Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (2/625)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

and who likewise address it as such. They imagine that all of this exists externally, outside themselves, when in fact it exists only within them—just as happens to a sleeping person when he sees his Lord in a form corresponding to his state. Such things occur frequently in our own time and occurred before it. Their error lies in imagining that what they experience exists in the external world.

[Before many of these people, Satan assumes a visible form. The person sees a light, a throne, or a light upon a throne, and it says:

“I am your Lord.”

In other cases, it says:

“I am your Prophet.”

This has happened to more than one person. Some of these people are addressed by disembodied voices speaking in the guise of divine speech or otherwise, while the one addressing them is a jinn; this too has happened to more than one person. This, however, is not the place for an extensive (discussion) (1) of what is seen and heard, what exists within the self and in the external world, and how to distinguish what is true in these matters from what is false. We have discussed this elsewhere] (2).

Many ignorant people among those who experience spiritual states (3), as well as others, claim that they see Allah plainly with their own eyes in this world and that He takes steps (4).

[Along with this, they may make statements even graver than unbelief, such as the statement of one of them:

“I want no provision that Shaykh So-and-so does not provide me,”

or the statement of others that their shaykh is the shaykh of Allah and His Messenger, and similar assertions made by those who go to extremes regarding shaykhs. Yet among those broadly affiliated with the Shia—including the Ismailis and the extremists from among the

(1) The word *kalām* (“discussion”) is missing from the base manuscript, (Ayn); adding it makes the sentence syntactically complete. (2) The text in square brackets appears only in (Ayn). (3) (Ayn) reads: “Many ignorant people are given to fanciful imaginings”; (N) and (M) read: “Many of the ignorant among those who experience spiritual states.” (4) The phrase “and that He takes steps” is omitted from (Ayn).

وَيُخَاطِبُهَا أَيْضًا بِذَلِكَ، وَيَظُنُّ أَنَّ ذَلِكَ كُلَّهُ مَوْجُودٌ فِي الْخَارِجِ عَنْهُ، وَإِنَّمَا هُوَ مَوْجُودٌ فِي نَفْسِهِ، كَمَا يَحْصُلُ لِلنَّائِمِ إِذَا رَأَى رَبَّهُ فِي صُورَةٍ بِحَسَبِ حَالِهِ. فَهَذِهِ الْأُمُورُ تَقَعُ كَثِيرًا فِي زَمَانِنَا وَقَبْلِهِ، وَيَقَعُ الْغَلَطُ مِنْهُمْ حَيْثُ يَظُنُّونَ أَنَّ ذَلِكَ مَوْجُودٌ فِي الْخَارِجِ. [وَكَثِيرٌ مِنْ هَؤُلَاءِ يَتَمَثَّلُ لَهُ الشَّيْطَانُ، وَيَرَى نُورًا أَوْ عَرْشًا أَوْ نُورًا عَلَى الْعَرْشِ وَيَقُولُ: أَنَا رَبُّكَ. وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَقُولُ: أَنَا نَبِيُّكَ، وَهَذَا قَدْ وَقَعَ لِغَيْرِ وَاحِدٍ. وَمِنْ هَؤُلَاءِ مَنْ تَخَاطُبِهِ الْهَوَاتِفُ بِخِطَابٍ عَلَى لِسَانِ الْإِلَهِيَّةِ أَوْ غَيْرِ ذَلِكَ، وَيَكُونُ الْمُخَاطِبُ لَهُ جِنِّيًّا، كَمَا قَدْ وَقَعَ لِغَيْرِ وَاحِدٍ. لَكِنَّ بَسْطَ (الْكَلَامِ) (١) عَلَى مَا يُرَى وَيُسْمَعُ وَمَا هُوَ فِي النَّفْسِ وَالْخَارِجِ، وَتَمْيِيزِ حَقِّهِ مِنْ بَاطِلِهِ لَيْسَ هَذَا مَوْضِعَهُ، وَقَدْ تَكَلَّمْنَا عَلَيْهِ فِي غَيْرِ هَذَا الْمَوْضِعِ] (٢) . وَكَثِيرٌ مِنَ الْجُهَّالِ أَهْلِ الْحَالِ (٣) وَغَيْرِهِمْ يَقُولُونَ: إِنَّهُمْ يَرَوْنَ اللَّهَ عِيَانًا فِي الدُّنْيَا، وَأَنَّهُ يَخْطُوَا خَطَوَاتٍ (٤) . [وَقَدْ يَقُولُونَ مَعَ ذَلِكَ مِنَ الْمَقَالَاتِ مَا هُوَ أَعْظَمُ مِنَ الْكُفْرِ كَقَوْلِ بَعْضِهِمْ: كُلُّ رِزْقٍ لَا يَرْزُقُنِيهِ الشَّيْخُ فُلَانٍ لَا أُرِيدُهُ، وَقَوْلِ بَعْضِهِمْ: إِنَّ شَيْخَهُمْ هُوَ شَيْخُ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ، وَأَمْثَالِ ذَلِكَ مِنْ مَقَالَاتِ الْغُلَاةِ فِي الشُّيُوخِ، لَكِنْ يُوجَدُ فِي جِنْسِ الْمُنْتَسِبِينَ إِلَى الشِّيعَةِ مِنَ الْإِسْمَاعِيلِيَّةِ وَالْغُلَاةِ مِنَ

(١) الْكَلَامِ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنَ الْأَصْلِ (ع) ، وَبِزِيَادَتِهَا يَسْتَقِيمُ الْكَلَامُ. (٢) مَا بَيْنَ الْمَعْقُوفَتَيْنِ فِي (ع) فَقَطْ. (٣) ع: وَكَثِيرٌ مِنَ الْجُهَّالِ أَهْلِ الْخَيَالِ ; ن، م: وَكَثِيرٌ مِنْ جُهَّالِ أَهْلِ الْحَالِ. (٤) عِبَارَةُ " وَأَنَّهُ يَخْطُو خَطَوَاتٍ " سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ع) .