Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (3/32)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

wisdom or mercy, and he denied that the servant has any act or effective capacity.

It is related that he would go out to those afflicted with leprosy and say:

“Would the Most Merciful of those who show mercy do (the like of) (1) this?”

He said this to deny that Allah has mercy as an attribute, claiming that there is nothing but sheer will, unconnected to any wisdom; rather, He gives preference to one of two identical alternatives without any determining factor.

This is also the position of a group of later scholars. They say that He did not create for any wise purpose and did not command for any wise purpose, and that the Quran contains no purposive lām, whether regarding Allah’s creation or His command. (2)

These compulsionist Jahmiyya and the Mu'tazila and Qadariyya stand at (3) two opposing extremes (4).

The position of the early generations of the Ummah, the leading authorities of the Sunnah, and the majority of its adherents is neither the position of the one group nor that of the other. Although many who affirm divine decree espouse Jahm’s position, the discussion (5) here concerns the adherents of the Sunnah who affirm the imamate of Abū Bakr, Umar, and Uthmān and affirm divine decree. This designation includes the Companions, those who followed them faithfully, and the leading authorities of Quranic exegesis, hadith, and jurisprudence

(1) “The like of” is added in ʿ. (2) B and A read: “nor in His command.” (3) B and A read: “from.” (4) Mustajā Zādah wrote in the margin of ʿ: “These Jahmiyya and the Muʿtazilite Qadariyya stand at two opposing extremes. According to the Muʿtazila, servants’ acts arise through their own capacity and origination, with no role for Allah’s power or creation. According to the compulsionists, however, these acts arise solely through Allah Most High’s power, origination, and creation, with no role for the servant’s determining or bringing them into existence. I say: A distinction has nevertheless been drawn between Jahm’s position and that of al-Ashʿarī. Although al-Ashʿarī affirms that the servant possesses a capacity having no causal efficacy, the servant nevertheless has a capacity alongside which Allah Most High creates the act—just as He creates burning alongside fire. Likewise, the voluntary act is consequent upon the capacity present in the servant. Fire and capacity are thus material causes of their respective effects—burning and action—but not their true causes. The true agent and true cause is Allah Most High.” (5) B and A read: “and the discussion.”

حِكْمَةً أَوْ رَحْمَةً، وَيُنْكِرُ أَنْ يَكُونَ لِلْعَبْدِ فِعْلٌ أَوْ قُدْرَةٌ مُؤَثِّرَةٌ. وَحُكِيَ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ كَانَ يَخْرُجُ إِلَى الْجَذْمَى وَيَقُولُ: أَرْحَمُ الرَّاحِمِينَ يَفْعَلُ (مَثَلَ) (١) هَذَا؟ إِنْكَارًا لِأَنْ تَكُونَ لَهُ رَحْمَةً يَتَّصِفُ بِهَا، وَزَعْمًا مِنْهُ أَنَّهُ لَيْسَ إِلَّا مَشِيئَةٌ مَحْضَةٌ لَا اخْتِصَاصَ لَهَا بِحِكْمَةٍ، بَلْ يُرَجِّحُ أَحَدَ الْمُتَمَاثِلَيْنِ بِلَا مُرَجِّحٍ. وَهَذَا قَوْلُ طَائِفَةٍ مِنَ الْمُتَأَخِّرِينَ، وَهَؤُلَاءِ يَقُولُونَ: إِنَّهُ لَمْ يَخْلُقْ لِحِكْمَةٍ، وَلَمْ يَأْمُرْ لِحِكْمَةٍ، وَأَنَّهُ لَيْسَ فِي الْقُرْآنِ " لَامُ " كَيْ، لَا فِي خَلْقِ اللَّهِ وَلَا فِي أَمْرِ اللَّهِ. (٢) وَهَؤُلَاءِ الْجَهْمِيَّةُ الْمُجْبِرَةُ هُمْ وَالْمُعْتَزِلَةُ وَالْقَدَرِيَّةُ فِي (٣) طَرَفَيْنِ مُتَقَابِلَيْنِ (٤) . وَقَوْلُ سَلَفِ الْأُمَّةِ وَأَئِمَّةِ السُّنَّةِ وَجُمْهُورِهَا لَيْسَ قَوْلَ هَؤُلَاءِ وَلَا قَوْلَ هَؤُلَاءِ، وَإِنْ كَانَ كَثِيرٌ مِنَ الْمُثْبِتِينَ لِلْقَدَرِ يَقُولُ بِقَوْلِ جَهْمٍ، فَالْكَلَامُ (٥) إِنَّمَا هُوَ فِي أَهْلِ السُّنَّةِ الْمُثْبِتِينَ لِإِمَامَةِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ وَعُثْمَانَ وَالْمُثْبِتِينَ لِلْقَدَرِ. وَهَذَا الِاسْمُ يَدْخُلُ فِيهِ الصَّحَابَةُ وَالتَّابِعُونَ لَهُمْ بِإِحْسَانٍ، وَأَئِمَّةُ التَّفْسِيرِ وَالْحَدِيثِ وَالْفِقْهِ

(١) مِثْلَ: زِيَادَةٌ فِي (ع) . (٢) ب، أ: وَلَا فِي أَمْرِهِ. (٣) ب، أ: مِنْ. (٤) كَتَبَ مُسْتَجَى زَادَهْ فِي هَامِشِ (ع) : وَهَؤُلَاءِ الْجَهْمِيَّةُ هُمْ وَالْمُعْتَزِلَةُ الْقَدَرِيَّةُ فِي طَرَفَيْنِ مُتَقَابِلَيْنِ، لِأَنَّ عِنْدَ الْمُعْتَزِلَةِ أَفْعَالَ الْعِبَادِ بِقُدْرَتِهِمْ وَإِيجَادِهِمْ لَا مَدْخَلَ لِقُدْرَتِهِ وَخَلْقِهِ فِيهَا، وَعِنْدَ الْمُجْبِرَةِ أَنَّهَا بِمَحْضِ قُدْرَةِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى وَإِيجَادِهِ وَخَلْقِهِ لَا مَدْخَلَ لِقَدَرِ الْعَبْدِ وَإِيجَادِهِ فِيهَا. قُلْتُ: إِلَّا أَنَّهُ فُرِّقَ بَيْنَ قَوْلِ جَهْمٍ وَبَيْنَ قَوْلِ الْأَشْعَرِيِّ بِأَنَّهُ وَإِنْ قَالَ بِقُدْرَةٍ غَيْرِ مُؤَثِّرَةٍ فِي الْعَبْدِ إِلَّا أَنَّ لِلْعَبْدِ قُدْرَةً يَخْلُقُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى عِنْدَهَا، كَالنَّارِ الَّتِي يَخْلُقُ عِنْدَهَا الْإِحْرَاقَ، كَذَلِكَ الْقُدْرَةُ الْمُتَحَقِّقَةُ فِي الْعَبْدِ يَتَرَتَّبُ عَلَيْهَا الْفِعْلُ الِاخْتِيَارِيُّ، فَالنَّارُ وَالْقُدْرَةُ هُمَا سَبَبَانِ مَادِّيَّانِ لِأَثَرِهِمَا مِنَ الْإِحْرَاقِ وَالْفِعْلِ، لَا سَبَبَانِ حَقِيقِيَّانِ لَهُمَا، وَالْمُؤَثِّرُ الْحَقِيقِيُّ وَالسَّبَبُ الْحَقِيقِيُّ هُوَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى. (٥) ب، أ: وَالْكَلَامُ.