Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (2/632)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

hair of the kind with which they describe their Lord. The shaykh stared insistently at him, repeatedly fixing his gaze upon him (1). The naphtha seller grew suspicious of him and came to him (2) at night, saying, ‘O shaykh, I saw you staring insistently (3) at this youth, so I have brought him to you (4). If you have any designs upon him, you may do as you please (5).’

The shaykh became angry with him and said, ‘I repeatedly looked at him only because my doctrine is that Allah descends in his likeness (6), so I imagined that he was Allah Most High.’

The naphtha seller replied, ‘My [naphtha trade] (7) is better than your asceticism when coupled with such a doctrine.’”

In reply, it is said: This tale and others like it admit (8) of two possibilities: either it is a complete fabrication invented against one of the shaykhs of Baghdad (9), or it actually happened to some obscure ignoramus (10) who had no established doctrine or school, and even the least of the common folk possesses more reason and understanding than he.

On either assumption, this does no harm whatsoever to Ahl al-Sunnah, for it is well known to every

(1) The word “to him” is absent from (B) and (A). (2) (K), 1/85 (M), reads: “and came to him.” (3) (N) and (M) read: “stare insistently.” (4) (K) reads: “and I have brought him to you”; (M) reads: “and I have given him to you as a gift.” (5) (N) and (M) read: “the one who decides concerning him.” (6) (K) and (B) read: “in the form of this youth.” The phrase “in his form” is absent from (A). (7) The phrase “naphtha trade” is absent from (N). (8) (Ayn) reads: “It falls…” (9) (B), (A), (N), and (M) read: “against the people of Baghdad and some shaykhs.” (10) (B) reads: “excused”; (A) reads: “dust-covered,” which is a corruption.

الشَّعْرِ عَلَى الصِّفَاتِ الَّتِي يَصِفُونَ رَبَّهُمْ بِهَا، فَأَلَحَّ الشَّيْخُ بِالنَّظَرِ إِلَيْهِ وَكَرَّرَهُ وَأَكْثَرَ تَصْوِيبَهُ إِلَيْهِ (١) فَتَوَهَّمَ فِيهِ النَّفَّاطَ فَجَاءَ إِلَيْهِ (٢) لَيْلًا وَقَالَ: أَيُّهَا الشَّيْخُ رَأَيْتُكَ تُلِحُّ بِالنَّظَرِ (٣) إِلَى هَذَا الْغُلَامِ وَقَدْ أَتَيْتُكَ بِهِ (٤) ، فَإِنْ كَانَ لَكَ فِيهِ نِيَّةٌ فَأَنْتَ الْحَاكِمُ (٥) . فَحَرَدَ الشَّيْخُ عَلَيْهِ وَقَالَ: إِنَّمَا كَرَّرْتُ النَّظَرَ إِلَيْهِ لِأَنَّ مَذْهَبِي أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَنْزِلُ عَلَى صُورَتِهِ (٦) فَتَوَهَّمْتُ أَنَّهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى، فَقَالَ لَهُ النَّفَّاطُ: مَا أَنَا عَلَيْهِ مِنَ [النَّفَّاطَةِ] (٧) أَجْوَدُ مِمَّا أَنْتَ عَلَيْهِ مِنَ الزُّهْدِ مَعَ هَذِهِ الْمَقَالَةِ ". فَيُقَالُ: هَذِهِ الْحِكَايَةُ وَأَمْثَالُهَا دَائِرَةٌ (٨) بَيْنَ أَمْرَيْنِ: إِمَّا أَنْ تَكُونَ كَذِبًا مَحْضًا مِمَّنِ افْتَرَاهَا عَلَى بَعْضِ شُيُوخِ أَهْلِ بَغْدَادَ (٩) ، وَإِمَّا أَنْ تَكُونَ قَدْ وَقَعَتْ لِجَاهِلٍ مَغْمُورٍ (١٠) لَيْسَ بِصَاحِبِ قَوْلٍ وَلَا مَذْهَبٍ، وَأَدْنَى الْعَامَّةِ أَعْقَلُ مِنْهُ وَأَفْقَهُ. وَعَلَى التَّقْدِيرَيْنِ فَلَا يَضُرُّ ذَلِكَ أَهْلَ السُّنَّةِ شَيْئًا، لِأَنَّهُ مِنَ الْمَعْلُومِ لِكُلِّ

(١) إِلَيْهِ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ب) ، (أ) . (٢) ك ١/٨٥ (م) : وَجَاءَ إِلَيْهِ. (٣) ن، م: تُلِحُّ النَّظَرَ. (٤) ك: وَقَدْ أَتَيْتُ بِهِ إِلَيْكَ ; م: وَقَدْ حَبَيْتُكَ بِهِ. (٥) ن، م: الْحَاكِمُ فِيهِ. (٦) ك، ب: عَلَى صُورَةِ هَذَا الْغُلَامِ. وَسَقَطَتْ عِبَارَةُ " عَلَى صُورَتِهِ " مِنْ (أ) . (٧) النَّفَّاطَةِ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) . (٨) ع: هِيَ دَائِرَةٌ. (٩) ب، أ، ن، م: عَلَى أَهْلِ بَغْدَادَ وَبَعْضِ الشُّيُوخِ. (١٠) ب: مَعْذُورًا ; أ: مَعْفُورٍ، وَهُوَ تَحْرِيفٌ.