آبَادَ، ١٣١٦ ; مُعْجَمَ الْمُؤَلِّفِينَ ١١/٢٠.