Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (3/129)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

in its entirety; that voluntary acts are distinct from involuntary ones; that the Lord acts by His will and power; that whatever He wills comes to pass and whatever He does not will does not come to pass; that He has always been capable of acting and characterized by attributes of perfection, speaking whenever He wills; and that He is described as He described Himself and as the Messenger of Allah [peace and blessings be upon him] (1) described Him, without distortion or negation, and without asking how or likening Him to anything. Thus, they affirm His all-encompassing knowledge, His effective will, His perfect power, and His creation of everything.

Whoever Allah guides to understand their position will know that they have brought together the merits of the various doctrines; that they have described Allah with the utmost perfection; that they are the ones who adhere (2) to sound transmitted evidence and clear rational evidence; and that their position is the sound position, free of contradiction (3), with which Allah sent His messengers (4) and revealed His Books.

[A section containing the Rāfidī’s remarks on the doctrine of Ahl al-Sunna concerning the divine decree—that there is no distinction between doing good and doing harm because both proceed from Allah—and the response to him]

(Section)

The [Rāfidī] (5) said: “Another consequence is that no distinction would necessarily remain (6), in our view, between someone who treated us with the utmost kindness throughout his life and [someone] who treated us (7) with the utmost harm throughout his life; nor would it be proper for us

(1) N, M, and ʿ read: “and as His Messenger described Him.” (2) ʿ, N, and M read: “those who hold fast.” (3) N reads: “and free of that which is contradictory.” (4) N and M read: “His Messenger.” (5) “The Rāfidī” is an addition in ʿ. K reads: “the Imāmī Qadarī.” The following text is in Minhāj al-Karāma, p. [0–9] 8 (M). (6) A and B read: “Another consequence is that it follows that there remains no…”; ʿ: “Another consequence is that there remains no…”; K: “Another consequence is that there should remain no…” (7) A, B, N, and M read: “and one who did harm.”

كُلِّهِ، وَعَلَى الْفَرْقِ بَيْنَ الْأَفْعَالِ الِاخْتِيَارِيَّةِ وَالِاضْطِرَارِيَّةِ، وَعَلَى أَنَّ الرَّبَّ يَفْعَلُ بِمَشِيئَتِهِ وَقُدْرَتِهِ، وَأَنَّهُ مَا شَاءَ كَانَ وَمَا لَمْ يَشَأْ لَمْ يَكُنْ، وَأَنَّهُ لَمْ يَزَلْ قَادِرًا عَلَى الْأَفْعَالِ مَوْصُوفًا بِصِفَاتِ الْكَمَالِ، مُتَكَلِّمًا إِذَا شَاءَ، وَأَنَّهُ مَوْصُوفٌ بِمَا وَصَفَ بِهِ نَفْسَهُ، وَبِمَا وَصَفَهُ بِهِ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ [صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ] (١) مِنْ غَيْرِ تَحْرِيفٍ وَلَا تَعْطِيلٍ، وَمِنْ غَيْرِ تَكْيِيفٍ وَلَا تَمْثِيلٍ، فَيُثْبِتُونَ عِلْمَهُ الْمُحِيطَ، وَمَشِيئَتَهُ النَّافِذَةَ، وَقُدْرَتَهُ الْكَامِلَةَ، وَخَلْقَهُ لِكُلِّ شَيْءٍ. وَمَنْ هَدَاهُ اللَّهُ إِلَى فَهْمِ قَوْلِهِمْ، عَلِمَ أَنَّهُمْ جَمَعُوا مَحَاسِنَ الْأَقْوَالِ، وَأَنَّهُمْ وَصَفُوا اللَّهَ بِغَايَةِ الْكَمَالِ، وَأَنَّهُمْ هُمُ الْمُسْتَمْسِكُونَ (٢) بِصَحِيحِ الْمَنْقُولِ وَصَرِيحِ الْمَعْقُولِ، وَأَنَّ قَوْلَهُمْ هُوَ الْقَوْلُ السَّدِيدُ السَّلِيمُ مِنَ التَّنَاقُضِ (٣) الَّذِي أَرْسَلَ اللَّهُ بِهِ رُسُلَهُ (٤) وَأَنْزَلَ بِهِ كُتُبَهُ. [فصل من كلام الرافضي على مقالة أهل السنة في القدر أنه لا فرق بين الإحسان والإساءة لأنهما صادران من الله والرد عليه] (فَصْلٌ) قَالَ [الرَّافِضِيُّ] (٥) : " وَمِنْهَا أَنَّهُ يَلْزَمُ أَنْ لَا يَبْقَى (٦) عِنْدَنَا فَرْقٌ بَيْنَ مَنْ أَحْسَنَ إِلَيْنَا غَايَةَ الْإِحْسَانِ طُولَ عُمُرِهِ، و [بَيْنَ] مَنْ أَسَاءَ (٧) إِلَيْنَا غَايَةَ الْإِسَاءَةِ طُولَ عُمُرِهِ، وَلَمْ يَحْسُنْ مِنَّا

(١) ن، م، ع وَبِمَا وَصَفَهُ بِهِ رَسُولُهُ. (٢) ع، ن، م: الْمُتَمَسِّكُونَ. (٣) ن: وَالسَّلِيمُ مِنَ الْمُتَنَاقِضِ. (٤) ن، م: رَسُولَهُ. (٥) الرَّافِضِيُّ: زِيَادَةٌ فِي (ع) . الْإِمَامِيُّ الْقَدَرِيُّ النَّصُّ التَّالِي فِي (ك) مِنْهَاجُ الْكَرَامَةِ ص [٠ - ٩] ٨ (م) . (٦) أ، ب: وَمِنْهَا أَنَّهُ يَلْزَمُ أَنَّهُ لَا يَبْقَى ع: وَمِنْهَا أَنَّهُ لَا يَبْقَى، ك: وَمِنْهَا يَلْزَمُ أَنْ لَا يَبْقَى. (٧) أ، ب، ن، م: وَمَنْ أَسَاءَ.