Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (5/325)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

what is evil (1) if performing what is good has no consequence that accrues to him, such that doing good befits him, unlike doing evil. If this is assumed to be absent, it becomes impossible for him to act for a wise purpose.

Moreover, this attribute is among the greatest attributes of perfection. Likewise, His being loved for His own sake is (2) the foundation of the religion of the messengers. They all called people to worship Allah alone and to affirm that there is no deity but Him. A deity is one who deserves to be worshipped, and worship can exist only with veneration and love. Otherwise, if someone acts for another in return for compensation (3) that the latter gives him, without loving him, he is not worshipping [him] (4).

Allah Most High says:

“They love Him, and He loves them” [Surat al-Mā’idah: 54],

and He Most High says:

“But those who believe are stronger in their love for Allah” [Surat al-Baqarah: 165].

As for those who deny that Allah loves and is loved, the ultimate outcome of their position is that (5), with respect to Allah, they recognize no distinction between His allies and His enemies; between faith and disbelief; between what He has commanded and what He has forbidden; or between His houses—the mosques—and taverns and places of polytheism.

The utmost distinction they affirm is that one is an indication of pleasure experienced by a human being, while the other is an indication of pain experienced by a human being (6). If they (7) are among those Sufis who

(1) W and M: “the ugliness.” (2) H and B: “and it is.” (3) H: “for some worldly gain.” (4) N omits “him.” (5) W omits the phrase “the ultimate outcome of their position is that.” (6) N, M, R, and Y: “that he experiences”; W omits “by a human being.” (7) H, R, and B: “if he is.”

الْقَبِيحِ (١) إِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ مِنْ فِعْلِ الْحَسَنِ مَعْنًى يَعُودُ إِلَيْهِ، فَيَكُونُ فِعْلُ الْحَسَنِ يُنَاسِبُهُ، بِخِلَافِ الْقَبِيحِ. فَإِذَا قُدِّرَ نَفْيُ ذَلِكَ امْتَنَعَ أَنْ يَفْعَلَ لِحِكْمَةٍ. ثُمَّ إِنَّ هَذِهِ الصِّفَةَ مِنْ أَعْظَمِ صِفَاتِ الْكَمَالِ، وَكَذَلِكَ كَوْنُهُ مَحْبُوبًا لِذَاتِهِ هُوَ (٢) أَصْلُ دِينِ الرُّسُلِ، فَإِنَّهُمْ كُلَّهُمْ دَعَوْا إِلَى عِبَادَةِ اللَّهِ وَحْدَهُ، وَأَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ، وَالْإِلَهُ هُوَ الْمُسْتَحِقُّ أَنْ يُعْبَدَ، وَالْعِبَادَةُ لَا تَكُونُ إِلَّا بِتَعْظِيمٍ وَمَحَبَّةٍ، وَإِلَّا فَمَنْ عَمِلَ لِغَيْرِهِ لِعِوَضٍ (٣) يُعْطِيهِ إِيَّاهُ، وَلَمْ يَكُنْ يُحِبُّهُ، لَمْ يَكُنْ عَابِدًا [لَهُ] (٤) . وَقَدْ قَالَ تَعَالَى: {يُحِبُّهُمْ وَيُحِبُّونَهُ} [سُورَةُ الْمَائِدَةِ: ٥٤] ، وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: {وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَشَدُّ حُبًّا لِلَّهِ} [سُورَةُ الْبَقَرَةِ: ١٦٥] ، وَهَؤُلَاءِ الَّذِينَ يَنْفُونَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يُحِبُّ وَيُحَبُّ آخِرُ أَمْرِهِمْ أَنَّهُ (٥) لَا يَبْقَى عِنْدَهُمْ فَرْقٌ بِالنِّسْبَةِ إِلَى اللَّهِ بَيْنَ أَوْلِيَائِهِ وَبَيْنَ أَعْدَائِهِ، وَلَا بَيْنَ الْإِيمَانِ وَالْكُفْرِ، وَلَا بَيْنَ مَا أَمَرَ بِهِ وَمَا نَهَى عَنْهُ، وَلَا بَيْنَ بُيُوتِهِ الَّتِي هِيَ الْمَسَاجِدُ وَبَيْنَ الْحَانَاتِ وَمَوَاضِعِ الشِّرْكِ. وَغَايَةُ مَا يُثْبِتُونَهُ مِنَ الْفَرْقِ أَنَّ هَذَا عَلَمٌ عَلَى لَذَّةٍ تَحْصُلُ لِلْإِنْسَانِ، وَهَذَا عَلَمٌ عَلَى أَلَمٍ يَحْصُلُ لِلْإِنْسَانِ (٦) ، فَإِنْ كَانُوا (٧) مِنَ الصُّوفِيَّةِ الَّذِينَ

(١) و، م: الْقُبْحَ. (٢) ح، ب: وَهُوَ. (٣) ح: لِعَرَضٍ. (٤) لَهُ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) . (٥) عِبَارَةٌ " آخِرُ أَمْرِهِمْ أَنَّهُ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (و) . (٦) ن، م، ر، ي: يَحْصُلُ لَهُ، وَسَقَطَتْ " لِلْإِنْسَانِ " مِنْ (و) . (٧) ح، ر، ب: فَإِنْ كَانَ.