Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (2/623)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

And among the ascetics are people who claim that worship raises them to a station (1) at which they are no longer bound by acts of worship, and things forbidden to others—such as fornication and the like—become lawful for them.

Among them are those who claim that worship brings them to the point where they see Allah (2), eat (3) from the fruits of Paradise, embrace (4) the wide-eyed maidens of Paradise in this world, and fight the devils.

Some of them claim that worship brings them [to] (5) the point of becoming superior to the prophets and the angels nearest to Allah.”

[I say: These doctrines which (6) al-Asharī reported—and even graver claims than these have been reported—existed among people before this time. In our own time, some of them profess His indwelling in beautiful forms and say that, by gazing upon a beardless youth, a person beholds the one he worships, or His attributes, or manifestations of His beauty. Some of these people even prostrate themselves before a beardless youth. Others among them profess universal indwelling and union, yet direct their worship toward manifestations of beauty because of the pleasure they derive from it; thus, one takes his own desire as his god. This is found among many of those affiliated with spiritual poverty and Sufism. Some of them maintain that they see Allah without qualification and do not specify a beautiful form. Rather, they say that they see Him in various forms. Some of them say that the places which are green are those upon which He walked, and that they became green only because He trod upon them, and concerning

(1) (Ayn), (N), and (M) read *manzil* (“station”). (2) *Al-Maqālāt* reads: “Worship brings them to the point of seeing Allah—glory be to Him.” (3) (Ayn) reads: “and they eat.” See *al-Maqālāt* (Ritter ed.), 1/289, n. 4. (4) (Ayn) reads: “and they embrace.” (5) “To” appears in (Ayn) and *al-Maqālāt*. (6) The original of (Ayn) reads *alladhī*, the masculine relative pronoun (“which”).

وَفِي النُّسَّاكِ قَوْمٌ يَزْعُمُونَ أَنَّ الْعِبَادَةَ تَبْلُغُ بِهِمْ إِلَى مَنْزِلَةٍ (١) تَزُولُ عَنْهُمُ الْعِبَادَاتُ، وَتَكُونُ الْأَشْيَاءُ الْمَحْظُورَاتُ عَلَى غَيْرِهِمْ - مِنَ الزِّنَا وَغَيْرِهِ - مُبَاحَاتٍ لَهُمْ. وَفِيهِمْ مَنْ يَزْعُمُ أَنَّ الْعِبَادَةَ تَبْلُغُ بِهِمْ إِلَى أَنْ يَرَوُا اللَّهَ (٢) ، وَيَأْكُلُوا (٣) مِنْ ثِمَارِ الْجَنَّةِ، وَيُعَانِقُوا (٤) الْحُورَ الْعِينَ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَيُحَارِبُوا الشَّيَاطِينَ. وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَزْعُمُ أَنَّ الْعِبَادَةَ تَبْلُغُ بِهِمْ [إِلَى] (٥) أَنْ يَكُونُوا أَفْضَلَ مِنَ النَّبِيِّينَ وَالْمَلَائِكَةِ الْمُقَرَّبِينَ ". [قُلْتُ: هَذِهِ الْمَقَالَاتُ الَّتِي (٦) حَكَاهَا الْأَشْعَرِيُّ - وَذَكَرُوا أَعْظَمَ مِنْهَا - مَوْجُودَةٌ فِي النَّاسِ قَبْلَ هَذَا الزَّمَانِ. وَفِي هَذَا الزَّمَانِ مِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَقُولُ بِحُلُولِهِ فِي الصُّوَرِ الْجَمِيلَةِ، وَيَقُولُ إِنَّهُ بِمُشَاهَدَةِ الْأَمْرَدِ يُشَاهِدُ مَعْبُودَهُ أَوْ صِفَاتِ مَعْبُودِهِ أَوْ مَظَاهِرَ جَمَالِهِ، وَمِنْ هَؤُلَاءِ مَنْ يَسْجُدُ لِلْأَمْرَدِ. ثُمَّ مِنْ هَؤُلَاءِ مَنْ يَقُولُ بِالْحُلُولِ وَالِاتِّحَادِ الْعَامِّ، لَكِنَّهُ يَتَعَبَّدُ بِمَظَاهِرِ الْجَمَالِ، لِمَا فِي ذَلِكَ مِنَ اللَّذَّةِ لَهُ، فَيَتَّخِذُ إِلَهَهُ هَوَاهُ، وَهَذَا مَوْجُودٌ فِي كَثِيرٍ مِنَ الْمُنْتَسِبِينَ إِلَى الْفَقْرِ وَالتَّصَوُّفِ. وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَقُولُ إِنَّهُ يَرَى اللَّهَ مُطْلَقًا وَلَا يُعَيِّنُ الصُّورَةَ الْجَمِيلَةَ. بَلْ يَقُولُونَ: إِنَّهُمْ يَرَوْنَهُ فِي صُوَرٍ مُخْتَلِفَةٍ. وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَقُولُ: إِنَّ الْمَوَاضِعَ الْمُخْضَرَّةَ خَطَا عَلَيْهَا، وَإِنَّمَا اخْضَرَّتْ مِنْ وَطْئِهِ عَلَيْهَا، وَفِي

(١) ع، ن، م: مَنْزِلٍ. (٢) الْمَقَالَاتِ: تَبْلُغُ بِهِمْ أَنْ يَرَوُا اللَّهَ سُبْحَانَهُ. (٣) ع: وَيَأْكُلُونَ. وَانْظُرِ الْمَقَالَاتِ (ط. رُيْتَرَ) ١/٢٨٩ (ت ٤) . (٤) ع: وَيُعَانِقُونَ. (٥) إِلَى: فِي (ع) ، " الْمَقَالَاتِ ". (٦) فِي الْأَصْلِ (ع) : الَّذِي.