Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (1/156)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

among the Ashʿarīs, Karrāmiyya, and Shīʿa who agreed with them, as well as those among the followers of the four imams and others who likewise agreed with them. For when these people held(1) that, in pre-eternity, it was impossible for the Lord to act and speak by His will and power—the true import of their position being that, in pre-eternity, He was unable to speak and act by His will and power because this was intrinsically impossible, and what is impossible cannot fall within the realm of power—they divided(2) into two groups:

One group said:

“He became able to act and speak after not having been able to do so, [because action and speech became possible after having been(3) impossible, and because this passed from intrinsic impossibility to intrinsic possibility].”(4)

This is the position of the Muʿtazila, the Jahmiyya, and those among the Shīʿa who agreed with them. It is also the position of the Karrāmiyya and of leading Shīʿī figures, such as those of the Hāshimiyya, among others.

[And another group] said(5):

“Action became possible after it had been impossible for Him. Speech, however, does not fall(6) under His will and power; rather, it is a single entity necessarily inherent in His essence.”

This is the position of Ibn Kullāb(7), al-Ashʿarī, and those who agreed with them both.

(1) A reads: “Because of what they said, they believed”; B reads: “When they said and believed.” (2) N and M read: “and they became [two groups].” (3) N and M read: “and others; and they said.” (4) N alone reads: “after it had been.” (5) The text between square brackets is omitted from N and M. (6) N alone reads: “It must therefore come under [will and power],” which is an error. (7) Ibn Kullāb (with a *u* after the *k* and a doubled *l*) was Abū Abd Allāh ibn Saīd ibn Muhammad ibn Kullāb al-Qattān, who died shortly after 240 AH. Al-Shahrastānī (*al-Milal wa-l-Nihal*, 1/85), al-Asharī (*al-Maqālāt*, 1/325), and Ibn Tāhir al-Baghdādī (*Usūl al-Dīn*, p. 254) counted him among the theologians of Ahl al-Sunnah. Ibn Hazm (*al-Fisal*, 5/77) described him as an early shaykh of the Asharīs. Al-Asharī records Ibn Kullāb’s position on Allah’s speech in *al-Maqālāt*, 2/202, 233, 245. See also, regarding Ibn Kullāb and his doctrine: *Tabaqāt al-Shāfiiyya*, 2/299–300; Ibn al-Nadīm, *al-Fihrist*, p. 180; *Lisān al-Mīzān*, 3/290–291; al-Maqrīzī, *al-Khitat*, 2/358, 259; al-Asharī, *Maqālāt*, 1/298–299, 2/52, 54, 112, 202–203, 231; *Nihāyat al-Iqdām*, pp. 181, 203; *al-Milal wa-l-Nihal*, 1/148; *Usūl al-Dīn*, pp. 89, 90, 97, 104, 109, 113, 123, 132, 222, 254; and Ibn Hazm, *al-Fisal*, 2/289, 5/77.

وَافَقَهُمْ مِنَ الْأَشْعَرِيَّةِ وَالْكَرَّامِيَّةِ وَالشِّيعَةِ، وَمَنْ وَافَقَهُمْ مِنْ أَتْبَاعِ الْأَئِمَّةِ الْأَرْبَعَةِ وَغَيْرِهِمْ، فَإِنَّ هَؤُلَاءِ لَمَّا اعْتَقَدُوا (١) أَنَّ الرَّبَّ فِي الْأَزَلِ كَانَ يَمْتَنِعُ مِنْهُ الْفِعْلُ وَالْكَلَامُ بِمَشِيئَتِهِ وَقُدْرَتِهِ - وَكَانَ حَقِيقَةُ قَوْلِهِمْ أَنَّهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ قَادِرًا فِي الْأَزَلِ عَلَى الْكَلَامِ وَالْفِعْلِ بِمَشِيئَتِهِ وَقُدْرَتِهِ لِكَوْنِ ذَلِكَ مُمْتَنِعًا لِنَفْسِهِ، وَالْمُمْتَنِعُ لَا يَدْخُلُ تَحْتَ الْمَقْدُورِ - صَارُوا (٢) حِزْبَيْنِ: حِزْبًا قَالُوا: إِنَّهُ صَارَ قَادِرًا عَلَى الْفِعْلِ وَالْكَلَامِ بَعْدَ أَنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ قَادِرًا عَلَيْهِ [لِكَوْنِهِ صَارَ الْفِعْلُ وَالْكَلَامُ مُمْكِنًا بَعْدَ أَنْ كَانَ (٣) مُمْتَنِعًا، وَإِنَّهُ انْقَلَبَ مِنْ الِامْتِنَاعِ الذَّاتِيِّ إِلَى الْإِمْكَانِ الذَّاتِيِّ] (٤) ، وَهَذَا قَوْلُ الْمُعْتَزِلَةِ، وَالْجَهْمِيَّةِ، وَمَنْ. وَافَقَهُمْ مِنَ الشِّيعَةِ، وَهُوَ قَوْلُ الْكَرَّامِيَّةِ، وَأَئِمَّةِ الشِّيعَةِ كَالْهَاشِمِيَّةِ وَغَيْرِهِمْ. [وَحِزْبًا] قَالُوا (٥) : صَارَ الْفِعْلُ مُمْكِنًا بَعْدَ أَنْ كَانَ مُمْتَنِعًا مِنْهُ، وَأَمَّا الْكَلَامُ، فَلَا يَدْخُلُ (٦) تَحْتَ الْمَشِيئَةِ، وَالْقُدْرَةِ، بَلْ هُوَ شَيْءٌ وَاحِدٌ لَازِمٌ لِذَاتِهِ، وَهُوَ قَوْلُ ابْنِ كُلَّابٍ (٧) ، وَالْأَشْعَرِيِّ وَمَنْ وَافَقَهُمَا.

(١) أ: لِمَا قَالُوا اعْتَقَدُوا ; ب: لَمَّا قَالُوا وَاعْتَقَدُوا. (٢) ن، م: وَصَارُوا. (٣) ن، م: وَغَيْرُهُمْ وَقَالُوا. (٤) ن (فَقَطْ) : بَعْدَ مَا كَانَ. (٥) مَا بَيْنَ الْمَعْقُوفَتَيْنِ سَاقِطٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) . (٦) ن (فَقَطْ) : فَلَا بُدَّ يَدْخُلُ، وَهُوَ خَطَأٌ. (٧) ابْنُ كُلَّابٍ (بِضَمِّ الْكَافِ وَتَشْدِيدِ اللَّامِ) هُوَ أَبُو عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنُ سَعِيدِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ كُلَّابِ الْقَطَّانُ الْمُتَوَفَّى بَعْدَ سَنَةِ ٢٤٠ بِقَلِيلٍ. عَدَّهُ الشَّهْرَسْتَانِيُّ (الْمِلَلَ وَالنِّحَلَ ١/٨٥) وَالْأَشْعَرِيُّ (الْمَقَالَاتِ ١/٣٢٥) وَابْنُ طَاهِرٍ الْبَغْدَادِيُّ (أُصُولَ الدِّينِ، ص ٢٥٤) مِنْ مُتَكَلِّمِي أَهْلِ السُّنَّةِ، وَقَالَ عَنْهُ ابْنُ حَزْمٍ (الْفِصَلَ ٥/٧٧) إِنَّهُ شَيْخٌ قَدِيمٌ لِلْأَشْعَرِيَّةِ. وَمَقَالَةُ ابْنِ كُلَّابٍ فِي كَلَامِ اللَّهِ ذَكَرَهَا الْأَشْعَرِيُّ فِي الْمَقَالَاتِ ٢/٢٠٢، ٢٣٣، ٢٤٥. وَانْظُرْ أَيْضًا عَنِ ابْنِ كُلَّابٍ وَمَذْهَبِهِ: طَبَقَاتِ الشَّافِعِيَّةِ ٢/٢٩٩ - ٣٠٠ ; الْفِهْرِسْتَ لِابْنِ النَّدِيمِ ص ١٨٠ ; لِسَانَ الْمِيزَانِ ٣/٢٩٠ - ٢٩١ ; الْخُطَطَ لِلْمَقْرِيزِيِّ ٢/٣٥٨، ٢٥٩ ; مَقَالَاتِ الْأَشْعَرِيِّ ١/٢٩٨ - ٢٩٩، ٢/٥٢، ٥٤، ١١٢، ٢٠٢ - ٢٠٣، ٢٣١ ; نِهَايَةَ الْإِقْدَامِ، ص ١٨١، ٢٠٣ ; الْمِلَلَ وَالنِّحَلَ ١/١٤٨ ; أُصُولَ الدِّينِ، ص ٨٩، ٩٠، ٩٧، ١٠٤، ١٠٩، ١١٣، ١٢٣، ١٣٢، ٢٢٢، ٢٥٤ ; الْفِصَلَ لِابْنِ حَزْمٍ ٢/٢٨٩، ٥/٧٧.