Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (3/188)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

And if a man(1) were to say, “By Allah, I will certainly do what Allah has made obligatory upon me, or what [Allah] loves for me,(2) if Allah wills,” but then failed to do so, he would not have broken his oath, by agreement among the jurists.

But if he were to say, “By Allah, I will certainly do what Allah has made(3) obligatory upon me, if Allah loves and approves of it,” he would have broken his oath if(4) he failed to do so, without any disagreement known to us(5).

Accordingly, the invalidity of the argument advanced by those who deny divine decree has become clear. If one of them says, “Every rational person regards anyone who commands what he does not will and forbids what he wills as foolish,” he should be asked: “If someone commands another person to do something but does(6) not intend to do it on his behalf, is he foolish(7) or not?”

It is well known, by agreement among all rational people, that anyone who commands another person to do something without intending to perform that act himself(8) or assist him in doing it is not foolish. Indeed, all the commands issued by wise and rational people(9) fall into this category.

When a physician directs a patient to take medicine, he is not obliged to help him take it. When a mufti instructs a questioner to fulfill an obligation incumbent upon him, the mufti is not obliged to help him fulfill it. And when an adviser counsels someone seeking advice to engage in commerce, farming, [or marriage](10), the adviser is not obliged to do that himself(11).

(1) (ʿA) and (N) read: “the man.” (2) (N) reads: “and what He loves for me”; (A) and (B): “or what He loves for me.” (3) (N) reads: “what He has made obligatory.” (4) (N) and (ʿA) read: “if.” (5) (A) reads: “Why not a disagreement concerning his knowledge?”—a textual corruption; (N) reads: “without disagreement.” (6) (A) and (B) read: “and did not.” (7) (ʿA) reads: “foolishness.” (8) (A) reads: “and did not intend that he himself perform that act”; (B): “and did not intend to perform that act.” (9) (ʿA) and (N) read: “rational and wise people.” (10) “Or marriage” is omitted from (N). (11) (A) and (B) read: “he himself was not obliged to do that.”

وَلَوْ قَالَ رَجُلٌ (١) : " وَاللَّهِ لِأَفْعَلَنَّ مَا أَوْجَبَ اللَّهُ عَلَيَّ أَوْ مَا يُحِبُّهُ [اللَّهُ] لِي (٢) إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ " وَلَمْ يَفْعَلْ، لَمْ يَحْنَثْ بِاتِّفَاقِ الْفُقَهَاءِ. وَلَوْ قَالَ: " وَاللَّهِ لِأَفْعَلَنَّ مَا أَوْجَبَ (٣) اللَّهُ عَلَيَّ إِنْ كَانَ اللَّهُ يُحِبُّهُ وَيَرْضَاهُ " حَنِثَ إِنْ (٤) لَمْ يَفْعَلْهُ بِلَا نِزَاعٍ نَعْلَمُهُ (٥) . وَعَلَى هَذَا فَقَدَ ظَهَرَ بُطْلَانُ حُجَّةِ الْمُكَذِّبِينَ بِالْقَدَرِ، فَإِنَّهُ إِذَا قَالَ: كُلُّ عَاقِلٍ يَنْسِبُ مَنْ يَأْمُرُ بِمَا لَا يُرِيدُ وَيَنْهَى عَمَّا يُرِيدُ إِلَى السَّفَهِ. قِيلَ لَهُ: إِذَا أَمَرَ غَيْرَهُ بِأَمْرٍ لَمْ (٦) يُرِدْ أَنْ يَفْعَلَهُ لَهُ: هَلْ يَكُونُ سَفِيهًا (٧) أَمْ لَا؟ وَمِنَ الْمَعْلُومِ بِاتِّفَاقِ الْعُقَلَاءِ أَنَّ مَنْ أَمَرَ غَيْرَهُ بِأَمْرٍ، وَلَمْ يُرِدْ أَنْ يَفْعَلَ هُوَ ذَلِكَ الْأَمْرَ (٨) وَلَا يُعِينُهُ عَلَيْهِ، لَمْ يَكُنْ سَفِيهًا، بَلْ أَوَامِرُ الْحُكَمَاءِ وَالْعُقَلَاءِ (٩) كُلُّهَا مِنْ هَذَا الْبَابِ. وَالطَّبِيبُ إِذَا أَمَرَ الْمَرِيضَ بِشُرْبِ الدَّوَاءِ، لَمْ يَكُنْ عَلَيْهِ أَنْ يُعَاوِنَهُ عَلَى شُرْبِهِ، وَالْمُفْتِي إِذَا أَمَرَ الْمُسْتَفْتِي بِمَا يَجِبُ عَلَيْهِ، لَمْ يَكُنْ عَلَيْهِ أَنْ يُعَاوِنَهُ، وَالْمُشِيرُ إِذَا أَمَرَ الْمُسْتَشِيرَ بِتِجَارَةٍ أَوْ فِلَاحَةٍ [أَوْ نِكَاحٍ] (١٠) ، لَمْ يَكُنْ عَلَيْهِ أَنْ يَفْعَلَ هُوَ ذَلِكَ (١١) .

(١) ع، ن: الرَّجُلُ. (٢) ن: وَمَا يُحِبُّهُ لِي، أ، ب: أَوْ مَا يُحِبُّهُ لِي (٣) ن: مَا أَوْجَبَهُ. (٤) ن، ع: إِذَا. (٥) أ: هَلَّا نِزَاعٌ بِعِلْمِهِ، وَهُوَ تَحْرِيفٌ، ن: بِلَا نِزَاعٍ. (٦) أ، ب: وَلَمْ. (٧) ع: سَفَهًا. (٨) أ: وَلَمْ يُرِدْ أَنْ يَفْعَلَهُ هُوَ ذَلِكَ الْأَمْرَ ; ب: وَلَمْ يُرِدْ أَنْ يَفْعَلَ ذَلِكَ الْأَمْرَ. (٩) ع، ن: الْعُقَلَاءِ وَالْحُكَمَاءِ. (١٠) أَوْ نِكَاحٍ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) . (١١) أ، ب: لَمْ يَكُنْ عَلَيْهِ هُوَ أَنْ يَفْعَلَ ذَلِكَ.