Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (2/593)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

From this arose the disagreement among people concerning the question (1) of the name and the thing named. Their disagreement resembles (2) this one. When you (3) look into [water or] a mirror (4) and say, “This is the sun,” or, “This is the moon,” your statement is correct. You do not mean that the actual object in the sky has come to be in the water or the mirror (5); rather, it has been seen in the mirror, appeared in the mirror, and manifested itself in the mirror.

Thus, if you say, “Universals exist in external reality,” [that is correct] (6). Likewise, it is correct to say that man, considered in himself, exists in external reality. Yet in external reality he can exist only as something determinate and particular, which no other externally existing thing shares with him in [actual fact] (7) (8).

This resolves many of the points that confused [many of] (9) the logicians and concerning which they erred. One example is their claim that an essence existing in external reality is distinct from existence (10), on the grounds that you can conceive of a triangle before knowing whether it exists. Upon this they based their distinction between intrinsic attributes and accidental concomitant attributes, along with other questions of theirs.

There is no doubt that a distinction exists between what is in the mind and what is in external reality. Accordingly, if

(1) “Question” is omitted from (أ), (ب), and (ع). (2) (أ): “and those who affirm it disputed them”; (ب): “and the one who affirms it disputed them,” which is a textual corruption. (3) (ب), (أ): “then you.” (4) (ب), (أ): “in the water and the mirror”; (ن), (م): “in the mirror.” (5) (ب), (أ), (ن), (م): “in the water and the mirror.” (6) The passage between square brackets occurs only in (ع). (7) “Actual fact” is omitted from (ن) and (م). (8) (ن), (م): “that exist externally.” (9) “Many of” occurs only in (ع). (10) (ع): “that does not exist,” which is an error.

وَمِنْ هُنَا تَنَازَعَ النَّاسُ فِي مَسْأَلَةِ (١) الِاسْمِ وَالْمُسَمَّى، وَنِزَاعُهُمْ شَبِيهٌ (٢) بِهَذَا النِّزَاعِ، وَأَنْتَ (٣) إِذَا نَظَرْتَ فِي [الْمَاءِ أَوِ] الْمِرْآةِ (٤) فَقُلْتَ: هَذِهِ الشَّمْسُ أَوْ هَذَا الْقَمَرُ فَهُوَ صَحِيحٌ، وَلَيْسَ مُرَادُكَ أَنَّ نَفْسَ مَا فِي السَّمَاءِ حَصَلَ فِي الْمَاءِ أَوِ الْمِرْآةِ (٥) ، وَلَكِنَّ ذَلِكَ شُوهِدَ فِي الْمِرْآةِ، وَظَهَرَ فِي الْمِرْآةِ، وَتَجَلَّى فِي الْمِرْآةِ. فَإِذَا قُلْتَ: الْكُلِّيَّاتُ فِي الْخَارِجِ [فَصَحِيحٌ] (٦) ، أَوِ الْإِنْسَانُ مِنْ حَيْثُ هُوَ فِي الْخَارِجِ فَصَحِيحٌ، لَكِنْ لَا يَكُونُ فِي الْخَارِجِ إِلَّا مُقَيَّدًا مَخْصُوصًا لَا يُشْرِكُهُ فِي نَفْسِ [الْأَمْرِ] (٧) شَيْءٌ مِنَ الْمَوْجُودَاتِ الْخَارِجِيَّةِ (٨) . وَبِهَذَا يَنْحَلُّ كَثِيرٌ مِنَ الْمَوَاضِعِ الَّتِي اشْتَبَهَتْ عَلَى [كَثِيرٍ مِنَ] (٩) الْمَنْطِقِيِّينَ وَغَلِطُوا فِيهَا، مِثْلُ زَعْمِهِمْ أَنَّ الْمَاهِيَّةَ الْمَوْجُودَةَ فِي الْخَارِجِ غَيْرُ الْوُجُودِ (١٠) ، فَإِنَّكَ تَتَصَوَّرُ الْمُثَلَّثَ قَبْلَ أَنْ تَعْلَمَ وُجُودَهُ، وَبَنَوْا عَلَى ذَلِكَ الْفَرْقَ بَيْنَ الصِّفَاتِ الذَّاتِيَّةِ وَاللَّازِمَةِ الْعَرْضِيَّةِ، وَغَيْرِ ذَلِكَ مِنْ مَسَائِلِهِمْ. وَلَا رَيْبَ أَنَّ الْفَرْقَ ثَابِتٌ بَيْنَ مَا هُوَ فِي الذِّهْنِ وَمَا هُوَ فِي الْخَارِجِ، فَإِذَا

(١) مَسْأَلَةِ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (أ) ، (ب) ، (ع) . (٢) أ: وَنَازَعَهُمْ مُثْبِتِيهِ ; ب: وَنَازَعَهُمْ مُثْبِتِهِ، وَهُوَ تَحْرِيفٌ. (٣) ب، أ: فَأَنْتَ. (٤) ب، أ: فِي الْمَاءِ وَالْمِرْآةِ ; ن، م: فِي الْمِرْآةِ. (٥) ب، أ، ن، م: فِي الْمَاءِ وَالْمِرْآةِ. (٦) مَا بَيْنَ الْمَعْقُوفَتَيْنِ فِي (ع) فَقَطْ. (٧) الْأَمْرِ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) . (٨) ن، م: الْخَارِجَةِ. (٩) كَثِيرٍ مِنَ: فِي (ع) فَقَطْ. (١٠) ع: غَيْرُ الْمَوْجُودَةِ، وَهُوَ خَطَأٌ.