Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (4/590)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

from deficiencies incompatible with the attributes of perfection. He is therefore declared free of death, drowsiness, sleep, incapacity, ignorance, and need, just as He declared Himself free of them in His Book. Thus, the attributes of perfection are affirmed for Him while all deficiencies incompatible with perfection are denied of Him. He is declared free of any created being resembling Him in any of His attributes, free of every deficiency without exception, and—in His attributes of perfection—free of having any equal whatsoever.

As for the prophets, you have deprived them of the perfection and exalted ranks Allah bestowed upon them through true repentance and seeking forgiveness, and through advancing from one degree of perfection to another still more perfect(1). You have denied what Allah reported concerning this, distorted words from their proper contexts, and imagined that a human being’s passage from ignorance to knowledge, from misguidance to guidance, and from error to right conduct constitutes a diminution(2). You failed to realize that this is among Allah’s greatest blessings and the greatest manifestations of His power, for He brings His servants from deficiency to perfection. One who has tasted both evil and good and knows them both may have(3) greater love for good and hatred for evil than one who knows nothing but good. As Umar ibn al-Khattāb—may Allah be pleased with him—said:

“The bonds of Islam will be broken one by one when there grows up within Islam someone who has no knowledge of the Age of Ignorance.”

As for declaring the Imams free of imperfection, it is one of those disgraceful matters that one is ashamed(4) even to mention—especially in the case of the nonexistent Imam, from whom no benefit can be derived in either religion or worldly life.

As for declaring the revealed law free of reprehensible rulings, it has already been stated that Ahl al-Sunnah have not unanimously agreed

(1) MSS N, M, and W read: “and the transition from deficiency to perfection.” The word “than it” is absent from MSS H and Y. (2) “A diminution”: thus in MSS S and B. The remaining manuscripts read: “a deficiency.” (3) “And knows them both, may be.” (4) MS H reads: “deserves”; this is a scribal corruption.

عَنِ النَّقَائِصِ الْمُنَافِيَةِ لِصِفَاتِ الْكَمَالِ، فَيُنَزَّهَ عَنِ الْمَوْتِ وَالسِّنَةِ وَالنَّوْمِ، وَالْعَجْزِ وَالْجَهْلِ وَالْحَاجَةِ، كَمَا نَزَّهَ نَفْسَهُ فِي كِتَابِهِ، فَيُجْمَعُ لَهُ بَيْنَ إِثْبَاتِ صِفَاتِ الْكَمَالِ، وَنَفْيِ النَّقَائِصِ الْمُنَافِيَةِ لِلْكَمَالِ، وَيُنَزَّهَ عَنْ مُمَاثَلَةِ شَيْءٍ مِنَ الْمَخْلُوقَاتِ لَهُ فِي شَيْءٍ مِنْ صِفَاتِهِ، وَيُنَزَّهَ عَنِ النَّقَائِصِ مُطْلَقًا، وَيُنَزَّهَ فِي صِفَاتِ الْكَمَالِ أَنْ يَكُونَ لَهُ فِيهَا مِثْلٌ مِنَ الْأَمْثَالِ. وَأَمَّا الْأَنْبِيَاءُ فَإِنَّكُمْ سَلَبْتُمُوهُمْ مَا أَعْطَاهُمُ اللَّهُ مِنَ الْكَمَالِ وَعُلُوِّ الدَّرَجَاتِ، بِحَقِيقَةِ التَّوْبَةِ وَالِاسْتِغْفَارِ، وَالِانْتِقَالِ مِنْ كَمَالٍ إِلَى مَا هُوَ أَكْمَلُ مِنْهُ (١) ، وَكَذَّبْتُمْ مَا أَخْبَرَ اللَّهُ بِهِ مِنْ ذَلِكَ، وَحَرَّفْتُمُ الْكَلِمَ عَنْ مَوَاضِعِهِ، وَظَنَنْتُمْ أَنَّ انْتِقَالَ الْآدَمِيِّ مِنَ الْجَهْلِ إِلَى الْعِلْمِ، وَمِنَ الضَّلَالِ إِلَى الْهُدَى، وَمِنَ الْغَيِّ إِلَى الرَّشَادِ، تَنَقُّصًا (٢) ، وَلَمْ تَعْلَمُوا أَنَّ هَذَا مِنْ أَعْظَمِ نِعَمِ اللَّهِ وَأَعْظَمِ قُدْرَتِهِ، حَيْثُ يَنْقُلُ الْعِبَادَ مِنَ النَّقْصِ إِلَى الْكَمَالِ، وَأَنَّهُ قَدْ يَكُونُ الَّذِي يَذُوقُ الشَّرَّ وَالْخَيْرَ وَيَعْرِفُهُمَا، يَكُونُ (٣) حُبُّهُ لِلْخَيْرِ وَبُغْضُهُ لِلشَّرِّ أَعْظَمَ مِمَّنْ لَا يَعْرِفُ إِلَّا الْخَيْرَ. كَمَا قَالَ عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ -: " إِنَّمَا تُنْقَضُ عُرَى الْإِسْلَامِ عُرْوَةً عُرْوَةً إِذَا نَشَأَ فِي الْإِسْلَامِ مَنْ لَا يَعْرِفُ الْجَاهِلِيَّةَ " . وَأَمَّا تَنْزِيهُ الْأَئِمَّةِ فَمِنَ الْفَضَائِحِ الَّتِي يُسْتَحْيَا (٤) مِنْ ذَكْرِهَا، لَا سِيَّمَا الْإِمَامِ الْمَعْدُومِ الَّذِي لَا يُنْتَفَعُ بِهِ لَا فِي دِينٍ وَلَا دُنْيَا. وَأَمَّا تَنْزِيهُ الشَّرْعِ عَنِ الْمَسَائِلِ الرَّدِيَّةِ، فَقَدْ تَقَدَّمَ أَنَّ أَهْلَ السُّنَّةِ لَمْ يَتَّفِقُوا

(١) ن، م، و: وَالِانْتِقَالِ مِنْ نَقْصٍ إِلَى كَمَالٍ، وَكَلِمَةُ (مِنْهُ) سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ نُسْخَةِ (ح) ، (ي) . (٢) تَنَقُّصًا: كَذَا فِي (ص) ، (ب) . وَفِي سَائِرِ النُّسَخِ: نَقْصٌ. (٣) وَيَعْرِفُهُمَا قَدْ يَكُونُ. . (٤) (ح) : يَسْتَحِقُّ، وَهُوَ تَحْرِيفٌ.