Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (2/610)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

the Quran is an attribute and an accident, can exist only through an act, and attributes, accidents, and acts subsist only in bodies, Imam Ahmad answered him: “We say that Allah is One, the Self-Sufficient; He neither begets nor is born, and none is comparable to Him. What the person employing this language intends by it is unknown, so we do not use it categorically, either in negation or affirmation.”

As for (1) the standpoint of revealed law, Allah, His Messenger (2), and the Salaf of the Muslim community did not speak in such terms, either in negation or affirmation. They did not say (3), “He is a body,” nor did they say, “[He] (4) is not a body.”

When certain people adopted the method of proving the temporal origination of the universe by the temporal origination of bodies and engaged in this discourse, the Salaf (5) condemned speculative theology and its practitioners. Abū Yūsuf even said, “Whoever seeks religion through speculative theology becomes a heretic.” (6)

Al-Shāfiī said, “My ruling concerning the practitioners of speculative theology is that they should be beaten with palm branches and sandals, paraded among the tribes and clans, and it should be proclaimed: ‘This is the punishment of one who forsakes the Book and the Sunnah and turns to speculative theology.’” (7)

He also said, “I have encountered among the practitioners of speculative theology something I never imagined a Muslim would say,

(1) (ب) and (أ): “except,” which is a textual corruption. (2) (ب) and (أ): “because the Messenger of Allah.” (3) (ب): “therefore, they did not say”; (أ): “so when they said”; (ن) and (م): “and they did not say.” (4) The word “He” is omitted from (ن) and (م). (5) The words “the Salaf” are omitted from (ب) and (أ). (6) This statement occurs in this exact wording in al-Harawī al-Ansārī’s *Dhamm al-Kalām*. Al-Suyūtī quoted it from him in *Sawn al-Mantiq wa al-Kalām an Fann al-Mantiq wa al-Kalām*, p. 60. The statement was cited previously in vol. 2, p. 142, but there it reads: “Whoever seeks knowledge through speculative theology becomes a heretic.” See (ت 2). (7) This statement was cited previously in vol. 2, p. 142, and (ت 3) identified its location in the preceding source. It also appears there on p. 35, as well as in Ibn al-Jawzī’s *Talbīs Iblīs*, pp. 82–83.

الْقُرْآنَ صِفَةٌ وَعَرَضٌ، وَلَا يَكُونُ إِلَّا بِفِعْلٍ، وَالصِّفَاتُ وَالْأَعْرَاضُ وَالْأَفْعَالُ لَا تَقُومُ إِلَّا بِالْأَجْسَامِ، أَجَابَهُ الْإِمَامُ أَحْمَدُ بِأَنَّا نَقُولُ: إِنَّ اللَّهَ أَحَدٌ صَمَدٌ، لَمْ يَلِدْ وَلَمْ يُولَدْ، وَلَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ كُفُوًا أَحَدٌ، وَأَنَّ هَذَا الْكَلَامَ لَا يُدْرَى مَقْصُودُ صَاحِبِهِ بِهِ، فَلَا نُطْلِقُهُ لَا نَفْيًا وَلَا إِثْبَاتًا. أَمَّا (١) مِنْ جِهَةِ الشَّرْعِ فَلِأَنَّ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ (٢) وَسَلَفَ الْأُمَّةِ لَمْ يَتَكَلَّمُوا بِذَلِكَ لَا نَفْيًا وَلَا إِثْبَاتًا، فَلَا قَالُوا (٣) : هُوَ جِسْمٌ، وَلَا قَالُوا: [هُوَ] (٤) لَيْسَ بِجِسْمٍ. وَلَمَّا سَلَكَ مَنْ سَلَكَ فِي الِاسْتِدْلَالِ عَلَى حُدُوثِ الْعَالَمِ بِحُدُوثِ الْأَجْسَامِ، وَدَخَلُوا فِي هَذَا الْكَلَامِ، ذَمَّ السَّلَفُ (٥) الْكَلَامَ وَأَهْلَهُ، حَتَّى قَالَ أَبُو يُوسُفَ: مَنْ طَلَبَ الدِّينِ بِالْكَلَامِ تَزَنْدَقَ (٦) ، وَقَالَ الشَّافِعِيُّ: حُكْمِي فِي أَهْلِ الْكَلَامِ أَنْ يُضْرَبُوا بِالْجَرِيدِ وَالنِّعَالِ، وَيُطَافُ بِهِمْ فِي الْقَبَائِلِ وَالْعَشَائِرِ، وَيُقَالُ: هَذَا جَزَاءُ مَنْ تَرَكَ الْكِتَابَ وَالسُّنَّةَ وَأَقْبَلَ عَلَى الْكَلَامِ (٧) ، وَقَالَ: لَقَدِ اطَّلَعْتُ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكَلَامِ عَلَى شَيْءٍ مَا ظَنَنْتُ مُسْلِمًا يَقُولُهُ،

(١) ب، أ: إِلَّا، وَهُوَ تَحْرِيفٌ. (٢) ب، أ: فَلِأَنَّ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ. (٣) ب: فَمَا قَالُوا ; أ: فَلَمَّا قَالُوا ; ن، م: وَلَا قَالُوا. (٤) هُوَ: سَاقِطَةٌ مَنَّ (ن) ، (م) . (٥) السَّلَفُ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ب) ، (أ) . (٦) وَرَدَتْ هَذِهِ الْعِبَارَةُ بِنَصِّهَا هَذَا فِي كِتَابِ " ذَمِّ الْكَلَامِ " لِلْهَرَوِيِّ الْأَنْصَارِيِّ وَنَقَلَهَا عَنْهُ السُّيُوطِيُّ فِي كِتَابِهِ " صَوْنِ الْمَنْطِقِ وَالْكَلَامِ عَنْ فَنِّ الْمَنْطِقِ وَالْكَلَامِ "، ص ٦٠، وَسَبَقَ وُرُودُ هَذِهِ الْعِبَارَةِ مِنْ قَبْلُ ٢/١٤٢. وَلَكِنْ جَاءَ فِيهَا: مَنْ طَلَبَ الْعِلْمَ بِالْكَلَامِ تَزَنْدَقَ، وَانْظُرْ (ت ٢) . (٧) سَبَقَ وُرُودُ هَذِهِ الْعِبَارَةِ ٢/١٤٢ وَذُكِرَتْ فِي (ت ٣) مَكَانِهَا فِي الْمَرْجِعِ السَّابِقِ. وَوَرَدَتْ فِيهِ أَيْضًا، ص ٣٥. وَهِيَ وَارِدَةٌ كَذَلِكَ فِي " تَلْبِيسِ إِبْلِيسَ " لِابْنِ الْجَوْزِيِّ، ص ٨٢ - ٨٣.