Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (3/134)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

Some have said that, according to the Qadarite position (1), [Allah] does not deserve to be thanked under any circumstances (2), for thanks are given only for blessings, and blessings are either religious, worldly, or of the Hereafter. According to him, worldly blessings are obligatory upon Allah. The same applies to those religious blessings that He has the power to provide, such as sending messengers and creating capacity. As for faith itself and righteous deeds, according to him, Allah cannot make anyone a believer, rightly guided, righteous, virtuous, or God-fearing. He therefore does not deserve to be thanked for any of these things, which, according to him, He neither brought about nor has the power to bring about (3).

As for the blessings of the Hereafter, recompense is obligatory (4) [upon Him] (5), according to him, just as an employer must pay a hired worker his wages (6). It is well known that, in his view (7), this belongs to the category of justice owed as a right, not to the category of grace (8) and beneficence. It is like someone discharging a debt he owed; he therefore deserves no thanks for any grace or beneficence.

This also reveals what his position truly amounts to—how he finds fault with the believers (9), who thank Allah for every [circumstance and] blessing (10), and thank those through whose hands Allah brings about good,

(1) A, B, and N read: *al-Qadariyya* (the Qadarites); M: *al-qadar* (divine decree), which is a corruption. (2) ʿ reads: “Allah does not deserve that Allah be thanked under any circumstances”; N: “‘He does not deserve to be thanked’ is impossible”; M: “It follows that He should not be thanked for any circumstance.” (3) A and B read: “nor did He enable His servants to perform them”; M: “nor, according to him, did He have power over them.” (4) A and B read: “became obligatory.” (5) “Upon Him” is omitted from N. (6) After “his wages,” A and B contain the phrase, “Recompense is therefore obligatory upon Him,” which is a repetition. (7) A and B read: “It is known to him that this…” (8) N reads: *al-tafḍīl* (“preference”); M: *al-tafaddul* (“gracious bestowal”). (9) A and B read: “his statement finds fault with the believers”; ʿ: “his statement: how he punishes the believers.” (10) N, M, and ʿ read: “for every blessing.”

وَقَدْ قَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ إِنَّهُ عَلَى قَوْلِ الْقَدَرِيِّ (١) لَا يَسْتَحِقُّ [اللَّهُ] أَنْ يُشْكَرَ بِحَالٍ (٢) ، فَإِنَّ الشُّكْرَ إِنَّمَا يَكُونُ عَلَى النِّعَمِ، وَالنِّعَمُ إِمَّا دِينِيَّةٌ وَإِمَّا دُنْيَوِيَّةٌ وَإِمَّا أُخْرَوِيَّةٌ، فَالنِّعَمُ الدُّنْيَوِيَّةُ هِيَ عِنْدَهُ وَاجِبَةٌ عَلَى اللَّهِ، وَكَذَلِكَ مَا يَقْدِرُ عَلَيْهِ مِنَ الدِّينِيَّةِ كَالْإِرْسَالِ وَخَلْقِ الْقُدْرَةِ، وَأَمَّا نَفْسُ الْإِيمَانِ وَالْعَمَلِ الصَّالِحِ فَهُوَ عِنْدَهُ لَا يَقْدِرُ أَنْ يَجْعَلَ أَحَدًا مُؤْمِنًا وَلَا مُهْتَدِيًا وَلَا صَالِحًا وَلَا بَرًّا وَلَا تَقِيًّا، فَلَا يَسْتَحِقُّ أَنْ يُشْكَرَ عَلَى شَيْءٍ مِنْ هَذِهِ الْأُمُورِ الَّتِي لَمْ يَفْعَلْهَا وَلَا يُقْدِرُ عَلَيْهَا عِنْدَهُ (٣) وَأَمَّا النِّعَمُ الْأُخْرَوِيَّةُ فَالْجَزَاءُ وَاجِبٌ (٤) [عَلَيْهِ] (٥) عِنْدَهُ، كَمَا يَجِبُ عَلَى الْمُسْتَأْجِرِ أَنْ يُوَفِّيَ الْأَجِيرَ أَجْرَهُ (٦) ، وَمَعْلُومٌ أَنَّ هَذَا عِنْدَهُ (٧) مِنْ بَابِ الْعَدْلِ الْمُسْتَحَقِّ لَا مِنْ بَابِ الْفَضْلِ (٨) وَالْإِحْسَانِ، بِمَنْزِلَةِ مَنْ قَضَى دَيْنًا كَانَ عَلَيْهِ فَلَا يَسْتَحِقُّ الشُّكْرَ عَلَى فَضْلٍ وَلَا إِحْسَانٍ. وَمِنْ هَذَا حَقِيقَةُ قَوْلِهِ كَيْفَ يَعِيبُ أَهْلَ الْإِيمَانِ (٩) الَّذِينَ يَشْكُرُونَ اللَّهَ عَلَى كُلِّ [حَالٍ وَ] نِعْمَةٍ (١٠) ، وَيَشْكُرُونَ مَنْ أَجْرَى اللَّهُ الْخَيْرَ عَلَى يَدَيْهِ،

(١) أ، ب، ن: الْقَدَرِيَّةِ، م: الْقَدَرِ، وَهُوَ تَحْرِيفٌ. (٢) ع: لَا يَسْتَحِقُّ اللَّهُ أَنْ يُشْكَرَ اللَّهُ بِحَالٍ ; ن: لَا يَسْتَحِقُّ أَنْ يُشْكَرَ مُحَالٌ، م: يَلْزَمُ أَنْ لَا يُشْكَرَ لِحَالٍ. (٣) أ، ب: وَلَمْ يُقْدِرْ عَلَيْهَا عَبِيدَهُ، م: وَلَمْ يُقْدِرْ عَلَيْهَا عِنْدَهُ. (٤) أ، ب: وَجَبَ. (٥) عَلَيْهِ سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) . (٦) بَعْدَ كَلِمَةِ أَجْرِهِ تُوجَدُ فِي (أ) ، (ب) عِبَارَةُ: فَالْجَزَاءُ وَاجِبٌ عَلَيْهِ وَهِيَ عِبَارَةٌ مُكَرَّرَةٌ. (٧) أ، ب: وَمَعْلُومٌ عِنْدَهُ أَنَّ هَذَا. (٨) ن: التَّفْضِيلِ، م: التَّفَضُّلِ. (٩) أ، ب: قَوْلِهِ يَعِيبُ أَهْلَ الْإِيمَانِ، ع: قَوْلِهِ كَيْفَ يُعَذِّبُ أَهْلَ الْإِيمَانِ. (١٠) ن، م، ع: عَلَى كُلِّ نِعْمَةٍ.