Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (4/589)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

[The Rāfidī’s Claim That the Imamīs Declare Allah, His Angels, His Prophets, and His Imams Free of Imperfection]

(Chapter)

(1).

The Rāfidī (2) said:

“Let the rational person consider which of the two groups is more entitled to security: the one that declared Allah, His angels, His prophets, and His Imams free of imperfection; declared (3) the revealed law free of reprehensible rulings (4); deems (5) the prayer invalid if blessings upon their Imams are omitted; and mentions imams other than theirs (6)—or the one that did the opposite and held the contrary belief?”

The answer is as follows:

What you call declaring them free of imperfection is nothing but negation of attributes and denigration of Allah and His prophets.

[Explanation]

This is because (7) the doctrine of the Jahmiyyah, who negate the attributes, entails stripping Allah Most High of the attributes of perfection, thereby making Him resemble inanimate and nonexistent things. When they say that neither life, knowledge, nor power subsists in Him; nor speech, will, love, hatred, pleasure, or wrath; that He does not see or perform any act Himself; and that He cannot exercise any power of disposition Himself, they have likened Him to deficient inanimate things and stripped Him of the attributes of perfection. This is denigration and negation, not a declaration of transcendence. True transcendence consists in declaring Him free

(1) At the word “Chapter,” MS R begins Part Four. In MSS R and S, the heading reads “Chapter One.” MSS H and Y likewise begin here, as I noted in the introduction. (2) In MS K, p. 119 (M). (3) “Declared”: thus in MSS B, K, and H. The remaining manuscripts read: “declared [plural].” (4) MS B alone reads: *al-radī'a* (“reprehensible”). (5) MS K reads: “and invalidates.” (6) MS K reads: “their Imams—blessings and peace be upon them—and mention others besides them.” (7) “The explanation of that is that”: thus in MSS A and B. The remaining manuscripts read: “That is because.”

[زعم الرافضي أن الإمامية ينزهون الله وملائكته وأنبياءه وأئمته] (فَصْلٌ) (١) . قَالَ الرَّافِضِيُّ (٢) : " فَلْيَنْظُرِ الْعَاقِلُ أَيُّ الْفَرِيقَيْنِ أَحَقُّ بِالْأَمْنِ: الَّذِي نَزَّهَ اللَّهَ وَمَلَائِكَتَهُ وَأَنْبِيَاءَهُ وَأَئِمَّتَهُ ; وَنَزَّهَ (٣) الشَّرْعَ عَنِ الْمَسَائِلِ الرَّدِيَّةِ (٤) ، وَمَنْ يُبْطِلُ (٥) الصَّلَاةَ بِإِهْمَالِ الصَّلَاةِ عَلَى أَئِمَّتِهِمْ، وَيَذْكُرُ أَئِمَّةَ غَيْرِهِمْ (٦) ، أَمِ الَّذِي فَعَلَ ضِدَّ ذَلِكَ وَاعْتَقَدَ خِلَافَهُ؟ " . وَالْجَوَابُ أَنْ يُقَالَ: مَا ذَكَرْتُمُوهُ مِنَ التَّنْزِيهِ إِنَّمَا هُوَ تَعْطِيلٌ وَتَنْقِيصٌ لِلَّهِ وَلِأَنْبِيَائِهِ. [بَيَانُ] ذَلِكَ أَنَّ (٧) قَوْلَ الْجَهْمِيَّةِ نُفَاةِ الصِّفَاتِ يَتَضَمَّنُ وَصْفَ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى بِسَلْبِ صِفَاتِ الْكَمَالِ الَّتِي يُشَابِهُ فِيهَا الْجَمَادَاتِ وَالْمَعْدُومَاتِ، فَإِذَا قَالُوا: إِنَّهُ لَا تَقُومُ بِهِ حَيَاةٌ وَلَا عِلْمٌ وَلَا قُدْرَةٌ، وَلَا كَلَامٌ وَلَا مَشِيئَةٌ، وَلَا حُبٌّ وَلَا بُغْضٌ، وَلَا رِضًا وَلَا سَخَطٌ، وَلَا يَرَى وَلَا يَفْعَلُ بِنَفْسِهِ فِعْلًا، وَلَا يَقْدِرُ أَنْ يَتَصَرَّفَ بِنَفْسِهِ، كَانُوا قَدْ شَبَّهُوهُ بِالْجَمَادَاتِ الْمَنْقُوصَاتِ، وَسَلَبُوهُ صِفَاتِ الْكَمَالِ، فَكَانَ هَذَا تَنْقِيصًا وَتَعْطِيلًا لَا تَنْزِيهًا، وَإِنَّمَا التَّنْزِيهُ أَنْ يُنَزَّهَ

(١) عِنْدَ كَلِمَةِ " فَصْلٌ " تَبْدَأُ نُسْخَةُ (ر) الْجُزْءُ الرَّابِعُ وَفِيهَا وَفِي (ص) ، الْفَصْلُ الْأَوَّلُ كَمَا تَبْدَأُ هُنَا نُسْخَةُ (ح) ، (ي) كَمَا أَشَرْتُ إِلَى ذَلِكَ فِي الْمُقَدِّمَةِ. (٢) فِي (ك) ص ١١٩ (م) . (٣) وَنَزَّهَ: كَذَا فِي (ب) ، (ك) ، (ح) . وَفِي سَائِرِ النُّسَخِ: وَنَزَّهُوا. (٤) ب (فَقَطْ) : الرَّدِيئَةِ. (٥) ك: وَيُبْطِلُ. (٦) ك: أَئِمَّتَهُمْ - عَلَيْهِمُ الصَّلَاةُ وَالسَّلَامُ - وَاذْكُرْ غَيْرَهُمْ. (٧) بَيَانُ ذَلِكَ أَنَّ: كَذَا فِي (أ) ، (ب) ، وَفِي سَائِرِ النُّسَخِ: وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ.