Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (1/164)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

by virtue of His essence in the sense (1) that He is an eternal cause necessarily entailing the act, nor in the sense that He necessitates by means of an essence (2) possessing neither will nor power (3). Rather, by His will and power He necessitates whatever He wills to exist. This is precisely what it means to possess power and free choice. Thus, He possesses power and freely chooses, necessitating by His will whatever He wills to exist.

With this precise clarification, the difficulty (4) in this issue is removed. For when that which necessitates by virtue of its essence is eternal, its necessary effect is concomitant with it. Thus, if the Lord Most High were one who necessitated by virtue of His essence [the world.] (5) in eternity, [everything in the world would have been concomitant with Him in eternity] (6). Yet this is impossible. Rather, whatever Allah wills comes to pass, and whatever He does not will does not come to pass. Everything in the world that Allah wills to exist must therefore exist by His power and will, while whatever He does not will cannot exist, since nothing comes to pass except by His power and will. This entails the necessary existence of whatever the Most High wills to exist.

The expression “one who necessitates by virtue of His essence” admits more than one meaning. If it means that He necessitates whatever He brings into existence by His will and power, then there is no conflict between His acting through power and free choice and His being one who necessitates by virtue of His essence according to this interpretation. But if “one who necessitates by virtue of His essence” means that He necessitates some thing by means of an essence devoid of power and free choice, then this is false and impossible, (* and if

(1) N and M read: “means.” (2) N reads: “and he does not know that He is one who necessitates by virtue of His essence”; M reads: “and he does not mean by it that He necessitates by means of an essence.” This is a textual corruption. (3) B alone reads: “that has no will, no power.” (4) N and M read: “the difficulties.” (5) The words “for the world” are omitted from N alone. (6) The material between square brackets is omitted from N alone.

بِذَاتِهِ بِمَعْنَى (١) أَنَّهُ عِلَّةٌ أَزَلِيَّةٌ مُسْتَلْزِمَةٌ لِلْفِعْلِ، وَلَا بِمَعْنَى أَنَّهُ يُوجِبُ بِذَاتٍ (٢) لَا مَشِيئَةَ لَهَا، وَلَا قُدْرَةَ (٣) ، بَلْ هُوَ يُوجِبُ بِمَشِيئَتِهِ، وَقُدْرَتِهِ مَا شَاءَ وُجُودَهُ، وَهَذَا هُوَ الْقَادِرُ الْمُخْتَارُ، فَهُوَ قَادِرٌ مُخْتَارٌ يُوجِبُ بِمَشِيئَتِهِ مَا شَاءَ وُجُودَهُ. وَبِهَذَا التَّحْرِيرِ يَزُولُ الْإِشْكَالُ. (٤) فِي هَذِهِ الْمَسْأَلَةِ، فَإِنَّ الْمُوجِبَ بِذَاتِهِ إِذَا كَانَ أَزَلِيًّا يُقَارِنُهُ مُوجِبُهُ، فَلَوْ كَانَ الرَّبُّ تَعَالَى مُوجِبًا بِذَاتِهِ [لِلْعَالَمِ.] (٥) فِي الْأَزَلِ [لَكَانَ كُلُّ مَا فِي الْعَالَمِ مُقَارِنًا لَهُ فِي الْأَزَلِ] (٦) ، وَذَلِكَ مُمْتَنِعٌ بَلْ مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ كَانَ وَمَا لَمْ يَشَأْ لَمْ يَكُنْ. فَكُلُّ مَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ وُجُودَهُ مِنَ الْعَالَمِ فَإِنَّهُ يَجِبُ وُجُودُهُ بِقُدْرَتِهِ وَمَشِيئَتِهِ، وَمَا لَمْ يَشَأْ يَمْتَنِعُ وُجُودُهُ إِذْ لَا يَكُونُ شَيْءٌ إِلَّا بِقُدْرَتِهِ، وَمَشِيئَتِهِ، وَهَذَا يَقْتَضِي وُجُوبَ وُجُودِ مَا شَاءَ تَعَالَى وُجُودَهُ. وَلَفْظُ الْمُوجِبِ بِالذَّاتِ فِيهِ إِجْمَالٌ، فَإِنْ أُرِيدَ بِهِ أَنَّهُ يُوجِبُ مَا يُحْدِثُهُ بِمَشِيئَتِهِ، وَقُدْرَتِهِ، فَلَا مُنَافَاةَ بَيْنَ كَوْنِهِ فَاعِلًا بِالْقُدْرَةِ وَالِاخْتِيَارِ، وَبَيْنَ كَوْنِهِ مُوجِبًا بِالذَّاتِ بِهَذَا التَّفْسِيرِ، وَإِنْ أُرِيدَ بِالْمُوجِبِ بِالذَّاتِ أَنَّهُ يُوجِبُ شَيْئًا مِنَ الْأَشْيَاءِ بِذَاتٍ مُجَرَّدَةٍ عَنِ الْقُدْرَةِ وَالِاخْتِيَارِ، فَهَذَا بَاطِلٌ مُمْتَنِعٌ، (* وَإِنْ

(١) ن، م: يَعْنِي. (٢) ن: وَلَا يَعْلَمُ أَنَّهُ مُوجِبٌ بِذَاتِهِ، م: وَلَا يَعْنِي بِأَنَّهُ يُوجِبُ بِذَاتٍ، وَهُوَ تَحْرِيفٌ. (٣) ب (فَقَطْ) : لَا مَشِيئَةَ لَهَا لَا قُدْرَةَ. (٤) ن، م: الْإِشْكَالَاتُ. (٥) لِلْعَالَمِ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) فَقَطْ. (٦) مَا بَيْنَ الْمَعْقُوفَتَيْنِ سَاقِطٌ مِنْ (ن) فَقَطْ.