Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (5/270)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

mistook (1) a swollen man for a fat one and blew where there was no fire.

By my life:

I toured (2) every school
and cast my gaze among those landmarks;
yet I saw none but one bewildered, his palm pressed to his chin,
or one remorseful, striking his tooth.”

Thus, he stated that he found only someone bewildered, doubtful, and uncertain, or someone who adopted a belief but then regretted it when its error became clear to him. The former was in simple ignorance:

“Layers of darkness, one above another: when he puts out his hand, he can hardly see it.”

The latter fell into compound ignorance, but then realized that he had been ignorant and regretted it. This is why, when discussing various questions, he cites the positions of the sects and their arguments (3), yet scarcely ever prefers one view because of his bewilderment.

The same applies to al-Āmidī: suspension of judgment and bewilderment predominate in him.

As for al-Rāzī, within a single book—indeed, within a single passage—he supports one position, while elsewhere in that same book or in another book he supports its opposite. Thus, he ultimately settled into bewilderment and doubt. Accordingly, when it was stated that the most perfect knowledge is knowledge of Allah (4), His attributes, and His acts, it was also stated that each of these presents a difficulty (5). I have cited

(1) *Nihāyat al-Iqdām* reads: “…intellects, because he thought well of me, supposing that I had reached the utmost limits of inquiry and attained the furthest reaches of thought. Perhaps he mistook…” (2) All manuscripts run the words together as: “By my life, I have indeed toured.” The correct division is the one printed in the text, which is also found in *Nihāyat al-Iqdām*. The preceding passages also appear in *Dar Taārud al-Aql wa-l-Naql*, 1/159. In my annotation there, in the margin of (S 2 T), I noted that the humble servant Muhammad ibn Ismāīl al-Amīr—may Allah pardon them both—replied to him: “Perhaps you neglected to tour the Messenger’s school and those of all the learned men who met him. Whoever is guided by Muhammad’s guidance is never bewildered, nor will you see him gnashing his teeth in remorse.” (3) H and R read: “the sects’ positions and their adherents’ arguments”; B reads: “the positions of the sects and their arguments.” (4) W reads: “He said, when it was stated that knowledge of Allah…”; A reads: “Therefore, when it was stated that knowledge of Allah…” (5) A reads: “It was stated that each of them presents a difficulty,” with *kulla*; B and H have the same wording with *kullan*.

اسْتَسْمَنَ (١) ذَا وَرَمٍ، وَنَفَخَ فِي غَيْرِ ضَرَمٍ، لَعَمْرِي: لَقَدْ طُفْتُ (٢) الْمَعَاهِدَ كُلَّهَا وَسَيَّرْتُ طَرْفِي بَيْنَ تِلْكَ الْمَعَالِمِ فَلَمْ أَرَ إِلَّا وَاضِعًا كَفَّ حَائِرٍ عَلَى ذَقَنٍ أَوْ قَارِعًا سَنَّ نَادِمِ فَأَخْبَرَ أَنَّهُ لَمْ يَجِدْ إِلَّا حَائِرًا شَاكًّا وَمُرْتَابًا، أَوْ مَنِ اعْتَقَدَ ثُمَّ نَدِمَ لَمَّا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُ خَطَؤُهُ. فَالْأَوَّلُ فِي الْجَهْلِ الْبَسِيطِ: كَظُلُمَاتٍ بَعْضُهَا فَوْقَ بَعْضٍ إِذَا أَخْرَجَ يَدَهُ لَمْ يَكَدْ يَرَاهَا، وَهَذَا دَخَلَ فِي الْجَهْلِ الْمُرَكَّبِ، ثُمَّ تَبَيَّنَ لَهُ أَنَّهُ جَهِلَ فَنَدِمَ، وَلِهَذَا تَجِدُهُ فِي الْمَسَائِلِ يَذْكُرُ أَقْوَالَ الْفِرَقِ وَحُجَجِهِمْ (٣) ، وَلَا يَكَادُ يُرَجِّحُ شَيْئًا لِلْحَيْرَةِ. وَكَذَلِكَ الْآمِدِيُّ، الْغَالِبُ عَلَيْهِ الْوَقْفُ وَالْحَيْرَةُ. وَأَمَّا الرَّازِيُّ فَهُوَ فِي الْكِتَابِ الْوَاحِدِ، بَلْ فِي الْمَوْضِعِ الْوَاحِدِ مِنْهُ، يَنْصُرُ قَوْلًا، وَفِي مَوْضِعٍ آخَرَ مِنْهُ أَوْ مِنْ كِتَابٍ آخَرَ يَنْصُرُ نَقِيضَهُ. وَلِهَذَا اسْتَقَرَّ أَمْرُهُ عَلَى الْحَيْرَةِ وَالشَّكِّ. وَلِهَذَا لَمَّا ذُكِرَ أَنَّ أَكْمَلَ الْعُلُومِ الْعِلْمُ بِاللَّهِ (٤) وَبِصِفَاتِهِ وَأَفْعَالِهِ، ذُكِرَ أَنَّ عَلَى كُلٍّ مِنْهَا إِشْكَالٌ (٥) . وَقَدْ ذَكَرْتُ

(١) نِهَايَةِ: الْعُقُولِ؛ لِحُسْنِ ظَنِّهِ بِي أَنَّي وَقَفْتُ عَلَى نِهَايَاتِ النَّظَرِ، وَفُزْتُ بِغَايَاتِ مَطَارِحِ الْفِكَرِ، وَلَعَلَّهُ اسْتَسْمَنَ. . . (٢) فِي جَمِيعِ النُّسَخِ: لَعَمْرِي لَقَدْ طُفْتُ، وَالصَّوَابُ مَا أَثْبَتُّهُ، وَهُوَ الَّذِي فِي " نِهَايَةِ الْإِقْدَامِ "، وَجَاءَتِ الْعِبَارَاتُ السَّابِقَةُ فِي دَرْءِ تَعَارُضِ الْعَقْلِ وَالنَّقْلِ، ١/١٥٩ وَذَكَرْتُ فِي تَعْلِيقِي هُنَاكَ فِي هَامِشِ (ص ٢ ط) رَدَّ عَلَيْهِ الْفَقِيرُ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ إِسْمَاعِيلَ الْأَمِيرُ - عَفَى اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا - فَقَالَ: لَعَلَّكَ أَهْمَلْتَ الطَّوَافَ بِمَعْهَدِ الرَّسُولِ وَمَنْ لَاقَاهُ مِنْ كُلِّ عَالِمِ. فَمَا حَارَ مَنْ يُهْدَى بِهَدْيِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَلَسْتَ تَرَاهُ قَارِعًا سَنَّ نَادِمِ (٣) ح، ر: أَقْوَالَهَا وَحُجَجَهُمْ، ب: أَقْوَالَ الْفِرَقِ وَحُجَجَهَا. (٤) و: فَقَالَ لَمَّا ذُكِرَ أَنَّ الْعِلْمَ بِاللَّهِ، أ: وَلِهَذَا لَمَّا ذُكِرَ أَنَّ الْعِلْمَ بِاللَّهِ. (٥) أ: ذُكِرَ عَلَى أَنَّ كُلَّ مِنْهَا إِشْكَالٌ، ب، ح: ذُكِرَ عَلَى أَنَّ كُلًّا مِنْهَا إِشْكَالٌ.