Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (1/337)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

delayed behind the complete cause by an endless span of time, whereas a complete cause is never separated from its effect at all.

Rather, the dispute is whether the effect is simultaneous with the cause or follows immediately after it in time (1), being with it (2) as the second segment of time is with the segment preceding it. This is one of the matters people discuss, since they (3) agree that the effect is logically posterior to the cause (4) and is inseparable from it. Whether it is temporally contiguous with the cause or temporally simultaneous with it is a matter of debate among them (5).

The point here is that no event coming into existence in the world can have had its complete cause—which necessarily entails it—already complete (6) before it, with a separation between the two. How, then, could that cause precede it (7) by an endless span of time?

The furthest they go is to say that He is an eternal complete cause of whatever in the world is eternal, such as the celestial spheres; as for what comes into existence within the world, He becomes its complete cause only when it comes into existence.

They also say that the occurrence of the first is a condition for the occurrence of the second, like a person walking across one tract of ground after another, or like the sun’s motion, [by which] it traverses (8) one stretch after another. A moving object (9) does not traverse the second stretch until it has traversed the first; thus, its traversing

(1) N, M, and A read: “whether it is simultaneous with it [masc.] or follows it [masc.] in time.” The reading adopted from B is correct. The intended meaning is whether the effect is simultaneous with the cause or follows the cause. (2) N and M read *wa-yakūnu ma‘ahu* (“and it is with it [masc.]”); A reads *wa-takūnu ma‘ahu* (“and it [fem.] is with it [masc.]”); B reads *yakūnu ma‘ahā* (“it is with it [fem.]”). The reading I have adopted is perhaps the correct one. (3) A reads “if they were”; B reads “and if they were.” (4) N, M, and A read: “that it [fem.] is posterior to it [masc.].” (5) N and M read *al-qiyās* (“analogical reasoning”). (6) N and M read “established.” (7) N, M, and A read: “it [masc.] precedes it [fem.].” (8) N and M read: “and like the sun’s motion, it traverses”; A reads: “and like the sun’s motion, which [masc.] traverses.” (9) A reads “like motion”; B reads “thus, the moving object.”

مُتَأَخِّرًا عَنِ الْعِلَّةِ التَّامَّةِ تَأَخُّرًا لَا نِهَايَةَ لَهُ، وَالْعِلَّةُ التَّامَّةُ لَا يَكُونُ بَيْنَهَا وَبَيْنَ مَعْلُولِهَا فَصْلٌ أَصْلًا، بَلِ النِّزَاعُ: هَلْ يَكُونُ مَعَهَا فِي الزَّمَانِ أَوْ يَكُونُ عَقِبَهَا فِي الزَّمَانِ (١) ، وَيَكُونُ مَعَهَا (٢) كَالْجُزْءِ الثَّانِي مِنَ الزَّمَانِ مَعَ الَّذِي قَبْلَهُ؟ . هَذَا مِمَّا يَتَكَلَّمُ فِيهِ النَّاسُ إِذْ كَانُوا (٣) مُتَّفِقِينَ عَلَى أَنَّهُ مُتَأَخِّرٌ عَنْهَا (٤) تَأَخُّرًا عَقْلِيًّا وَأَنَّهُ لَا يَنْفَصِلُ عَنْهَا. وَهَلْ يَتَّصِلُ بِهَا اتِّصَالًا زَمَانِيًّا أَوْ يَقْتَرِنُ بِهَا اقْتِرَانًا زَمَانِيًّا؟ هَذَا مَحَلُّ نَظَرِ النَّاسِ (٥) . وَالْمَقْصُودُ هُنَا أَنَّ كُلَّ مَا يُحْدِثُ الْعَالَمَ فَلَا تَكُونُ عِلَّتُهُ التَّامَّةُ الْمُسْتَلْزِمَةُ تَامَّةً (٦) قَبْلَهُ بِحَيْثُ يَكُونُ بَيْنَهُمَا انْفِصَالٌ، فَكَيْفَ تَتَقَدَّمُ عَلَيْهِ (٧) تَقَدُّمًا لَا نِهَايَةَ لَهُ؟ لَكِنَّ غَايَةَ مَا يَقُولُونَ: إِنَّهُ عِلَّةٌ تَامَّةٌ أَزَلِيَّةٌ لِمَا كَانَ قَدِيمًا مِنَ الْعَالَمِ كَالْأَفْلَاكِ، وَأَمَّا مَا يَحْدُثُ فِيهِ فَإِنَّمَا يَصِيرُ عِلَّةً تَامَّةً لَهُ عِنْدَ حُدُوثِهِ. وَيَقُولُونَ: إِنَّ حُدُوثَ الْأَوَّلِ شَرْطٌ فِي حُدُوثِ الثَّانِي كَالْمَاشِي الَّذِي يَقْطَعُ أَرْضًا بَعْدَ أَرْضٍ، وَكَحَرَكَةِ الشَّمْسِ [الَّتِي] تَقْطَعُ (٨) بِهَا مَسَافَةً بَعْدَ مَسَافَةٍ، كَالْمُتَحَرِّكِ (٩) لَا يَقْطَعُ الْمَسَافَةَ الثَّانِيَةَ حَتَّى يَقْطَعَ الْأُولَى، فَقَطْعُ

(١) ن، م، ا،: هَلْ يَكُونُ مَعَهُ فِي الزَّمَانِ أَوْ يَكُونُ عَقِبَهُ. وَالْمُثْبَتُ مِنْ (ب) وَهُوَ الصَّوَابُ، وَالْمَقْصُودُ هَلْ يَكُونُ الْمَعْلُولُ مَعَ الْعِلَّةِ فِي الزَّمَانِ أَوْ يَكُونُ عَقِبَ الْعِلَّةِ. (٢) ن، م: وَيَكُونُ مَعَهُ؛ ا: وَتَكُونُ مَعَهُ؛ ب: يَكُونُ مَعَهَا. وَلَعَلَّ الصَّوَابَ مَا أَثْبَتُّهُ. (٣) ا: إِنْ كَانُوا؛ ب: وَإِنْ كَانُوا. (٤) ن، م، ا: عَلَى أَنَّهَا مُتَأَخِّرَةٌ عَنْهُ. (٥) ن، م: الْقِيَاسِ. (٦) ن، م: ثَابِتَةٌ. (٧) ن، م، ا: يَتَقَدَّمُ عَلَيْهَا. (٨) ن، م: وَكَحَرَكَةِ الشَّمْسِ تَقْطَعُ؛ ا: وَكَحَرَكَةِ الشَّمْسِ الَّذِي تَقْطَعُ (٩) ا: كَالتَّحَرُّكِ؛ ب: فَالْمُتَحَرِّكُ.