Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (1/352)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

Consequently, these men (1) were emboldened against the innovators among the Jahmiyyah and Mu'tazilah and those who followed them (2) in their foundational principles. They heaped (3) opprobrium upon the adherents of religions because of these theologians and innovators (4), believing that the only possible position was either that of these innovators or that of those heretical philosophers (5). They regarded reason as invalidating the innovators’ position, while regarding revelation as closer to the innovators and further removed from the heretics.

They therefore said:

“The prophets gave parables and presented imaginative representations; they could not communicate the realities.”

They thus took the path of heresy and twisted words away from their proper meanings, in proportion to what they denied of matters established by revelation. Yet those earlier philosophers who denied the Lord’s attributes and the acts subsisting in Him went even further in heresy and in twisting words away from their proper meanings than those who affirmed the attributes and the volitional acts subsisting in Him, while nevertheless (6) maintaining the eternity of the world.

Both (7) groups departed from clear reason just as they departed from sound revelation, each to the extent that it erred on this issue. Whenever someone acknowledges any part of the truth, this gives him all the more reason to accept the rest; his acceptance logically commits him to what someone who does not know that truth is not committed to. Moreover, the position that denies the attributes and actions

(1) Those who maintain the eternity of the world. (2) N and M read: “and those who followed them.” (3) N and M read: “and the heaping of [opprobrium].” (4) M, A, and B read: “the innovating theologians.” (5) Those who deny prophethood, such as Ibn al-Rāwandī and Abū Zakariyyā al-Rāzī. (6) N and M read: “along with this.” (7) N, M, and A read: “and each”—an erroneous reading.

فَطَمِعَ هَؤُلَاءِ (١) فِي هَؤُلَاءِ الْمُبْتَدِعِينَ مِنَ الْجَهْمِيَّةِ وَالْمُعْتَزِلَةِ وَمَنِ اتَّبَعَهُمْ (٢) فِي أُصُولِهِمْ، وَأَقَامُوا (٣) الشَّنَاعَةَ عَلَى أَهْلِ الْمِلَلِ بِسَبَبِ هَؤُلَاءِ الْمُتَكَلِّمِينَ وَالْمُبْتَدِعِينَ (٤) ، وَظَنُّوا أَنْ لَا قَوْلَ إِلَّا قَوْلُ هَؤُلَاءِ الْمُبْتَدِعِينَ، أَوْ قَوْلُ أُولَئِكَ الْفَلَاسِفَةِ الْمُلْحِدِينَ (٥) ، وَرَأَوْا أَنَّ الْعَقْلَ يُفْسِدُ قَوْلَ هَؤُلَاءِ الْمُبْتَدِعِينَ، وَرَأَوُا السَّمْعَ إِلَى هَؤُلَاءِ الْمُبْتَدِعِينَ أَقْرَبَ وَعَنِ الْمُلْحِدِينَ أَبْعَدَ، فَقَالُوا: إِنَّ الْأَنْبِيَاءَ ضَرَبُوا الْأَمْثَالَ وَخَيَّلُوا، وَلَمْ يُمْكِنْهُمُ الْإِخْبَارُ بِالْحَقَائِقِ. وَدَخَلُوا مِنْ بَابِ الْإِلْحَادِ وَتَحْرِيفِ الْكَلِمِ عَنْ مَوَاضِعِهِ بِحَسَبِ مَا أَنْكَرُوهُ مِنَ السَّمْعِيَّاتِ، وَإِنْ كَانَ أُولَئِكَ الْفَلَاسِفَةُ الَّذِينَ نَفَوْا صِفَاتِ الرَّبِّ وَأَفْعَالِهِ الْقَائِمَةِ بِهِ - الَّذِينَ قَبْلَ هَؤُلَاءِ - أَعْظَمَ إِلْحَادًا وَتَحْرِيفًا لِلْكَلِمِ عَنْ مَوَاضِعِهِ، مِنْ هَؤُلَاءِ الَّذِينَ أَثْبَتُوا الصِّفَاتِ وَالْأُمُورَ الِاخْتِيَارِيَّةَ الْقَائِمَةَ بِهِ، وَقَالُوا مَعَ ذَلِكَ (٦) بِقِدَمِ الْعَالَمِ. وَكِلْتَا (٧) الطَّائِفَتَيْنِ خَرَجَتْ عَنْ صَرِيحِ الْمَعْقُولِ، كَمَا خَرَجَتْ عَنْ صَحِيحِ الْمَنْقُولِ، بِحَسَبِ مَا أَخْطَأَتْهُ فِي هَذَا الْبَابِ، وَكُلُّ مَنْ أَقَرَّ بِشَيْءٍ مِنَ الْحَقِّ كَانَ ذَلِكَ أَدْعَى لَهُ إِلَى قَبُولِ غَيْرِهِ، وَكَانَ يَلْزَمُهُ مِنْ قَبُولِهِ مَا لَمْ يَلْزَمْ مَنْ لَمْ يَعْرِفْ ذَلِكَ الْحَقَّ، وَكَانَ الْقَوْلُ بِنَفْيِ الصِّفَاتِ وَالْأَفْعَالِ

(١) الَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ بِقِدَمِ الْعَالَمِ. . (٢) ن، م: وَمَنْ تَبِعَهُمْ. (٣) ن، م: وَإِقَامَةُ. (٤) م، ا، ب: الْمُتَكَلِّمِينَ الْمُبْتَدِعِينَ. (٥) الَّذِينَ يُنْكِرُونَ النُّبُوَّاتِ مِنْ أَمْثَالِ ابْنِ الرَّاوَنْدِيِّ وَأَبِي زَكَرِيَّا الرَّازِيِّ. (٦) ن، م: مَعَ هَذَا. (٧) ن، م، ا: وَكُلًّا، وَهُوَ خَطَأٌ.