Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (3/184)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

If it is asked:

“Why, then, does He not bring this about while preventing what He hates?”

The answer is:

Some things are impossible in themselves, while others are impossible because of something else. The pleasure(1) derived from eating—neither that very pleasure nor its kind(2)—can be attained through drinking(3), hearing, or smelling; rather, a different pleasure is attained.

The presence of the pleasure of eating in the mouth is incompatible with experiencing the pleasure of drinking at that same moment. Likewise, a servant’s enjoyment in hearing certain(4) sounds prevents him from enjoying another sound at that moment. Thus, not everything that a servant loves and finds pleasurable can be combined in a single instant(5). Indeed, one of two opposites cannot be attained(6) except by foregoing the other. Every created thing(7) necessarily has concomitants and opposites; it can exist only when its concomitants exist and its opposites are absent.(8)

If the Lord Most High loves for His servant to travel for Hajj and to travel for jihad, then whichever of the two the servant undertakes(9) is loved by Him. Yet the servant cannot, at one and the same time,(10) travel east and west.(11) Indeed, it is impossible(12) for both of these beloved acts to be performed at the same time, and so there cannot be attained

(1) (A) and (B) read: “then the pleasure.” (2) (A) and (B) read: “it and its kinds.” (3) (ʿA) reads: “through a drink.” (4) (N) reads: “those.” (5) (N) reads: “a single kind”; (M) reads: “a single time.” (6) “Attainment” is omitted from (A), (B), and (ʿA). (7) “Thing” is omitted from (A) and (B). (8) (N) reads: “and preventing the absence of its opposites”; (M) reads: “and preventing its opposites.” (9) (A) and (B) read: “he did.” (10) (M) reads: “at one time”; (A) reads: “in one [state]”; (B) reads: “in a single instant.” (11) (ʿA) and (N) read: “to the east and west.” (12) (N), (M), and (ʿA) read: “thus it is impossible”; (A) reads: “rather, it is possible,” which is an error.

وَإِذَا قِيلَ: فَهَلَّا يَفْعَلُ هَذَا وَيَمْنَعُ مَا يُبْغِضُهُ. قِيلَ: مِنَ الْأَشْيَاءِ مَا يَكُونُ مُمْتَنِعًا لِذَاتِهِ، وَمِنْهَا مَا يَكُونُ مُمْتَنِعًا لِغَيْرِهِ، وَاللَّذَّةُ (١) الْحَاصِلَةُ بِالْأَكْلِ لَا تَحْصُلُ هِيَ وَلَا نَوْعُهَا (٢) بِالشُّرْبِ (٣) وَالسَّمَاعِ وَالشَّمِّ، وَإِنَّمَا تَحْصُلُ لَذَّةٌ أُخْرَى. وَوُجُودُ لَذَّةِ الْأَكْلِ فِي الْفَمِ تُنَافِي حُصُولَ لَذَّةِ الشُّرْبِ فِي تِلْكَ الْحَالِ، وَتَلَذُّذُ الْعَبْدِ بِسَمَاعِ بَعْضِ (٤) الْأَصْوَاتِ يَمْنَعُ تَلَذُّذَهُ بِسَمَاعِ صَوْتٍ آخَرَ فِي تِلْكَ الْحَالِ، فَلَيْسَ كُلُّ مَا هُوَ مَحْبُوبٌ لِلْعَبْدِ وَلَذِيذٌ لَهُ يُمْكِنُ اجْتِمَاعُهُ فِي آنٍ (٥) وَاحِدٍ، بَلْ لَا يُمْكِنُ حُصُولُ (٦) أَحَدِ الضِّدَّيْنِ إِلَّا بِتَفْوِيتِ الْآخَرِ، وَمَا مِنْ شَيْءٍ (٧) مَخْلُوقٍ إِلَّا لَهُ لَوَازِمُ وَأَضْدَادٌ، فَلَا يُوجَدُ إِلَّا بِوُجُودِ لَوَازِمِهِ وَمَعَ عَدَمِ أَضْدَادِهِ (٨) وَالرَّبُّ تَعَالَى إِذَا كَانَ يُحِبُّ مِنْ عَبْدِهِ أَنْ يُسَافِرَ لِلْحَجِّ وَيُسَافِرَ لِلْجِهَادِ، فَأَيُّهُمَا فَعَلَهُ (٩) كَانَ مَحْبُوبًا لَهُ، لَكِنْ لَا يُمْكِنُ فِي حَالٍ وَاحِدَةٍ (١٠) أَنْ يُسَافِرَ الْعَبْدُ إِلَى الشَّرْقِ وَإِلَى الْغَرْبِ (١١) ، بَلْ لَا يُمْكِنُ (١٢) حُصُولُ هَذَيْنِ الْمَحْبُوبَيْنِ جَمِيعًا فِي وَقْتٍ وَاحِدٍ، فَلَا يَحْصُلُ

(١) أ، ب: فَاللَّذَّةُ. (٢) أ، ب: هِيَ وَأَنْوَاعُهَا. (٣) ع: بِالشَّرَابِ. (٤) ن: تِلْكَ. (٥) ن: لَوْنٍ، م: أَوَانٍ. (٦) حُصُولُ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (أ) ، (ب) ، (ع) . (٧) شَيْءٍ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (أ) ، (ب) . (٨) ن: وَمَنْعِ عَدَمِ أَضْدَادِهِ، م: وَمَنْعِ أَضْدَادِهِ. (٩) أ، ب: فَعَلَ. (١٠) م: فِي وَقْتٍ وَاحِدٍ، أ: فِي وَاحِدَةٍ، ب: فِي آنٍ وَاحِدٍ. (١١) ع، ن: إِلَى الشَّرْقِ وَالْغَرْبِ. (١٢) ن، م، ع: فَلَا يُمْكِنُ، أ: بَلْ يُمْكِنُ، وَهُوَ خَطَأٌ.