Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (4/293)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

like the Jews’ love for Moses and the Christians’ love for the Messiah—a false love. This is because true love (1) means loving the beloved as he truly is. Thus, if a man believed that one of the righteous was a prophet, or one of the first and foremost believers, and loved him, (2) he would have loved something with no basis in reality. He loved that person on the assumption that he possessed a certain quality, when that quality was nonexistent. He therefore loved someone who did not exist, rather than someone who did. This is like a man who marries a woman believing her to possess great wealth, beauty, religious devotion, and noble lineage, and consequently loves her, only to discover that she falls far short of what he imagined. His love will undoubtedly diminish in proportion as his belief diminishes, for when a judgment rests upon a cause, it ceases when that cause ceases.

Thus, if a Jew loves (3) Moses on the assumption that he said, “Observe the Sabbath for as long as the heavens and the earth endure,” and that he forbade following the Messiah (4) and Muhammad—peace and blessings be upon him—when Moses was not in fact like that, then, when the truth about Moses becomes clear to him (5) on the Day of Resurrection—[peace and blessings be upon him] (6)—he will realize that he did not love (7) Moses as he truly was. Rather, he loved someone described by qualities that had no existence. Thus, his love (8) was

(1) B alone reads: “false, and true love.” (2) A and B read: “he had loved,” rather than “he would have loved.” (3) A and B read: “And if the Jews love…” (4) A, B: S: “Jesus.” (5) B alone uses the plural: “to them.” (6) The phrase “peace and blessings be upon him” appears only in A and B. (7) B alone reads: “They realized that they had not loved…” (Manuscript B continues to use the plural form.) (8) N and M read: “love,” in the indefinite accusative.

كَمَحَبَّةِ الْيَهُودِ لِمُوسَى، وَالنَّصَارَى لِلْمَسِيحِ، وَهِيَ مَحَبَّةٌ بَاطِلَةٌ. وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ الْمَحَبَّةَ الصَّحِيحَةَ (١) أَنْ يُحِبَّ الْعَبْدُ ذَلِكَ الْمَحْبُوبَ عَلَى مَا هُوَ عَلَيْهِ فِي نَفْسِ الْأَمْرِ، فَلَوِ اعْتَقَدَ رَجُلٌ فِي بَعْضِ الصَّالِحِينَ أَنَّهُ نَبِيٌّ مِنَ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ، أَوْ أَنَّهُ مِنَ السَّابِقِينَ الْأَوَّلِينَ فَأَحَبَّهُ، (٢) قَدْ أَحَبَّ مَا لَا حَقِيقَةَ لَهُ ; لِأَنَّهُ أَحَبَّ ذَلِكَ الشَّخْصَ بِنَاءً عَلَى أَنَّهُ مَوْصُوفٌ بِتِلْكَ الصِّفَةِ، وَهِيَ بَاطِلَةٌ، فَقَدْ أَحَبَّ مَعْدُومًا لَا مَوْجُودًا، كَمَنْ تَزَوَّجَ امْرَأَةً تَوَهَّمَ أَنَّهَا عَظِيمَةُ الْمَالِ وَالْجَمَالِ وَالدِّينِ وَالْحَسَبِ فَأَحَبَّهَا، ثُمَّ تَبَيَّنَ أَنَّهَا دُونَ مَا ظَنَّهُ بِكَثِيرٍ، فَلَا رَيْبَ أَنَّ حُبَّهُ يَنْقُصُ بِحَسَبِ نَقْصِ اعْتِقَادِهِ، إِذِ الْحُكْمُ إِذَا ثَبَتَ لِعِلَّةٍ زَالَ بِزَوَالِهَا. فَالْيَهُودِيُّ إِذَا أَحَبَّ (٣) مُوسَى بِنَاءً عَلَى أَنَّهُ قَالَ: تَمَسَّكُوا بِالسَّبْتِ مَا دَامَتِ السَّمَاوَاتُ وَالْأَرْضُ، وَأَنَّهُ نَهَى عَنِ اتِّبَاعِ الْمَسِيحِ (٤) وَمُحَمَّدٍ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - وَلَمْ يَكُنْ مُوسَى كَذَلِكَ، فَإِذَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُ (٥) حَقِيقَةُ مُوسَى [- صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ -] (٦) يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ عَلِمَ أَنَّهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ يُحِبُّ (٧) مُوسَى عَلَى مَا هُوَ عَلَيْهِ، وَإِنَّمَا أَحَبَّ مَوْصُوفًا بِصِفَاتٍ لَا وُجُودَ لَهَا، فَكَانَتْ مَحَبَّتُهُ (٨)

(١) ب (فَقَطْ) : بَاطِلَةٌ وَالْمَحَبَّةُ الصَّحِيحَةُ. (٢) لَكَانَ أ، ب: كَانَ. (٣) أ، ب: وَالْيَهُودُ إِذَا أَحَبُّوا. (٤) أ، ب: ص: عِيسَى. (٥) ب (فَقَطْ) : لَهُمْ. (٦) - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ -: فِي (أ) ، (ب) فَقَطْ. (٧) ب (فَقَطْ) : عَلِمُوا أَنَّهُمْ لَمْ يَكُونُوا يُحِبُّونَ. . (وَاسْتَمَرَّتْ نُسْخَةُ (ب) عَلَى اسْتِعْمَالِ أُسْلُوبِ الْجَمْعِ) . (٨) ن، م: مَحَبَّةً.