Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (2/647)

We know that Allah is the Creator of all things, that there is no might or power except through Him, and that He is the Creator of the power within the Throne and its bearers. Indeed, we say that He is the Creator of the acts (1) of the angels who bear the Throne (2). Since He is the Creator of all of this, and there is no might or power except through Him, it is impossible for Him to be dependent on anything other than Himself.

If his predecessors—such as Yūnus [ibn Abd al-Rahmān] al-Qummī (3) and others like him who say that the Throne bears Him—were to counter him with this same argument, he would have (4) no argument against them. For they would say:

“We did not say that He is dependent on anything other than Himself. Rather, He has always been independent of the Throne and everything else. What we said was that He has power over all things. Thus, when we affirm that He is able to do this, we are describing Him as possessing perfect power, not as being dependent on anything else.”

(1) N, M: li-afʿāl (for actions). (2) “Of the Throne” is omitted from A and B. (3) All manuscripts read: “ʿAlī ibn Yūnus al-Qummī.” This is an error by Ibn Taymiyya or the copyist. The biographical notice of Yūnus ibn ʿAbd al-Rahmān al-Qummī appeared previously at 1/71 and 2/235. In the latter passage, Ibn Taymiyya quoted al-Ashʿarī’s discussion of the bearers of the Throne from al-Maqālāt. (4) “For him” is omitted from B and A.

وَنَحْنُ نَعْلَمُ أَنَّ اللَّهَ خَالِقُ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ، وَأَنَّهُ لَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِهِ، وَأَنَّ الْقُوَّةَ الَّتِي فِي الْعَرْشِ وَفِي حَمَلَةِ الْعَرْشِ هُوَ خَالِقُهَا، بَلْ نَقُولُ: إِنَّهُ خَالِقُ أَفْعَالِ (١) الْمَلَائِكَةِ الْحَامِلِينَ لِلْعَرْشِ (٢) ; فَإِذَا كَانَ هُوَ الْخَالِقُ لِهَذَا كُلِّهِ، وَلَا حَوْلَ وَلَا قُوَّةَ إِلَّا بِهِ، امْتَنَعَ أَنْ يَكُونَ مُحْتَاجًا إِلَى غَيْرِهِ. وَلَوِ احْتَجَّ عَلَيْهِ سَلَفُهُ مِثْلُ يُونُسَ [بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ] الْقُمِّيِّ (٣) وَأَمْثَالِهِ مِمَّنْ يَقُولُ بِأَنَّ الْعَرْشَ يَحْمِلُهُ بِمِثْلِ هَذَا، لَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ (٤) عَلَيْهِمْ حُجَّةٌ، فَإِنَّهُمْ يَقُولُونَ: لَمْ نَقُلْ إِنَّهُ مُحْتَاجٌ إِلَى غَيْرِهِ، بَلْ مَا زَالَ غَنِيًّا عَنِ الْعَرْشِ وَغَيْرِهِ، وَلَكِنْ قُلْنَا: إِنَّهُ عَلَى كُلِّ شَيْءٍ قَدِيرٌ، فَإِذَا جَعَلْنَاهُ قَادِرًا عَلَى هَذَا، كَانَ ذَلِكَ وَصْفًا لَهُ بِكَمَالِ الِاقْتِدَارِ، لَا بِالْحَاجَةِ إِلَى الْأَغْيَارِ.

(١) ن، م: لِأَفْعَالِ. (٢) لِلْعَرْشِ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (أ) ، (ب) . (٣) فِي جَمِيعِ النُّسَخِ: عَلِيِّ بْنِ يُونُسَ الْقُمِّيِّ، وَهُوَ سَهْوٌ مِنِ ابْنِ تَيْمِيَّةَ أَوْ مِنَ النَّاسِخِ. وَسَبَقَتْ تَرْجَمَةُ يُونُسَ بْنِ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ الْقُمِّيِّ ١/٧١، ٢/٢٣٥ وَفِي هَذَا الْمَوْضِعِ الْأَخِيرِ نَقَلَ ابْنُ تَيْمِيَّةَ عَنِ " الْمَقَالَاتِ " لِلْأَشْعَرِيِّ كَلَامَهُ عَنْ حَمَلَةِ الْعَرْشِ. (٤) لَهُ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ب) ، (أ) .