Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (5/312)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

and it incurs His anger. Exalted is He: He does not love corruption, nor is He pleased with disbelief for His servants.

They said:

Not everything that He commands His servants to do and desires them to perform is something that He wills to create for them and assist them in doing. Rather, His assisting in obedience anyone whom He has commanded to obey is a favor from Him, like all other blessings; and He singles out for His mercy whomever He wills.

Both factions erred because they [did not] (1) distinguish between His will concerning what He creates in His servants and His will concerning what He commands His servants to do. Exalted is He, and He has said:

“Surely all creation and command belong to Him.”

[Surah al-A‘rāf: 54].

The Lord is the Creator of everything, and whatever He created, He created by His will. Whatever Allah wills comes to pass, and whatever He does not will does not come to pass. Thus, whatever does not come to pass, He did not will to create; and whatever does come to pass, He did will to create. He wills [to create] (2) only what He already knew He would create, for knowledge corresponds to what is known.

He has commanded the servants (3) to perform the good deeds that benefit them and forbidden them the evil deeds that harm them. Good deeds are beloved to Allah and pleasing to Him (4), while evil deeds are hateful to Him: they incur His anger, and He is angry with those who commit them. Although all are His creation, He created Gabriel and Iblīs, yet He loves Gabriel and hates Iblīs. He created Paradise and Hell, brought darknesses and light into being, created shade and scorching heat, created death and life, [created] the male and the female, and [created] the blind (5) and the sighted.

(1) “Did not”: omitted from N. (2) “To create”: omitted from N, M, and W. (3) N, M: “His servants.” (4) H, B: “beloved and pleasing to Allah.” (5) N, M: “and the male and the female and the blind.”

وَيُسْخِطُهُ، وَهُوَ - سُبْحَانَهُ - لَا يُحِبُّ الْفَسَادَ، وَلَا يَرْضَى لِعِبَادِهِ الْكُفْرَ. قَالُوا: وَلَيْسَ كُلُّ مَا أَمَرَ الْعِبَادَ بِهِ وَأَرَادَ مِنْهُمْ أَنْ يَفْعَلُوهُ، أَرَادَ هُوَ أَنْ يَخْلُقَهُ لَهُمْ وَيُعِينَهُمْ عَلَيْهِ، بَلْ إِعَانَتُهُ عَلَى الطَّاعَةِ لِمَنْ أَمَرَهُ بِهَا فَضْلٌ مِنْهُ كَسَائِرِ النِّعَمِ، وَهُوَ يَخْتَصُّ بِرَحْمَتِهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ. وَالطَّائِفَتَانِ غَلِطُوا مِنْ حَيْثُ أَنَّهُمْ [لَمْ] (١) يُمَيِّزُوا بَيْنَ إِرَادَتِهِ لِمَا يَخْلُقُهُ فِي عِبَادِهِ، وَإِرَادَتُهُ لِمَا يَأْمُرُ بِهِ عِبَادَهُ، وَقَدْ قَالَ سُبْحَانَهُ: {أَلَا لَهُ الْخَلْقُ وَالْأَمْرُ} [سُورَةُ الْأَعْرَافِ: ٥٤] ، فَالرَّبُّ خَالِقُ كُلِّ شَيْءٍ، وَكُلُّ مَا خَلَقَهُ فَبِإِرَادَتِهِ خَلَقَهُ، فَمَا شَاءَ اللَّهُ كَانَ، وَمَا لَمْ يَشَأْ لَمْ يَكُنْ، فَمَا لَمْ يَكُنْ لَمْ يُرِدْ أَنْ يَخْلُقَهُ، وَمَا كَانَ فَقَدْ أَرَادَ أَنْ يَخْلُقَهُ، وَهُوَ لَا يُرِيدُ [أَنْ يَخْلُقَ] (٢) إِلَّا مَا سَبَقَ عِلْمُهُ بِأَنَّهُ سَيَخْلُقُهُ، فَإِنَّ الْعِلْمَ يُطَابِقُ الْمَعْلُومَ. وَقَدْ أَمَرَ الْعِبَادَ (٣) بِالْحَسَنَاتِ الَّتِي تَنْفَعُهُمْ، وَنَهَاهُمْ عَنِ السَّيِّئَاتِ الَّتِي تَضُرُّهُمْ. وَالْحَسَنَاتُ مَحْبُوبَةٌ لِلَّهِ مَرْضِيَّةٌ (٤) وَالسَّيِّئَاتُ مَكْرُوهَةٌ لَهُ يَسْخَطُهَا وَيَسْخَطُ عَلَى أَهْلِهَا، وَإِنْ كَانَ الْجَمِيعُ مَخْلُوقًا لَهُ، فَإِنَّهُ خَلَقَ جِبْرِيلَ وَإِبْلِيسَ، وَهُوَ يُحِبُّ جِبْرِيلَ وَيُبْغِضُ إِبْلِيسَ، وَخَلَقَ الْجَنَّةَ وَالنَّارَ، وَجَعَلَ الظُّلُمَاتِ وَالنُّورَ، وَخَلَقَ الظِّلَّ وَالْحَرُورَ، وَخَلَقَ الْمَوْتَ وَالْحَيَاةَ، وَ [خَلَقَ] الذَّكَرَ وَالْأُنْثَى، وَ [خَلَقَ] الْأَعْمَى (٥) وَالْبَصِيرَ.

(١) لَمْ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) . (٢) أَنْ يَخْلُقَ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) ، (و) . (٣) ن، م: عِبَادَهُ. (٤) ح، ب: مَحْبُوبَةٌ مَرْضِيَّةٌ لِلَّهِ. (٥) ن، م: وَالذَّكَرَ وَالْأُنْثَى وَالْأَعْمَى. .