Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (3/145)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

“They are from Allah”—that He commanded them, whereas Allah does not command indecency, does not love corruption (1), and does not approve disbelief for His servants.

This is like the statement (2) of Ibn Masūd when he was asked about a woman whose marriage contract stipulated no dowry: “I shall give my own judgment concerning her (3). If it is correct, it is from Allah; and if it is mistaken, it is from me and Satan. Allah and His Messenger are entirely free of it.” Likewise, Abū Bakr (4) said this regarding the collateral-inheritance question, and Umar said something similar. What they meant was that Allah commanded, prescribed, and loved what was correct (5), and was pleased with it. As for what was mistaken, He neither commanded, loved, nor prescribed it. Rather, it was something Satan made appealing to my soul, so I did it at Satan’s bidding. It is therefore from me and Satan.

The answer, then, may be given from several angles:

First:

It may be said that deeds, words, acts of obedience, and acts of disobedience come from the servant in the sense that they inhere in him and occur through his will and power. He is the one characterized by them and the one who carries them out, and it is to him that their ruling applies (6). For something by which a given entity is characterized and which proceeds from it (7) may be said to be “from it,” even if that entity has no choice.

Thus one says: “This wind (8) comes from this place, this fruit from this tree, and this crop from

(1) N and M read: “And He does not love indecency.” (2) ʿ and M read: “And this is like the statement of.” (3) ʿ reads: “When he was asked: ‘I say’”; A and B read: “When he was asked about the prescribed share: ‘I say’”; M reads: “When he was asked about the woman whose marriage contract stipulated no dowry, when I say.” (4) ʿ reads: “Abū Bakr al-Siddīq, may Allah be pleased with him.” (5) A and B read: “and made it obligatory.” (6) ʿ reads: “to whom its ruling applies.” (7) “From it” is absent from A and B. (8) A and B read, using the masculine form of “this”: “this wind”; N and M read: “these odors.”

إِنَّهَا مِنَ اللَّهِ أَنَّهُ أَمَرَ بِهَا، وَاللَّهُ لَا يَأْمُرُ بِالْفَحْشَاءِ، وَلَا يُحِبُّ الْفَسَادَ (١) ، وَلَا يَرْضَى لِعِبَادِهِ الْكُفْرَ. وَهَذَا مِثْلُ قَوْلِ (٢) ابْنِ مَسْعُودٍ لَمَّا سُئِلَ عَنِ الْمُفَوِّضَةِ: أَقُولُ (٣) فِيهَا بِرَأْيِي، فَإِنْ يَكُنْ صَوَابًا فَمِنَ اللَّهِ، وَإِنْ يَكُنْ خَطَأً فَمِنِّي وَمِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ، وَاللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ بَرِيئَانِ مِنْهُ. وَكَذَلِكَ قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ (٤) فِي الْكَلَالَةِ، وَقَالَ عُمَرُ نَحْوَ ذَلِكَ. وَمُرَادُهُمْ أَنَّ الصَّوَابَ قَدْ أَمَرَ اللَّهُ بِهِ وَشَرَعَهُ وَأَحَبَّهُ (٥) وَرَضِيَهُ، وَالْخَطَأُ لَمْ يَأْمُرْ بِهِ وَلَمْ يُحِبَّهُ وَلَمْ يَشْرَعْهُ، بَلْ هُوَ مِمَّا زَيَّنَهُ الشَّيْطَانُ لِنَفْسِي فَفَعَلْتُهُ بِأَمْرِ الشَّيْطَانِ، فَهُوَ مِنِّي وَمِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ. وَحِينَئِذٍ فَالْجَوَابُ مِنْ وُجُوهٍ: أَحَدُهَا: أَنْ يُقَالَ: الْأَعْمَالُ وَالْأَقْوَالُ وَالطَّاعَاتُ وَالْمَعَاصِي مِنَ الْعَبْدِ، بِمَعْنَى أَنَّهَا قَائِمَةٌ بِهِ وَحَاصِلَةٌ بِمَشِيئَتِهِ وَقُدْرَتِهِ، وَهُوَ الْمُتَّصِفُ بِهَا الْمُتَحَرِّكُ بِهَا، الَّذِي يَعُودُ حُكْمُهَا عَلَيْهِ (٦) ، فَإِنَّهُ قَدْ يُقَالُ لِمَا اتَّصَفَ بِهِ الْمَحَلُّ وَخَرَجَ مِنْهُ (٧) : هَذَا مِنْهُ وَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ اخْتِيَارٌ، كَمَا يُقَالُ: هَذِهِ الرِّيحُ (٨) مِنْ هَذَا الْمَوْضِعِ، وَهَذِهِ الثَّمَرَةُ مِنْ هَذِهِ الشَّجَرَةِ، وَهَذَا الزَّرْعُ مِنْ

(١) ن، م: وَلَا يُحِبُّ الْفَحْشَاءَ. (٢) ع، م: وَهَذَا كَقَوْلِ. (٣) ع: لَمَّا سُئِلَ أَقُولُ ; أ، ب: لَمَّا سُئِلَ عَنِ الْفَرِيضَةِ أَقُولُ، م: لَمَّا سُئِلَ عَنِ الْمُفَوِّضَةِ لَمَّا أَقُولُ. (٤) ع: أَبُو بَكْرٍ الصِّدِّيقُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ. (٥) أ، ب: وَأَوْجَبَهُ. (٦) ع: الَّذِي حُكْمُهَا يَعُودُ عَلَيْهِ. (٧) مِنْهُ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (أ) ، (ب) . (٨) أ، ب: هَذَا الرِّيحُ، ن، م: هَذِهِ الرَّوَائِحُ.