Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (3/226)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

not created by Him, nor is it His speech. If (1) this is true and that is true, they must necessarily know that this is His speech, whereas that is not His speech.

[Response to—and Refutation of—the Rāfidī’s Claim: “It Would Be Possible for Him to Send a Liar”]

As for his statement:

“and it was possible [for Him] (2) to send forth a liar,”

the answer may be given in several ways.

First: There is no doubt that Allah sends forth liars, just as He sent forth the devils in His words:

“Do you not see that We have sent the devils against the disbelievers, urging them on relentlessly?”

[Surah Maryam: 83]

And [He raises them up], as in His statement (3), Exalted is He:

“We raised up against you servants of Ours possessed of formidable might.”

[Surah al-Isrā: 5]

Yet this is invariably accompanied by something that exposes their falsehood, as in the cases of Musaylima the Liar and al-Aswad al-Ansī. Merely (4) sending forth a liar does not preclude distinguishing him from a truthful man. Likewise, He sends forth an oppressor, but sending him forth does not preclude distinguishing him from a just man. He also sends forth an ignorant person, a wicked person (5), a blind person, and a deaf person; sending forth such people does not preclude distinguishing them from others. The term “sending forth” encompasses sending the winds, sending the devils, and other such things.

Second: It may be said that they deem it possible for Him to create someone He knows to be a liar and to grant him the power to lie, just as He created Musaylima [the Liar] (6) and al-Ansī. If

(1) (N) and (M) read: “then if.” (2) The word “from him” is omitted from (N), (M), (‘A), and (A). (3) (N) and (M) read: “and as in his statement.” (4) (A) and (B) read: “and it is not.” (5) (M), (A), and (B) read: “and he sends the incapable person”; (N) reads: “he sends the incapable and ignorant person.” (6) The words “the liar” are an addition in (A) and (B).

لَيْسَ مَخْلُوقًا لَهُ وَلَا هُوَ كَلَامُهُ، فَإِذَا (١) كَانَ هَذَا صِدْقًا وَهَذَا صِدْقًا، فَلَا بُدَّ أَنْ يَعْرِفُوا أَنَّ هَذَا كَلَامُهُ وَلَيْسَ هَذَا بِكَلَامِهِ. [الرد على قول الرافضي: وجاز منه إرسال الكذاب والرد عليه] وَأَمَّا قَوْلُهُ: " وَجَازَ [مِنْهُ] (٢) إِرْسَالُ الْكَذَّابِ " فَجَوَابُهُ مِنْ وُجُوهٍ. أَحَدُهَا: أَنَّهُ لَا رَيْبَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يُرْسِلُ الْكَذَّابَ، كَإِرْسَالِ الشَّيَاطِينِ فِي قَوْلِهِ: {أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّا أَرْسَلْنَا الشَّيَاطِينَ عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ تَؤُزُّهُمْ أَزًّا} [سُورَةُ مَرْيَمَ: ٨٣] ، وَ [يَبْعَثُهُمْ] كَمَا فِي قَوْلِهِ (٣) تَعَالَى: {بَعَثْنَا عَلَيْكُمْ عِبَادًا لَنَا أُولِي بَأْسٍ شَدِيدٍ} [سُورَةُ الْإِسْرَاءِ: ٥] ، لَكِنَّ هَذَا لَا يَكُونُ إِلَّا مَقْرُونًا بِمَا يُبَيِّنُ كَذِبَهُمْ، كَمَا فِي مُسَيْلِمَةَ الْكَذَّابِ وَالْأَسْوَدِ الْعَنْسِيِّ. وَلَكِنْ لَيْسَ (٤) فِي مُجَرَّدِ إِرْسَالِ الْكَذَّابِ مَا يَمْنَعُ التَّمْيِيزَ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ الصَّادِقِ، كَمَا أَنَّهُ يُرْسِلُ الظَّالِمَ، وَلَيْسَ فِي إِرْسَالِهِ مَا يَمْنَعُ التَّمْيِيزَ بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ الْعَادِلِ، وَيُرْسِلُ الْجَاهِلَ وَالْفَاجِرَ (٥) وَالْأَعْمَى وَالْأَصَمَّ، وَلَيْسَ فِي إِرْسَالِ هَؤُلَاءِ مَا يَمْنَعُ التَّمْيِيزَ بَيْنَهُمْ وَبَيْنَ غَيْرِهِمْ. وَلَفْظُ " الْإِرْسَالِ " يَتَنَاوَلُ إِرْسَالَ الرِّيَاحِ وَإِرْسَالَ الشَّيَاطِينِ وَغَيْرَ ذَلِكَ. الثَّانِي: أَنْ يُقَالَ: هُمْ يُجَوِّزُونَ أَنْ يَخْلُقَ مَنْ يَعْلَمُ أَنَّهُ كَاذِبٌ وَإِعْطَاءَهُ الْقُدْرَةَ عَلَى الْكَذِبِ، كَمَا خَلَقَ مُسَيْلِمَةَ [الْكَذَّابَ] (٦) وَالْعَنْسِيَّ. فَإِنْ كَانَ

(١) ن، م: فَإِنْ. (٢) مِنْهُ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) ، (ع) ، (أ) . (٣) ن، م: وَكَمَا فِي قَوْلِهِ. (٤) أ، ب: وَلَيْسَ. (٥) م، أ، ب: وَيُرْسِلُ الْعَاجِزَ، ن: يُرْسِلُ الْعَاجِزَ وَالْجَاهِلَ. (٦) الْكَذَّابَ: زِيَادَةٌ فِي (أ) ، (ب) .