Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (3/101)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

Second:

[It may be said] (1): The statement, “He is entitled to punish,” means either that His punishment of the disobedient is just on His part, or it means (2) that He is in need of doing so. The former is unanimously accepted, for all Muslims agree that His punishment of the disobedient is just. Since this is so, His pardon and forgiveness are benevolence and grace from Him.

This is also maintained by those who say that He is the Creator of their acts. Those who say that these are acts of theirs created by Him (3), and those who say that they are His acts but acquisitions of theirs, agree (4) that punishment is just on His part. [If what is meant is that He is in need of it, this is false by the consensus of the Muslims] (5).

Third: It may be said: Either He may be described as Forgiving, Merciful, and Pardoning even when punishment is morally wrong, according to those who hold that view, or He may be so described only when punishment is permissible and not morally wrong (6). If it is the former, it would follow that He is not Ever-Forgiving toward one who repents, believes, does righteous deeds, and then remains rightly guided, because punishing such people is morally wrong and forgiving them is obligatory according to the proponents of this view. It would also follow that He is not Merciful toward those (7) among the prophets and believers who deserve mercy, and that He is not Forgiving and Merciful toward one who did wrong and then replaced evil with good. Since it has been established through the Quran (8) that He is Ever-Forgiving toward those who repent (9) and Merciful toward the believers,

(1) The words “It may be said” are absent from N, M, and Ayn. (2) The word “thereby” is absent from B. (3) A reads: “and those who say that they are Allah’s acts and are created”; B reads: “thus, those who say that they are acts belonging to Allah and are created.” (4) N and M read: “then they agree.” (5) The passage between square brackets occurs only in Ayn. (6) N reads: “permissible in his view, morally wrong”; M reads: “common in his view” (the word “wrong” is omitted). (7) A and B read: “toward one who.” (8) B reads: “Since the Quran has established”; A reads: “Since the Quran has been established.” (9) N and M read: “toward those who repeatedly repent.”

الثَّانِي: [أَنْ يُقَالَ] (١) : إِنَّ قَوْلَ الْقَائِلِ: " يَسْتَحِقُّ الْعِقَابَ " يَعْنِي بِهِ أَنَّ عِقَابَهُ لِلْعُصَاةِ عَدْلٌ مِنْهُ، أَوْ يَعْنِي بِهِ (٢) أَنَّهُ مُحْتَاجٌ إِلَى ذَلِكَ. أَمَّا الْأَوَّلُ فَهُوَ مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيْهِ، فَإِنَّ عُقُوبَتَهُ لِلْعُصَاةِ عَدْلٌ مِنْهُ بِاتِّفَاقِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ. وَإِذَا كَانَ كَذَلِكَ كَانَ عَفْوُهُ وَمَغْفِرَتُهُ إِحْسَانًا مِنْهُ وَفَضْلًا. وَهَذَا يَقُولُ بِهِ مَنْ يَقُولُ: إِنَّهُ خَالِقُ أَفْعَالِهِمْ وَالْقَائِلُونَ بِأَنَّهَا أَفْعَالٌ لَهُمْ مَخْلُوقَةٌ لَهُ (٣) ، وَالْقَائِلُونَ بِأَنَّهَا أَفْعَالٌ لَهُ كَسْبٌ لَهُمْ مُتَّفِقُونَ (٤) ، عَلَى أَنَّ الْعِقَابَ عَدْلٌ مِنْهُ، [وَإِنْ عُنِيَ بِهِ كَوْنُهُ مُحْتَاجًا إِلَيْهِ فَهَذَا بَاطِلٌ بِاتِّفَاقِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ] (٥) . الثَّالِثُ: أَنْ يُقَالَ: الْمَغْفِرَةُ وَالرَّحْمَةُ وَالْعَفْوُ إِمَّا أَنْ يُوصَفَ بِهَا وَإِنْ كَانَ الْعِقَابُ قَبِيحًا عَلَى قَوْلِ الْقَائِلِينَ بِذَلِكَ، وَإِمَّا أَنْ لَا يُوصَفَ بِهَا إِلَّا إِذَا كَانَ الْعِقَابُ سَائِغًا غَيْرَ قَبِيحٍ (٦) . فَإِنْ كَانَ الْأَوَّلُ لَزِمَ أَنْ لَا يَكُونَ غَفَّارًا لِمَنْ تَابَ وَآمَنَ وَعَمِلَ صَالِحًا ثُمَّ اهْتَدَى، لِأَنَّ عِقَابَ هَؤُلَاءِ قَبِيحٌ، وَالْمَغْفِرَةُ لَهُمْ وَاجِبَةٌ عِنْدَ أَهْلِ هَذَا الْقَوْلِ، وَيَلْزَمُ أَنْ لَا يَكُونَ رَحِيمًا بِمَنْ (٧) . يَسْتَحِقُّ الرَّحْمَةَ مِنَ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ وَالْمُؤْمِنِينَ، وَيَلْزَمُ أَنْ لَا يَكُونَ غَفُورًا رَحِيمًا لِمَنْ ظَلَمَ ثُمَّ بَدَّلَ حُسْنًا بَعْدَ سُوءٍ. وَلَمَّا كَانَ قَدْ ثَبَتَ بِالْقُرْآنِ (٨) أَنَّهُ غَفَّارٌ لِلتَّائِبِينَ (٩) رَحِيمٌ بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ،

(١) أَنْ يُقَالَ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) ، (ع) . (٢) بِهِ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ب) . (٣) أ: وَالْقَائِلُونَ بِأَنَّهَا أَفْعَالُ اللَّهِ مَخْلُوقَةٌ ; ب: فَالْقَائِلُونَ بِأَنَّهَا أَفْعَالٌ لِلَّهِ مَخْلُوقَةٌ. (٤) ن، م: فَهُمْ مُتَّفِقُونَ. (٥) مَا بَيْنَ الْمَعْقُوفَتَيْنِ فِي (ع) فَقَطْ. (٦) ن: سَائِغًا عِنْدَهُ قَبِيحٌ ; م: شَائِعًا عِنْدَهُ (وَسَقَطَتْ كَلِمَةُ: قَبِيحٍ) . (٧) أ، ب: لِمَنْ (٨) ب: وَلَمَّا كَانَ الْقُرْآنُ قَدْ أَثْبَتَ، أ: وَلَمَّا كَانَ الْقُرْآنُ قَدْ ثَبَتَ. (٩) ن، م: لِلتَّوَّابِينَ.