Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (3/318)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

As for the second proof, it is His statement:

“And some of them would have sought to overcome others.”

[Surah al-Mu’minūn: 91]

For (1) it is impossible for the two to be equal in power. If they were equal in power, what each brought about (2) would be distinct from what the other brought about, but this is false, as explained above (3). Furthermore, (4) if they were evenly matched in power, they would bring about nothing, whether they agreed or disagreed. This would be so whether agreement necessarily obtained between them, disagreement necessarily obtained between them, or either agreement or disagreement was possible.

If agreement necessarily obtained between them, neither would will or act until the other willed and acted. Yet neither would have any greater claim to precede the other, since they were equal. It would therefore follow that neither could act.

If the will and action of one were assumed to coincide with those of the other, the supposition remains that he could will and act only together with the other. His will and action would therefore be conditional upon the other’s will and action; without them, he would be incapable of willing or acting. Each would thus be incapable when alone, and it would still be impossible for them to become capable when together, as explained above.

If (5), on the other hand, disagreement necessarily obtained between them, their equality would make it impossible for them to bring about anything, because each would thwart the other, their powers being evenly matched; thus neither would bring about anything.

Furthermore, one of them could be thwarted only if the other thwarted him, so this one would not be thwarted

(1) Manuscript (A): “for it is only”; manuscripts (B) and (ʿ): “for the two of them.” (2) Manuscript (N): “action.” (3) The phrase “as explained above” is absent from manuscripts (A) and (B). (4) Manuscript (B): “because the two of them.” (5) Manuscripts (N) and (ʿ): “even if.”

وَأَمَّا الْبُرْهَانُ الثَّانِي وَهُوَ قَوْلُهُ: {وَلَعَلَا بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ} [سُورَةُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ: ٩١] فَإِنَّهُ (١) يَمْتَنِعُ أَنْ يَكُونَا مُتَسَاوِيَيْنِ فِي الْقُدْرَةِ ; لِأَنَّهُمَا إِذَا كَانَا مُتَسَاوِيَيْنِ فِي الْقُدْرَةِ، كَانَ مَفْعُولُ (٢) كُلٍّ مِنْهُمَا مُتَمَيِّزًا عَنْ مَفْعُولِ الْآخَرِ، وَهُوَ بَاطِلٌ كَمَا تَقَدَّمَ، (٣) وَلِأَنَّهُمَا (٤) إِذَا كَانَا مُتَكَافِئَيْنِ فِي الْقُدْرَةِ لَمْ يَفْعَلَا شَيْئًا لَا حَالَ الِاتِّفَاقِ وَلَا حَالَ الِاخْتِلَافِ، سَوَاءٌ كَانَ الِاتِّفَاقُ لَازِمًا لَهُمَا أَوْ كَانَ الِاخْتِلَافُ هُوَ اللَّازِمُ، أَوْ جَازَ الِاتِّفَاقُ وَجَازَ الِاخْتِلَافُ. لِأَنَّهُ إِذَا قُدِّرَ أَنَّ الِاتِّفَاقَ لَازِمٌ لَهُمَا فَلِأَنَّ أَحَدَهُمَا لَا يُرِيدُ وَلَا يَفْعَلُ حَتَّى يُرِيدَ الْآخَرُ وَيَفْعَلَ، وَلَيْسَ تَقَدُّمُ أَحَدِهِمَا أَوْلَى مِنْ تَقَدُّمِ الْآخَرِ؛ لِتَسَاوِيهِمَا، فَيَلْزَمُ أَنْ لَا يَفْعَلَ وَاحِدٌ مِنْهُمَا. وَإِذَا قُدِّرَ أَنَّ إِرَادَةَ هَذَا وَفِعْلَهُ مُقَارِنٌ لِإِرَادَةِ الْآخَرِ وَفِعْلِهِ، فَالتَّقْدِيرُ أَنَّهُ لَا يُمْكِنُهُ أَنْ يُرِيدَ وَيَفْعَلَ إِلَّا مَعَ الْآخَرِ، فَتَكُونَ إِرَادَتُهُ وَفِعْلُهُ مَشْرُوطَةً بِإِرَادَةِ الْآخَرِ وَفِعْلِهِ، فَيَكُونُ بِدُونِ ذَلِكَ عَاجِزًا عَنِ الْإِرَادَةِ وَالْفِعْلِ، فَيَكُونُ كُلٌّ مِنْهُمَا عَاجِزًا حَالَ الِانْفِرَادِ، وَيَمْتَنِعُ مَعَ ذَلِكَ أَنْ يَصِيرَا قَادِرَيْنِ حَالَ الِاجْتِمَاعِ كَمَا تَقَدَّمَ. وَإِذَا (٥) كَانَ الِاخْتِلَافُ لَازِمًا لَهُمَا امْتَنَعَ مَعَ تَسَاوِيهِمَا أَنْ يَفْعَلَا شَيْئًا ; لِأَنَّ هَذَا يَمْنَعُ هَذَا وَهَذَا يَمْنَعُ هَذَا لِتَكَافُؤِ الْقُدْرَتَيْنِ، فَلَا يَفْعَلَانِ شَيْئًا. وَأَيْضًا فَإِنَّ امْتِنَاعَ أَحَدِهِمَا مَشْرُوطٌ بِمَنْعِ الْآخَرِ، فَلَا يَكُونُ هَذَا مَمْنُوعًا

(١) أ: فَإِنَّمَا، ب، ع: فَإِنَّهُمَا. (٢) ن: فِعْلُ. (٣) عِبَارَةُ " كَمَا تَقَدَّمَ " سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (أ) ، (ب) . (٤) ب: لِأَنَّهُمَا. (٥) ن، ع: وَإِنْ.