Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (3/357)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

This, then, is the foundation of their position. They say:

“We agreed with you that it is impossible for anything subject to His will and power to subsist (1) in the Lord, but we disagreed with you that His speech is created and separate from Him. This gives rise to what you described as inconsistency on our part (2). If these two positions can be reconciled, then we are not being inconsistent. But if they cannot, then we must be mistaken (3) on one of the two issues; yet the error does not necessarily lie in the issue on which we disagreed with you. Rather, we may be mistaken (4) in what we agreed with you upon (5): that the Lord does not speak by His will and power with speech subsisting in Him. Indeed, affirming that He does so is the view of the majority (6) of Ahl al-Hadith and of various groups of speculative theologians, including the Murji'ites, Karramites, Shi'ites, and others. It may even be the view of most adherents of the various schools.

“Even if we must be mistaken (7) on one of the two issues, without it being determined which, it does not follow that you are correct (8). Rather, if we are compelled to agree with one of the two groups, it is better for us to agree with those who say, ‘The Lord speaks—with speech subsisting in Him (9)—by His will and power,’ than to agree with those who say, ‘His speech is only what He creates in another,’ for the unsoundness of

(1) Manuscripts (N) and (M): “that He says.” (2) Manuscripts (A) and (B): “our inconsistency.” (3) Manuscript (A): “our error” (variant spelling); manuscripts (N) and (M): “our error” in the accusative, which is incorrect. (4) Manuscript (A): “you may be mistaken.” (5) Manuscripts (N) and (M): “upon it.” (6) Manuscript (A): “along with affirming this position—the position of the majority.” Manuscript (B): “along with this position being established from the majority of…” (7) Manuscripts (N) and (M): “And when our error necessarily follows”; manuscript (A): “And if our error necessarily follows.” In both readings, “our error” is incorrectly in the accusative. (8) Manuscripts (N) and (M): “it does not follow that you are correct.” (9) “In Him” is omitted from manuscripts (A) and (B).

فَهَذَا أَصْلُ قَوْلِهِمْ، فَهُمْ يَقُولُونَ: نَحْنُ وَافَقْنَاكُمْ عَلَى امْتِنَاعِ أَنْ يَقُومَ (١) بِالرَّبِّ مَا هُوَ مُرَادٌ لَهُ مَقْدُورٌ، وَخَالَفْنَاكُمْ فِي كَوْنِ كَلَامِهِ مَخْلُوقًا مُنْفَصِلًا عَنْهُ، فَلَزِمَ مَا ذَكَرْتُمُوهُ مِنْ مُنَاقَضَتِنَا (٢) ، فَإِنْ كَانَ الْجَمْعُ بَيْنَ هَذَيْنِ مُمْكِنًا لَمْ نَكُنْ مُتَنَاقِضِينَ، وَإِنْ تَعَذَّرَ ذَلِكَ لَزِمَ خَطَؤُنَا (٣) فِي إِحْدَى الْمَسْأَلَتَيْنِ، وَلَمْ يَتَعَيَّنِ الْخَطَأُ فِيمَا خَالَفْنَاكُمْ فِيهِ، بَلْ قَدْ نَكُونُ مُخْطِئِينَ (٤) فِيمَا وَافَقْنَاكُمْ فِيهِ (٥) مِنْ كَوْنِ الرَّبِّ لَا يَتَكَلَّمُ بِمَشِيئَتِهِ وَقُدْرَتِهِ بِكَلَامٍ يَقُومُ بِهِ، مَعَ أَنَّ إِثْبَاتَ هَذَا الْقَوْلِ هُوَ قَوْلُ جُمْهُورِ (٦) أَهْلِ الْحَدِيثِ وَطَوَائِفَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكَلَامِ مِنَ الْمُرْجِئَةِ وَالْكَرَّامِيَّةِ وَالشِّيعَةِ وَغَيْرِهِمْ، بَلْ لَعَلَّهُ قَوْلُ أَكْثَرِ أَهْلِ الطَّوَائِفِ. وَإِنْ لَزِمَ خَطَؤُنَا (٧) فِي إِحْدَى الْمَسْأَلَتَيْنِ لَا بِعَيْنِهَا لَا يَلْزَمُ صَوَابُكُمْ أَنْتُمْ (٨) ، بَلْ نَحْنُ إِذَا اضْطُرِرْنَا إِلَى مُوَافَقَةِ إِحْدَى الطَّائِفَتَيْنِ، كَانَتْ مُوَافَقَتُنَا لِمَنْ يَقُولُ: إِنَّ الرَّبَّ يَتَكَلَّمُ بِكَلَامٍ يَقُومُ بِهِ (٩) بِمَشِيئَتِهِ وَقُدْرَتِهِ خَيْرًا مِنْ مُوَافَقَتِنَا لِمَنْ يَقُولُ: إِنَّ كَلَامَهُ إِنَّمَا هُوَ مَا يَخْلُقُهُ فِي غَيْرِهِ، فَإِنَّ فَسَادَ

(١) ن، م: أَنْ يَقُولَ. (٢) أ، ب: مِنْ تَنَاقِضِنَا. (٣) أ: خَطَاؤُنَا، ن، م: خَطَأَنَا، وَهُوَ خَطَأٌ. (٤) أ: تَكُونُوا مُخْطِئِينَ. (٥) ن، م: عَلَيْهِ. (٦) أ: مَعَ إِثْبَاتِ هَذَا الْقَوْلِ قَوْلِ الْجُمْهُورِ. ب: مَعَ ثُبُوتِ هَذَا الْقَوْلِ عَنْ جُمْهُورِ. (٧) ن، م: وَإِذَا لَزِمَ خَطَأَنَا ; أ: وَإِنْ لَزِمَ خَطَأَنَا، وَهُوَ خَطَأٌ. (٨) ن، م: لَمْ يَلْزَمْ صَوَابُكُمْ. (٩) بِهِ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (أ) ، (ب) .