Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (5/368)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

and this too is prohibited.

Rather, you must worship Him by employing the causes He has commanded you to employ. You must rely upon Him to help you do what He has commanded and to accomplish Himself what you are unable to accomplish, without any cause on your part (1). The only fault, therefore, is to neglect what the Lord has commanded you to do, whether as an obligation or a recommendation (2). Whoever does what he was commanded, in the manner commanded, is free of fault. Yet he may fail to understand the true nature of what he was commanded to do [in the manner in which he was commanded to do it] (3), and a fault may therefore arise on his part.

As for the speaker’s statement, “He follows the path of effacing the originated realm”: if by this he means that I (4) believe that nothing comes into existence, this is an obstinate denial of manifest reality, a denial of the Lord’s creation, and a repudiation of the Creator. If he means that I efface the originated realm from my heart, so that I witness no originated being—which is what they intend—this is contrary to what I have been commanded and contrary to the truth.

Rather, I have been commanded to bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah. I also bear witness that originated things come into existence by His will, through what (5) He created of causes, and for the wise purposes for which He created them (6). I was never commanded not to witness in my heart that anything comes into existence.

As for the speaker’s statement, “He who once was not passes away (7), and He who has never ceased to be remains (8),” if what he means is that he

(1) (H), (R), (W), and (Y) read: “and that He Himself should do what He does, without any cause on your part.” (2) (W) reads: “what the Lord has commanded you to do, whether obligatory or recommended”; (N): “what the Lord has commanded you to do by way of obligation and recommendation”; (M): “what the Lord has commanded you to do by way of obligation or approval.” (3) The text in square brackets is omitted from (N), (M), (W), and (B). (4) (W) reads: “that.” (5) (W) reads: “and through what.” (6) “Of wise purposes”: thus in (H) and (Y); all other manuscripts read: “of wisdom.” (7) (W) reads: “passed away.” (8) (W) reads: “and remained.”

وَهَذَا أَيْضًا مُحَرَّمٌ. بَلْ عَلَيْكَ أَنْ تَعْبُدَهُ بِفِعْلِ مَا أَمَرَكَ بِهِ مِنَ الْأَسْبَابِ، وَعَلَيْكَ أَنْ تَتَوَكَّلَ عَلَيْهِ فِي أَنْ يُعِينَكَ عَلَى مَا أَمَرَكَ بِهِ، وَأَنْ يَفْعَلَ هُوَ مَا لَا تَقْدِرُ أَنْتَ عَلَيْهِ بِدُونِ سَبَبٍ مِنْكَ (١) ، فَلَيْسَتِ الْعِلَّةُ إِلَّا تَرْكَ مَا أَمَرَكَ بِهِ الرَّبُّ أَمْرَ إِيجَابٍ أَوِ اسْتِحْبَابٍ (٢) ، وَمَنْ فَعَلَ مَا أُمِرَ بِهِ كَمَا أُمِرَ بِهِ فَلَيْسَ عِنْدَهُ عِلَّةٌ، وَلَكِنْ قَدْ يَجْهَلُ حَقِيقَةَ مَا أُمِرَ بِهِ [كَمَا أُمِرَ بِهِ] (٣) فَيَكُونُ مِنْهُ عِلَّةٌ. وَقَوْلُ الْقَائِلِ: " يَسَلُكُ سَبِيلَ إِسْقَاطِ الْحَدَثِ، إِنْ أَرَادَ أَنِّي (٤) أَعْتَقِدُ نَفْيَ حُدُوثِ شَيْءٍ، فَهَذَا مُكَابَرَةٌ وَتَكْذِيبٌ بِخَلْقِ الرَّبِّ وَجَحْدٌ لِلصَّانِعِ، وَإِنْ أَرَادَ أَنِّي أُسْقِطُ الْحَدَثَ مِنْ قَلْبِي فَلَا أَشْهَدُ مُحْدَثًا - وَهُوَ مُرَادُهُمْ - فَهَذَا خِلَافُ مَا أُمِرْتُ بِهِ، وَخِلَافُ الْحَقِّ. بَلْ قَدْ أُمِرْتُ أَنْ أَشْهَدَ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ، وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ، وَأَشْهَدُ حُدُوثَ الْمُحْدَثَاتِ بِمَشِيئَتِهِ بِمَا (٥) خَلَقَهُ مِنَ الْأَسْبَابِ، وَلِمَا خَلَقَهُ مِنَ الْحِكَمِ (٦) ، وَمَا أُمِرْتُ أَنْ لَا أَشْهَدَ بِقَلْبِي حُدُوثَ شَيْءٍ قَطُّ. وَقَوْلُ الْقَائِلِ: " يَفْنَى (٧) مَنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ، وَيَبْقَى (٨) مَنْ لَمْ يَزُلْ " إِنْ أَرَادَ أَنَّهُ

(١) ح، ر، و، ي: وَأَنْ يَفْعَلَ هُوَ مَا يَفْعَلُهُ بِدُونِ سَبَبٍ مِنْكَ. (٢) و: بِهِ الرَّبُّ وَاجِبًا أَوْ مُسْتَحَبًّا، ن: بِهِ الرَّبُّ أَمْرَ إِيجَابٍ وَاسْتِحْبَابٍ، م: بِهِ الرَّبُّ أَمْرَ إِيجَابٍ أَوِ اسْتِحْسَانٍ. (٣) مَا بَيْنَ الْمَعْقُوفَتَيْنِ سَاقِطٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) ، (و) ، (ب) . (٤) و: أَنْ. (٥) و: وَبِمَا. (٦) مِنَ الْحِكَمِ: كَذَا فِي (ح) ، (ي) ، وَفِي سَائِرِ النُّسَخِ: مِنَ الْحِكْمَةِ. (٧) و: فَنَى. (٨) و: وَبَقِيَ.