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from Ahmad ibn Hanbal in his epistle to Musaddad (1), [saying] (2): “They unanimously agree that nothing is like Allah (3), that how He descends is unknown, and that His attributes are not likened to the attributes of His creation.”
They differed concerning the descent: whether it is [the attribute] (4) of an act separate from the Lord and occurring among created things (5), or an act subsisting in Him. These are two well-known positions among Ahl al-Sunnah, held by followers of Mālik, al-Shāfiī, Ahmad (6), and Abū Hanīfa, as well as others among the people of hadith and Sufism.
They likewise disagreed concerning His rising over the Throne: whether it is an act (7) separate from Him
(1) B reads: “Abī Madar”; A reads: “ilā Madar”; this is a corruption. In his epistle *Sharh Hadīth al-Nuzūl*, p. [0–9]4, Ibn Taymiyya explicitly identifies him as Musaddad ibn Musarhad. On p. 49, he states that some scholars called the epistle into question; see p. 49 ff., Imam Press ed., 1366/1947. This Musaddad was Abū al-Hasan Musaddad ibn Musarhad ibn Musarbal al-Asadī al-Basrī. Ibn Hajar states in *Taqrīb al-Tahdhīb*, p. [0–9]42: “Trustworthy, a hadith master. It is said that he was the first to compile a *Musnad* in Basra.… It is also said that his name was Abd al-Malik ibn Abd al-Azīz and that Musaddad was his sobriquet.” Musaddad died in 228 AH. See his biography in *Tabaqāt al-Hanābila*, 1/341–345, where Ibn Abī Yaʿlā reproduces the text of Ahmad ibn Hanbal’s epistle to him; *Tadhkirat al-Huffāz*, 2/421–422; *Tabaqāt Ibn Saʿd*, 7/307; and *al-Aʿlām*, 8/108.
(2) “Saying” occurs only in ʿAyn. The passage that follows does not appear in the epistle as reproduced in Musaddad’s biography in *Tabaqāt al-Hanābila*.
(3) N reads: “that He…”
(4) “The attribute” occurs only in ʿAyn.
(5) B and A read: “in the created thing.”
(6) “And Ahmad” is omitted from B and A.
(7) B and A read: *yafʿalu* (“He acts”).
عَنْ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ حَنْبَلٍ فِي رِسَالَتِهِ إِلَى مُسَدَّدٍ
(١)
[يَقُولُ]
(٢)
:
" وَهُمْ مُتَّفِقُونَ عَلَى أَنَّ اللَّهَ
(٣)
لَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ، وَأَنَّهُ لَا يُعْلَمُ كَيْفَ يَنْزِلُ، وَلَا تُمَثَّلُ صِفَاتُهُ بِصِفَاتِ خَلْقِهِ "
.
وَقَدْ تَنَازَعُوا فِي النُّزُولِ هَلْ هُوَ
[صِفَةُ]
(٤)
فِعْلٍ مُنْفَصِلٍ عَنِ الرَّبِّ فِي الْمَخْلُوقَاتِ
(٥)
أَوْ فِعْلُ مَنْ يَقُومُ بِهِ، عَلَى قَوْلَيْنِ مَعْرُوفَيْنِ لِأَهْلِ السُّنَّةِ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ مَالِكٍ وَالشَّافِعِيِّ وَأَحْمَدَ
(٦)
وَأَبِي حَنِيفَةَ وَغَيْرِهِمْ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْحَدِيثِ وَالتَّصَوُّفُ.
وَكَذَلِكَ تَنَازَعُهُمْ فِي الِاسْتِوَاءِ عَلَى الْعَرْشِ هَلْ هُوَ فِعْلٌ
(٧)
مُنْفَصِلٌ عَنْهُ
(١) ب: أَبِي مَدَرٍ ; أ: إِلَى مَدَرٍ ; وَهُوَ تَحْرِيفٌ. وَنَصَّ ابْنُ تَيْمِيَّةَ فِي رِسَالَةِ " شَرْحِ حَدِيثِ النُّزُولِ "، ص [٠ - ٩] ٤، عَلَى أَنَّهُ مُسَدَّدُ بْنُ مُسَرْهَدٍ، وَقَالَ ص (٤٩) إِنَّ بَعْضَ الْعُلَمَاءِ طَعَنَ فِي هَذِهِ الرِّسَالَةِ انْظُرْ: ص ٤٩ وَمَا بَعْدَهَا، ط. مَطْبَعَةِ الْإِمَامِ ١٣٦٦/١٩٤٧. وَمُسَدَّدٌ هَذَا هُوَ أَبُو الْحَسَنِ مُسَدَّدُ بْنُ مُسَرْهَدِ بْنِ مُسَرْبَلٍ الْأَسَدِيُّ الْبَصْرِيُّ. قَالَ ابْنُ حَجَرٍ (تَقْرِيبَ التَّهْذِيبِ، ص [٠ - ٩] ٤٢) : " ثِقَةٌ حَافِظٌ، يُقَالُ إِنَّهُ أَوَّلُ مَنْ صَنَّفَ الْمُسْنَدَ بِالْبَصْرَةِ. . . وَيُقَالُ اسْمُهُ عَبْدُ الْمَلِكِ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْعَزِيزِ وَمُسَدَّدٌ لَقَبُهُ: وَتُوُفِّيَ مُسَدَّدٌ سَنَةَ ٢٢٨. انْظُرْ تَرْجَمَتَهُ فِي: طَبَقَاتِ الْحَنَابِلَةِ ١/٣٤١ - ٣٤٥ (أَوْرَدَ ابْنُ أَبِي يَعْلَى فِي هَذِهِ الصَّفَحَاتِ نَصَّ رِسَالَةِ أَحْمَدَ بْنِ حَنْبَلٍ إِلَيْهِ) ; تَذْكِرَةِ الْحُفَّاظِ ٢/٤٢١ - ٤٢٢ ; طَبَقَاتِ ابْنِ سَعْدٍ ٧/٣٠٧ ; الْأَعْلَامِ ٨/١٠٨.
(٢) يَقُولُ: فِي (ع) فَقَطْ. وَالْعِبَارَةُ التَّالِيَةُ لَيْسَتْ فِي الرِّسَالَةِ فِي تَرْجَمَةِ مُسَدَّدٍ فِي " طَبَقَاتِ الْحَنَابِلَةِ ".
(٣) ن: عَلَى أَنَّهُ.
(٤) صِفَةُ: فِي (ع) فَقَطْ.
(٥) ب، أ: فِي الْمَخْلُوقِ.
(٦) وَأَحْمَدَ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ب) ، (أ) .
(٧) ب، أ: يَفْعَلُ.