Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (3/262)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

Similar to this is His statement:

“Allah has made your homes places of rest for you and has made for you, from the hides of livestock, portable dwellings that you find light to carry on the day you travel and on the day you camp.”

[Surah al-Nahl: 80]

Up to His statement:

“Allah has made for you shade from what He created, made shelters for you in the mountains, and made garments for you that protect you from the heat and garments that protect you in battle. Thus does He perfect His favor upon you, so that you may submit.”

[Surah al-Nahl: 81](1).

It is well known that creating built houses and manufactured garments is like creating ships fashioned by carpentry(2). Allah(3) has stated that ships are the handiwork of human beings, while also stating that He created them, just as He said concerning Noah, peace be upon him:

“And he was building the Ark.”

Furthermore, the Quran contains mention(4) of the fact that He—blessed and exalted—is the One who brings about so many such things that describing them all would take a long time, as in His statement:

“A group He guided, while another group came to deserve misguidance.”

[Surah al-Araf: 30]

And His statement:

“Allah guided those who believed to the truth concerning that over which they had differed, by His permission.”

[Surah al-Baqara: 213]

And His statement:

“But Allah has endeared faith to you and made it beautiful in your hearts, and has made disbelief, wickedness, and disobedience hateful to you. It is they who are rightly guided.”

[Surah al-Hujurāt: 7]

It is well known that by this He did not mean the guidance shared by believers and unbelievers alike, such as sending the messengers, enabling people(5) to act, and removing impediments. Rather, He meant that which is particular to the believer.

(1) In manuscript (‘A), all the verses are joined together. (2) Manuscript (‘A): “carved.” (3) “Allah” is absent from manuscripts (A) and (B). (4) “Mention” is an addition in manuscript (‘A). The detailed account of people’s deeds—those of their hearts and limbs. (5) Manuscript (A): “and the one capable of acting”; manuscript (B): “and the ability to act.”

وَمِثْلُ هَذَا قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: {وَاللَّهُ جَعَلَ لَكُمْ مِنْ بُيُوتِكُمْ سَكَنًا وَجَعَلَ لَكُمْ مِنْ جُلُودِ الْأَنْعَامِ بُيُوتًا تَسْتَخِفُّونَهَا يَوْمَ ظَعْنِكُمْ وَيَوْمَ إِقَامَتِكُمْ} [سُورَةُ النَّحْلِ: ٨٠] إِلَى قَوْلِهِ: {وَاللَّهُ جَعَلَ لَكُمْ مِمَّا خَلَقَ ظِلَالًا وَجَعَلَ لَكُمْ مِنَ الْجِبَالِ أَكْنَانًا وَجَعَلَ لَكُمْ سَرَابِيلَ تَقِيكُمُ الْحَرَّ وَسَرَابِيلَ تَقِيكُمْ بَأْسَكُمْ كَذَلِكَ يُتِمُّ نِعْمَتَهُ عَلَيْكُمْ لَعَلَّكُمْ تُسْلِمُونَ} [سُورَةُ النَّحْلِ: ٨١] (١) . وَمَعْلُومٌ أَنَّ خَلْقَ الْبُيُوتِ الْمَبْنِيَّةِ وَالسَّرَابِيلِ الْمَصْنُوعَةِ هُوَ كَخَلْقِ السُّفُنِ الْمَنْجُورَةِ (٢) ، وَقَدْ أَخْبَرَ اللَّهُ (٣) أَنَّ الْفُلْكَ صَنْعَةُ بَنِي آدَمَ مَعَ إِخْبَارِهِ أَنَّهُ خَلَقَهَا كَمَا قَالَ تَعَالَى عَنْ نُوحٍ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ: {وَيَصْنَعُ الْفُلْكَ} . وَأَيْضًا فَفِي الْقُرْآنِ مِنْ ذِكْرِ (٤) وَأَنَّهُ هُوَ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى يُحْدِثُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ مَا يَطُولُ وَصْفُهُ كَقَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: {فَرِيقًا هَدَى وَفَرِيقًا حَقَّ عَلَيْهِمُ الضَّلَالَةُ} [سُورَةُ الْأَعْرَافِ: ٣٠] ، وَقَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: {فَهَدَى اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لِمَا اخْتَلَفُوا فِيهِ مِنَ الْحَقِّ بِإِذْنِهِ} [سُورَةُ الْبَقَرَةِ: ٢١٣] ، وَقَوْلِهِ: {وَلَكِنَّ اللَّهَ حَبَّبَ إِلَيْكُمُ الْإِيمَانَ وَزَيَّنَهُ فِي قُلُوبِكُمْ وَكَرَّهَ إِلَيْكُمُ الْكُفْرَ وَالْفُسُوقَ وَالْعِصْيَانَ أُولَئِكَ هُمُ الرَّاشِدُونَ} [سُورَةُ الْحُجُرَاتِ: ٧] وَمَعْلُومٌ أَنَّهُ لَمْ يُرِدْ بِذَلِكَ الْهِدَايَةَ الْمُشْتَرَكَةَ بَيْنَ الْمُؤْمِنِ وَالْكَافِرِ، مِثْلَ إِرْسَالِ الرُّسُلِ وَالتَّمْكِينِ (٥) مِنَ الْفِعْلِ وَإِزَاحَةِ الْعِلَلِ، بَلْ أَرَادَ مَا يَخْتَصُّ بِهِ الْمُؤْمِنُ.

(١) فِي (ع) الْآيَاتُ كُلُّهَا مُتَّصِلَةٌ. (٢) ع: الْمَنْحُوتَةِ. (٣) اللَّهُ: لَيْسَتْ فِي (أ) ، (ب) . (٤) ذِكْرِ: زِيَادَةٌ فِي (ع) . تَفْصِيلِ أَفْعَالِ الْعِبَادِ الَّتِي بِقُلُوبِهِمْ وَجَوَارِحِهِمْ (٥) أ: وَالْمُتَمَكِّنِ، ب: وَالتَّمَكُّنِ.