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and for a servant to be afflicted with everything Allah has forbidden (1), apart from associating partners with Allah, is better than for him to be afflicted with speculative theology.” (2)
Works have been written (3) condemning them, including a book by Abū Abd al-Rahmān al-Sulamī (4), a book by Shaykh al-Islam al-Ansārī (5), and others.
As for the standpoint of reason, this is because the term is ambiguous: the person who negates it (6) includes within its scope meanings that must be affirmed of Allah, while the person who affirms it (7) includes within its scope things from which Allah Most High is transcendent. If the speaker’s intended meaning [by it is unknown, it is neither negated nor affirmed; but when] (8) his intent is explained, the truth is accepted and expressed in terms sanctioned by revealed law, while falsehood is rejected. If he uses an expression that has not been transmitted from the Lawgiver
(1) (م): “And for Allah to afflict the servant with everything He has forbidden him.”
(2) Ibn Abd al-Barr states in *Jāmi Bayān al-Ilm wa Fadlihi*, vol. 2, p. 95: “Yūnus ibn Abd al-Alā said: I heard al-Shāfiī say to me, on the day Hafs al-Fard debated him, ‘Abū Mūsā, for a servant to come before Allah Almighty burdened with every sin except *shirk* (associating partners with Allah) is better than for him to come before Him burdened with anything pertaining to *kalām* (speculative theology). I heard Hafs utter words that I cannot repeat.’” Al-Suyūtī transmitted these statements from Ibn Abd al-Barr in the previously cited work, p. [0–9]36. He also quoted some of this statement (p. [0–9]6) from al-Ansārī al-Harawī’s *Dhamm al-Kalām*. Part of al-Shāfiī’s statement also appears in *Talbīs Iblīs*, p. 82.
(3) (ب), (أ), and (م): “was composed”; (ن): “and it was composed.”
(4) Abū Abd al-Rahmān Muhammad ibn al-Husayn ibn Muhammad al-Sulamī al-Naysābūrī; his biography appeared previously in vol. 2, p. 469. Sezgin, vol. [0–9], pt. [0–9], p. [0–9]84, lists *al-Radd alā Ahl al-Kalām* among his works and states that a manuscript copy is held at the Zāhiriyya Library in Damascus.
(5) He is Abū Ismāīl Abd Allāh ibn Muhammad ibn Alī al-Harawī al-Ansārī; his biography appeared previously in vol. 1, p. 435. The work Ibn Taymiyya means here is *Dhamm al-Kalām wa Ahlihi*, which al-Suyūtī abridged in *Sawn al-Mantiq…*, pp. [0–9]3–81. A manuscript copy is held at the Zāhiriyya Library under no. 337, Hadith. A photographic copy is held at the Institute of Manuscripts of the Arab League under no. 97, Tawhīd.
(6) (ب), (أ), (ن), and (م): “what is in it,” which is a textual corruption.
(7) (ب) and (أ) use the feminine form: “the one affirming it.”
(8) The text between brackets is omitted from (ن), while the words “and it is not negated” are omitted from (م).
وَلَأَنْ يُبْتَلَى الْعَبْدُ بِكُلِّ مَا نَهَى اللَّهُ عَنْهُ
(١)
مَا خَلَا الشِّرْكَ بِاللَّهِ خَيْرٌ لَهُ مِنْ أَنْ يُبْتَلَى بِالْكَلَامِ
(٢)
. وَقَدْ صُنِّفَتْ
(٣)
فِي ذَمِّهِمْ مُصَنَّفَاتٌ مِثْلُ كِتَابِ أَبِي عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ السُّلَمِيِّ
(٤)
، وَكِتَابِ شَيْخِ الْإِسْلَامِ الْأَنْصَارِيِّ
(٥)
وَغَيْرِ ذَلِكَ.
وَأَمَّا مِنْ جِهَةِ الْعَقْلِ فَلِأَنَّ هَذَا اللَّفْظَ مُجْمَلٌ يُدْخِلُ فِيهِ نَافِيهِ
(٦)
مَعَانِيَ يَجِبُ إِثْبَاتُهَا لِلَّهِ، وَيُدْخِلُ فِيهِ مُثْبِتُهُ
(٧)
مَا يُنَزَّهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عَنْهُ، فَإِذَا لَمْ يُدْرَ مُرَادُ الْمُتَكَلِّمِ
[بِهِ لَمْ يُنْفَ وَلَمْ يُثْبَتْ، وَإِذَا فُسِّرَ]
(٨)
مُرَادُهُ قُبِلَ الْحَقُّ وَعُبِّرَ عَنْهُ بِالْعِبَارَاتِ الشَّرْعِيَّةِ وَرُدَّ الْبَاطِلُ، وَإِنْ تَكَلُّمَ بِلَفْظٍ لَمْ يَرِدْ عَنِ الشَّارِعِ
(١) م: وَلَأَنْ يَبْتَلِي اللَّهُ الْعَبْدَ بِكُلِّ مَا نَهَاهُ عَنْهُ.
(٢) قَالَ ابْنُ عَبْدِ الْبَرِّ فِي كِتَابِهِ " جَامِعِ بَيَانِ الْعَلَمِ وَفَضْلِهِ "، ٢/٩٥: " وَقَالَ يُونُسُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْأَعْلَى، سَمِعْتُ الشَّافِعِيَّ يَوْمَ نَاظَرَهُ حَفْصٌ الْفَرْدُ قَالَ لِي: يَا أَبَا مُوسَى لَأَنْ يَلْقَى اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ الْعَبْدَ بِكُلِّ ذَنْبٍ مَا خَلَا الشِّرْكَ خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَنْ يَلْقَاهُ بِشَيْءٍ مِنَ الْكَلَامِ، لَقَدْ سَمِعْتُ مِنْ حَفْصٍ كَلَامًا لَا أَقْدِرُ أَنْ أَحْكِيَهُ ". وَنَقَلَ هَذِهِ الْعِبَارَاتِ عَنْهُ السُّيُوطِيُّ فِي الْمَرْجِعِ السَّابِقِ، ص [٠ - ٩] ٣٦. كَمَا نَقَلَ بَعْضَ هَذَا الْكَلَامِ (ص [٠ - ٩] ٦) عَنِ الْأَنْصَارِيِّ الْهَرَوِيُّ فِي كِتَابِهِ " ذَمِّ الْكَلَامِ ". وَوَرَدَ جُزْءٌ مِنْ عِبَارَةِ الشَّافِعِيِّ أَيْضًا فِي تَلْبِيسِ إِبْلِيسَ، ص ٨٢.
(٣) ب، أ، م: صُنِّفَ. وَفِي (ن) : وَهُوَ صُنِّفَ.
(٤) أَبُو عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْحُسَيْنِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدٍ السُّلَمِيُّ النَّيْسَابُورِيُّ، سَبَقَتْ تَرْجَمَتُهُ ٢/٤٦٩ وَذَكَرَ سِزْكِينُ م [٠ - ٩] ، ج [٠ - ٩] ، ص [٠ - ٩] ٨٤ مِنْ كُتُبِهِ كِتَابَ " الرَّدِّ عَلَى أَهْلِ الْكَلَامِ " وَقَالَ إِنَّ نُسْخَةً خَطِّيَّةً مِنْهُ فِي الظَّاهِرِيَّةِ بِدِمَشْقَ.
(٥) هُوَ أَبُو إِسْمَاعِيلَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ الْهَرَوِيُّ الْأَنْصَارِيُّ. وَسَبَقَتْ تَرْجَمَتُهُ ١/٤٣٥. وَالْكِتَابُ الَّذِي يَقْصِدُهُ ابْنُ تَيْمِيَّةَ هُنَا كِتَابُ " ذَمِّ الْكَلَامِ وَأَهْلِهِ " وَقَدْ لَخَّصَهُ السُّيُوطِيُّ فِي كِتَابِ " صَوْنِ الْمَنْطِقِ. . . ص [٠ - ٩] ٣ - ٨١ ". وَمِنْهُ نُسْخَةٌ خَطِّيَّةٌ فِي مَكْتَبَةِ الظَّاهِرِيَّةِ رَقْمَ ٣٣٧ حَدِيثٌ وَصُوِّرَتِ الْمَخْطُوطَةُ فِي مَعْهَدِ الْمَخْطُوطَاتِ بِالْجَامِعَةِ الْعَرَبِيَّةِ (رَقْمِ ٩٧ تَوْحِيدٌ) .
(٦) ب، أ، ن، م: مَا فِيهِ، وَهُوَ تَحْرِيفٌ.
(٧) ب، أ: مُثْبِتَتُهُ.
(٨) مَا بَيْنَ الْمَعْقُوفَتَيْنِ سَاقِطٌ مِنْ (ن) ، وَسَقَطَتْ وَلَمْ يَنْفِ مِنْ (م) .