16
—Exalted is He—which is the doctrine adopted by the later Rāfidah. They had brought over to their side those whom they managed to enlist from among [the rulers (1), but the people of the Sunnah and the community did not agree with them. They went so far as to threaten (2) some of them with death, place others in chains, punish them, and (bring them under their control) (3) through intimidation and inducement; yet steadfast] (4) was Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal (5) in that [matter] (6), until they imprisoned him for a time. They then summoned their associates to debate him, but day after day they were left without an answer in their debates with him. They produced (7) nothing that would require him to agree with them. [Rather,] he demonstrated their error (8) in the evidence they cited (9). To face him (10), they had summoned leading speculative theologians from Basra and elsewhere, such as Abū Īsā Muhammad ibn Īsā Burghūth, an associate of Husayn al-Najjār (11), and others like him. The debate was not limited to the Mu'tazilah; rather, it was
(1) (ب), (أ): “authority.”
(2) (ب), (أ): “they threatened.”
(3) “And brought them under their control”: found only in (ع).
(4) The text between square brackets is omitted from (ن) and (م), except for the following isolated words: “from one in authority … but he did not agree with them.”
(5) (ب), (أ): “Ahmad ibn Hanbal remained steadfast”; (ع): “Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal—may Allah be pleased with him and make him well pleased—remained steadfast”; (ن), (م): “Imam Ahmad ibn Hanbal.”
(6) “The matter”: omitted from (ع), (ن), and (م).
(7) (ب), (أ): “and when they did not produce”; (ن): “and they had not yet produced”; (م): “and when they had not yet produced,” with the word *lammā* repeated.
(8) (ب), (أ), (ن), (م): “and he demonstrated their error.”
(9) (ب), (أ): “in what they cited”; (ن): “in what he cited,” which is erroneous.
(10) “For him”: omitted from (ب) and (أ).
(11) (ن), (م): “Abū Īsā Muhammad ibn Īsā ibn Burghūth,” etc., which is erroneous. In the references available to me, I found nothing concerning the dates of his birth and death. Works on sects, however, contain extensive accounts of his views and doctrine. Al-Ash‘arī records his views (*al-Maqālāt*, 1:316), including that he maintained that generated effects (*mutawallidāt*) are acts of Allah arising by natural necessity; that on *tawhīd* (divine oneness) he adopted the Mu‘tazilite position, except regarding the divine will and generosity; that he differed from them concerning *qadar* (divine decree) and held the doctrine of *irjā’*; and that he maintained that Allah had never ceased to speak, in the sense that He had never been incapable of speech, although the speech of Allah was temporally originated and created. For further discussion of his views and doctrine, see *al-Maqālāt*, 2:198, 207–8; *al-Milal wa-l-Nihal*, 1:81–82; *al-Farq bayna al-Firaq*, pp. 126–27; *al-Tabsīr fī al-Dīn*, p. 62; Ibn Hazm, *al-Fisal*, 3:33; al-Khayyāt, *al-Intisār*, p. 98; *Dā’irat al-Ma‘ārif al-Islāmiyya*, entry “al-Barghūthiyya”; Ibn al-Murtadā, *al-Munya wa-l-Amal*, p. 27; Watt, *Free Will*, pp. 110–11, 128–29 (London, 1948).
تَعَالَى، وَهُوَ الْمَذْهَبُ الَّذِي ذَهَبَ إِلَيْهِ مُتَأَخِّرُو الرَّافِضَةِ، وَكَانُوا قَدْ أَدْخَلُوا مَعَهُمْ مَنْ أَدْخَلُوهُ مِنْ [وُلَاةِ الْأُمُورِ
(١)
، فَلَمْ يُوَافِقْهُمْ أَهْلُ السُّنَّةِ وَالْجَمَاعَةِ، حَتَّى تَهَدَّدُوا
(٢)
بَعْضَهُمْ بِالْقَتْلِ، وَقَيَّدُوا بَعْضَهُمْ، وَعَاقَبُوهُمْ
(وَأَخَذُوهُمْ)
(٣)
بِالرَّهْبَةِ وَالرَّغْبَةِ، وَثَبَتَ]
(٤)
الْإِمَامُ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ حَنْبَلٍ
(٥)
عَلَى ذَلِكَ
[الْأَمْرِ]
(٦)
حَتَّى حَبَسُوهُ مُدَّةً، ثُمَّ طَلَبُوا أَصْحَابَهُمْ لِمُنَاظَرَتِهِ، فَانْقَطَعُوا مَعَهُ فِي الْمُنَاظَرَةِ يَوْمًا بَعْدَ يَوْمٍ، وَلَمْ يَأْتُوا
(٧)
بِمَا يُوجِبُ مُوَافَقَتَهُ لَهُمْ،
[بَلْ]
بَيَّنَ خَطَأَهُمْ
(٨)
فِيمَا ذَكَرُوهُ
(٩)
مِنَ الْأَدِلَّةِ، وَكَانُوا قَدْ طَلَبُوا لَهُ
(١٠)
أَئِمَّةَ الْكَلَامِ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْبَصْرَةِ وَغَيْرِهِمْ، مِثْلِ أَبِي عِيسَى مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى بُرْغُوثٍ صَاحِبِ حُسَيْنٍ النَّجَّارِ
(١١)
وَأَمْثَالِهِ، وَلَمْ تَكُنِ الْمُنَاظَرَةُ مَعَ الْمُعْتَزِلَةِ فَقَطْ، بَلْ كَانَتْ
(١) ب، أ: الْأَمْرِ.
(٢) ب، أ: هَدَّدُوا.
(٣) وَأَخَذُوهُمْ: فِي (ع) فَقَطْ.
(٤) مَا بَيْنَ الْمَعْقُوفَتَيْنِ سَاقِطٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) إِلَّا كَلِمَاتٍ مُتَفَرِّقَةً هِيَ: مِنْ وَلِيٍّ فَلَمْ يُوَافِقْهُمْ.
(٥) ب، أ: وَثَبَتَ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ حَنْبَلٍ ; ع: وَثَبَتَ الْإِمَامُ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ حَنْبَلٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ وَأَرْضَاهُ ; ن، م: الْإِمَامُ أَحْمَدُ بْنُ حَنْبَلٍ.
(٦) الْأَمْرِ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ع) ، (ن) ، (م) .
(٧) ب، أ: وَلَمَّا لَمْ يَأْتُوا ; ن: وَلَمَّا يَأْتُوا، م: وَلَمَّا وَلَمَّا يَأْتُوا.
(٨) ب، أ، ن، م: وَبَيَّنَ خَطَأَهُمْ.
(٩) ب، أ: فِيمَا ذَكَرُوا ; ن: فِيمَا ذَكَرَهُ، وَهُوَ خَطَأٌ.
(١٠) لَهُ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ب) ، (أ) .
(١١) ن، م: أَبِي عِيسَى مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عِيسَى بْنِ بُرْغُوثٍ. . إِلَخْ وَهُوَ خَطَأٌ. وَلَمْ أَجِدْ فِيمَا بَيْنَ يَدَيَّ مِنْ مَرَاجِعَ شَيْئًا عَنْ تَارِيخِ مَوْلِدِهِ وَوَفَاتِهِ، وَلَكِنْ ذَكَرَتْ كُتُبُ الْفِرَقِ الْكَثِيرَ عَنْ آرَائِهِ وَمَذْهَبِهِ. فَالْأَشْعَرِيُّ يَذْكُرُ آرَاءَهُ (الْمَقَالَاتِ ١/٣١٦) وَمِنْهَا أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَزْعُمُ أَنَّ الْأَشْيَاءَ الْمُتَوَلِّدَةَ فِعْلُ اللَّهُ بِإِيجَابِ الطَّبْعِ، وَأَنَّهُ كَانَ يَقُولُ فِي التَّوْحِيدِ بِقَوْلِ الْمُعْتَزِلَةِ إِلَّا فِي بَابِ الْإِرَادَةِ وَالْجُودِ، وَأَنَّهُ كَانَ يُخَالِفُهُمْ فِي الْقَدَرِ وَيَقُولُ بِالْإِرْجَاءِ، وَأَنَّهُ كَانَ يَقُولُ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَمْ يَزَلْ مُتَكَلِّمًا بِمَعْنَى أَنَّهُ لَمْ يَزَلْ غَيْرَ عَاجِزٍ عَنِ الْكَلَامِ وَلَكِنَّ كَلَامَ اللَّهِ مُحْدَثٌ وَمَخْلُوقٌ. وَانْظُرْ عَنْ آرَائِهِ وَمَذْهَبِهِ أَيْضًا: الْمَقَالَاتِ ٢/١٩٨، ٢٠٧ - ٢٠٨ ; الْمِلَلَ وَالنِّحَلَ ١/٨١ - ٨٢ ; الْفَرْقَ بَيْنَ الْفِرَقِ، ص ١٢٦ - ١٢٧ ; التَّبْصِيرَ فِي الدِّينِ ص ٦٢ ; الْفِصَلَ لِابْنِ حَزْمٍ ٣/٣٣ ; الِانْتِصَارَ لِلْخَيَّاطِ، ص ٩٨ ; دَائِرَةَ الْمَعَارِفِ الْإِسْلَامِيَّةِ مَادَّةَ " الْبُرْغُوثِيَّةِ " ; الْمُنْيَةَ وَالْأَمَلَ لِابْنِ الْمُرْتَضَى، ص ٢٧. watt (.) free will، pp -) ١١١، ١١٠ ١٢٨ - ١٢٩. London، ١٩٤٨.