Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (3/321)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

As for the impossibility of their differing—even though such disagreement need not inevitably arise—that is clearer still, for disagreement gives rise to mutual obstruction.

However these points are expressed, you will find them sound:

The existence of two beings, whether in agreement or disagreement, is impossible unless each is capable when acting independently. Yet if each is independently capable, then (1) each must have an act and an effect exclusively his own, apart from the other. Consequently, they would not agree in every act and every (2) effect. Indeed, they could not agree in any single thing at all, because, in the case of such a temporally occurring act, what subsists in one of them cannot be the very same as what subsists in the other (3); that is intrinsically impossible.

Nor can the effect of one of them upon a separate created entity be the very same as the other’s effect upon it. Rather, there must be two effects. If one is a condition for the other, each would be in need of the other and thus neither would be capable independently (4). If that is not so, what one produces is not what the other produces, nor is it a necessary concomitant (5) of it. There would therefore be no agreement at all upon a single effect.

This is akin to the point made earlier that “each god would have taken away what he created.” What is distinctive about (6) this argument is that two things, each one (7) of which is required to be together with the other, must have a third besides them to bring them both into existence (8), as in the case of

(1) Manuscripts (A) and (B): “when acting independently, and each had…” (2) Manuscript (N): “nor every [effect].” (3) The phrase “in the other” is omitted from manuscript (A). (4) In manuscript (N), several lines are repeated after the word “independently.” (5) Manuscript (N): “nor does it accompany it”; manuscript (A): “nor is it concomitant with it”; manuscript (B): “nor concomitant with it.” (6) The phrase “to it” is omitted from manuscript (N). (7) The word “one” is omitted from manuscript (N). (8) The phrase “brings them both into existence” is omitted from manuscripts (A) and (B); manuscript (N) reads: “the one who brings them both into existence.”

وَأَمَّا امْتِنَاعُ اخْتِلَافِهِمَا وَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ لَازِمًا فَهُوَ أَظْهَرُ، فَإِنَّهُ عِنْدَ الِاخْتِلَافِ يَحْصُلُ التَّمَانُعُ. وَهَذِهِ الْمَعَانِي كَيْفَمَا عَبَّرْتَ عَنْهَا تَجِدْهَا مَعَانِيَ صَحِيحَةً: يَمْتَنِعُ وُجُودُ اثْنَيْنِ مُتَّفِقَيْنِ أَوْ مُخْتَلِفَيْنِ، إِلَّا أَنْ يَكُونَ كُلٌّ مِنْهُمَا قَادِرًا عِنْدَ انْفِرَادِهِ، وَإِذَا كَانَ كُلٌّ مِنْهُمَا قَادِرًا عِنْدَ الِانْفِرَادِ كَانَ (١) لِكُلٍّ مِنْهُمَا فِعْلٌ وَمَفْعُولٌ يَخْتَصُّ بِهِ مُنْفَرِدًا عَنِ الْآخَرِ، فَلَا يَكُونَانِ مُتَّفِقَيْنِ فِي كُلِّ فِعْلٍ وَكُلِّ (٢) مَفْعُولٍ، وَلَا يُمْكِنُ أَنْ يَتَّفِقَا فِي شَيْءٍ وَاحِدٍ أَصْلًا ; لِأَنَّ ذَلِكَ الْفِعْلَ الْحَادِثَ لَا يَكُونُ مَا يَقُومُ بِأَحَدِهِمَا نَفْسُ مَا يَقُومُ بِالْآخَرِ (٣) ، فَإِنَّ هَذَا مُمْتَنِعٌ لِذَاتِهِ. وَالْمَخْلُوقُ الْمُنْفَصِلُ لَا يَكُونُ نَفْسُ أَثَرِ هَذَا فِيهِ هُوَ نَفْسُ أَثَرِ الْآخَرِ فِيهِ، بَلْ لَا بُدَّ مِنْ أَثَرَيْنِ فَإِنْ كَانَ أَحَدُهُمَا شَرْطًا فِي الْآخَرِ كَانَ كُلٌّ مِنْهُمَا مُفْتَقِرًا إِلَى الْآخَرِ، فَلَا يَكُونُ قَادِرًا عِنْدَ الِانْفِرَادِ (٤) ، وَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ كَذَلِكَ كَانَ مَفْعُولُ هَذَا لَيْسَ هُوَ مَفْعُولَ الْآخَرِ وَلَا بِلَازِمٍ (٥) لَهُ، فَلَا يَكُونُ هُنَاكَ اتِّفَاقٌ فِي مَفْعُولٍ وَاحِدٍ أَصْلًا. وَهَذَا مِنْ جِنْسِ مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنْ ذَهَابِ كُلِّ إِلَهٍ بِمَا خَلَقَ، لَكِنَّ الَّذِي يَخْتَصُّ بِهِ (٦) هَذَا أَنَّ الشَّيْئَيْنِ اللَّذَيْنِ يُشْتَرَطُ فِي كُلِّ وَاحِدٍ (٧) مِنْهُمَا أَنْ يَكُونَ مَعَ الْآخَرِ لَا بُدَّ أَنْ يَكُونَ لَهُمَا ثَالِثٌ غَيْرُهُمَا يُحْدِثُهُمَا (٨) كَمَا فِي

(١) أ، ب: عِنْدَ انْفِرَادِهِ وَكَانَ. (٢) ن: وَلَا كُلِّ. (٣) بِالْآخَرِ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (أ) . (٤) بَعْدَ كَلِمَةِ الِانْفِرَادِ تُوجَدُ عِدَّةُ أَسْطُرٍ مُعَادَةٌ فِي نُسْخَةِ (ن) . (٥) ن: وَلَا يُلَازِمُ لَهُ، أ: وَلَا مُلَازِمَ لَهُ، ب: وَلَا مُلَازِمًا لَهُ. (٦) بِهِ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) . (٧) وَاحِدٍ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) . (٨) يُحْدِثُهُمَا سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (أ) ، (ب) وَفِي (ن) مُحْدِثُهُمَا.