Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (1/141)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

His servants, while whatever punishments He afflicts them [with] (1) are due to their sins. A full discussion of this has been set out elsewhere (2).

Likewise concerning wisdom: Muslims unanimously agree that Allah Most High is characterized by wisdom, but they differ over how this is to be understood.

One group said: Wisdom refers to His knowledge of His servants’ actions and His bringing them about in the manner He willed. They affirmed nothing beyond knowledge, will, and power.

The majority of Ahl al-Sunnah and others said: Rather, He is wise in His creation and His command. Wisdom is not mere will, for if it were, everyone who exercised will would be wise; yet it is well known that will may be either praiseworthy or blameworthy. Rather, wisdom [entails] (3) the praiseworthy outcomes and beloved ends contained in His creation and command.

Affirming this wisdom is not the position of the Mu‘tazila and those among the Shia who agree with them alone. Rather, it is the position of the great majority of Muslim groups, including Quranic exegetes, jurists, hadith scholars, Sufis, theologians, and others. The leading jurists unanimously affirm wisdom and beneficial purposes in His revealed rulings. This is disputed (4) only by

(1) “With it” is omitted from N and M. (2) M, A, and B: “another place.” See, for example, his treatise explaining the words of Allah Most High: “Whatever good befalls you is from Allah, and whatever evil befalls you is from yourself.” It was published by Shaykh Hāmid al-Fiqī under the title *al-Hasana wa’l-Sayyi’a wa-Mawqif al-Abd Indahumā* (*Good and Evil and the Servant’s Stance toward Them*), in the collection *Shadharāt al-Bilātīn*, pp. 165–292, Cairo, 1375/1956. (3) “Entails” is omitted from N and M. (4) A, B: “disagree among themselves.”

عِبَادَهُ، وَمَا أَصَابَهُمْ [بِهِ] (١) مِنَ الْعُقُوبَاتِ، فَبِذُنُوبِهِمْ، وَتَمَامُ الْكَلَامِ عَلَى هَذَا مَبْسُوطٌ فِي مَوَاضِعَ أُخَرَ (٢) . وَكَذَلِكَ الْحِكْمَةُ أَجْمَعُ الْمُسْلِمُونَ عَلَى أَنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى مَوْصُوفٌ بِالْحِكْمَةِ لَكِنْ تَنَازَعُوا فِي تَفْسِيرِ ذَلِكَ. فَقَالَتْ طَائِفَةٌ: الْحِكْمَةُ تَرْجِعُ إِلَى عِلْمِهِ بِأَفْعَالِ الْعِبَادِ، وَإِيقَاعِهَا عَلَى الْوَجْهِ الَّذِي أَرَادَهُ، وَلَمْ يُثْبِتُوا إِلَّا الْعِلْمَ وَالْإِرَادَةَ وَالْقُدْرَةَ. وَقَالَ الْجُمْهُورُ مِنْ أَهْلِ السُّنَّةِ، وَغَيْرُهُمْ: بَلْ هُوَ حَكِيمٌ فِي خَلْقِهِ، وَأَمْرِهِ، وَالْحِكْمَةُ لَيْسَتْ مُطْلَقَ الْمَشِيئَةِ إِذْ لَوْ كَانَ كَذَلِكَ لَكَانَ كُلُّ مُرِيدٍ حَكِيمًا، وَمَعْلُومٌ أَنَّ الْإِرَادَةَ تَنْقَسِمُ إِلَى مَحْمُودَةٍ وَمَذْمُومَةٍ، بَلِ الْحِكْمَةُ [تَتَضَمَّنُ] (٣) مَا فِي خَلْقِهِ وَأَمْرِهِ مِنَ الْعَوَاقِبِ الْمَحْمُودَةِ وَالْغَايَاتِ الْمَحْبُوبَةِ، وَالْقَوْلُ بِإِثْبَاتِ هَذِهِ الْحِكْمَةِ لَيْسَ هُوَ قَوْلَ الْمُعْتَزِلَةِ وَمَنْ وَافَقَهُمْ مِنَ الشِّيعَةِ فَقَطْ، بَلْ هُوَ قَوْلُ جَمَاهِيرِ طَوَائِفِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ مِنْ أَهْلِ التَّفْسِيرِ، وَالْفِقْهِ وَالْحَدِيثِ وَالتَّصَوُّفِ وَالْكَلَامِ وَغَيْرِهِمْ. فَأَئِمَّةُ الْفُقَهَاءِ مُتَّفِقُونَ عَلَى إِثْبَاتِ الْحِكْمَةِ وَالْمَصَالِحِ فِي أَحْكَامِهِ الشَّرْعِيَّةِ، وَإِنَّمَا يُنَازِعُ. (٤) فِي ذَلِكَ

(١) بِهِ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) . (٢) م، أ، ب: مَوْضِعٌ آخَرُ. وَانْظُرْ مَثَلًا رِسَالَتَهُ فِي تَفْسِيرِ قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: " مَا أَصَابَكَ مِنْ حَسَنَةٍ فَمِنَ اللَّهِ وَمَا أَصَابَكَ مِنْ سَيِّئَةٍ فَمِنْ نَفْسِكَ " نَشَرَهَا الشَّيْخُ حَامِدٌ الْفِقِيُّ تَحْتَ عُنْوَانِ الْحَسَنَةِ وَالسَّيِّئَةِ وَمَوْقِفِ الْعَبْدِ عِنْدَهُمَا، ضِمْنَ مَجْمُوعَةِ شَذَرَاتِ الْبِلَاتِينِ، ص ١٦٥/٢٩٢، الْقَاهِرَةِ، ١٣٧٥/١٩٥٦. (٣) تَتَضَمَّنُ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) . (٤) أ، ب: يَتَنَازَعُ.