Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (1/364)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

Muslim, it is related from the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—that he said:

“The angels were created from light, the jinn were created from a flame of fire (1), and Adam was created from that which has been described to you.” (2)

The point here is that what is reported from the leading ancient philosophers does not conflict with what the prophets related concerning the creation of this world from matter. Rather, it is reported from them that this world originated and came into being after it had not existed.

As for what they said about that matter—whether it is eternally existent in its very substance, originated after not having existed, or originated from one material after another—the reports concerning them may be inconsistent on this question. Allah knows best the true position of each of them. They were a nation whose books were translated into Arabic and conveyed from one language to another; in such a process, errors and falsehoods may enter whose true nature cannot be determined. Yet whatever the reports concerning them consistently agree upon remains (3) analogous to a mass-transmitted report. Nor do we have any particular purpose (4) in ascertaining the position of every one of them. Rather:

“That was a community that has passed away. It shall have what it earned, and you shall have what you have earned; and you will not be questioned about what they used to do.”

[Surah al-Baqarah: 134, 141]

[The Misguidance and Polytheism of Aristotle and His Followers]

What is beyond doubt, however, is that [these] (5) exponents of the philosophical sciences—such as Aristotle and his followers—were polytheists who worshipped created beings. They did not recognize prophecy or bodily resurrection, and the Jews and Christians were superior to them in matters of divinity, prophecy, and resurrection.

(1) M, N, and A read: “And I created the jinn from fire.” (2) The hadith narrated from Aisha—may Allah be pleased with her—is found in *Sahīh Muslim*, 4/2294 (Book of Asceticism and Heart-Softening Reports, chapter on miscellaneous hadiths); and *al-Musnad* (al-Halabī ed.), 6/153, 168. (3) N reads: “by negating”; A reads: “negates,” which is a corruption. (4) “Particular” is omitted from A and B. (5) “These” is omitted from N and M.

مُسْلِمٍ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - أَنَّهُ قَالَ: " «خَلَقْتُ الْمَلَائِكَةَ مِنْ نُورٍ، وَخَلَقْتُ الْجَانَّ مِنْ مَارِجٍ مِنْ نَارٍ (١) ، وَخُلِقَ آدَمُ مِمَّا وُصِفَ لَكُمْ» " (٢) . وَالْمَقْصُودُ هُنَا أَنَّ الْمَنْقُولَ عَنْ أَسَاطِينِ الْفَلَاسِفَةِ الْقُدَمَاءِ لَا يُخَالِفُ مَا أَخْبَرَتْ بِهِ الْأَنْبِيَاءُ مِنْ خَلْقِ هَذَا الْعَالَمِ مِنْ مَادَّةٍ، بَلِ الْمَنْقُولُ عَنْهُمْ أَنَّ هَذَا الْعَالَمَ مُحْدَثٌ كَائِنٌ بَعْدَ أَنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ. وَأَمَّا قَوْلُهُمْ فِي تِلْكَ الْمَادَّةِ: هَلْ هِيَ قَدِيمَةُ الْأَعْيَانِ، أَوْ مُحْدَثَةٌ بَعْدَ أَنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ، أَوْ مُحْدَثَةٌ مِنْ مَادَّةٍ أُخْرَى بَعْدَ مَادَّةٍ؟ قَدْ تَضْطَرِبُ النُّقُولُ عَنْهُمْ فِي هَذَا الْبَابِ، وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ بِحَقِيقَةِ مَا يَقُولُهُ كُلٌّ مِنْ هَؤُلَاءِ، فَإِنَّهَا أُمَّةٌ عُرِّبَتْ كُتُبُهُمْ، وَنُقِلَتْ مِنْ لِسَانٍ إِلَى لِسَانٍ، وَفِي مِثْلِ ذَلِكَ قَدْ يَدْخُلُ مِنَ الْغَلَطِ وَالْكَذِبِ مَا لَا يُعْلَمُ حَقِيقَتُهُ. وَلَكِنْ مَا تَوَاطَأَتْ بِهِ النُّقُولُ عَنْهُمْ يَبْقَى (٣) مِثْلَ الْمُتَوَاتِرِ، وَلَيْسَ لَنَا غَرَضٌ مُعَيَّنٌ (٤) فِي مَعْرِفَةِ قَوْلِ كُلِّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمْ، بَلْ: {تِلْكَ أُمَّةٌ قَدْ خَلَتْ لَهَا مَا كَسَبَتْ وَلَكُمْ مَا كَسَبْتُمْ وَلَا تُسْأَلُونَ عَمَّا كَانُوا يَعْمَلُونَ} . [سُورَةُ الْبَقَرَةِ: ١٣٤، ١٤١] . [ضلال أرسطو وأتباعه وشركهم] لَكِنَّ الَّذِي لَا رَيْبَ فِيهِ أَنَّ [هَؤُلَاءِ] (٥) أَصْحَابَ التَّعَالِيمِ كَأَرِسْطُو وَأَتْبَاعِهِ كَانُوا مُشْرِكِينَ يَعْبُدُونَ الْمَخْلُوقَاتِ، وَلَا يَعْرِفُونَ النُّبُوَّاتِ وَلَا الْمَعَادِ الْبَدَنِيِّ، وَأَنَّ الْيَهُودَ وَالنَّصَارَى خَيْرٌ مِنْهُمْ فِي الْإِلَهِيَّاتِ وَالنُّبُوَّاتِ وَالْمَعَادِ.

(١) م، ن، ا: وَخَلَقْتُ الْجَانَّ مِنْ نَارٍ. (٢) الْحَدِيثُ عَنْ عَائِشَةَ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا - فِي: مُسْلِمٍ ٤/٢٢٩٤ (كِتَابُ الزُّهْدِ وَالرَّقَائِقِ، بَابٌ فِي أَحَادِيثَ مُتَفَرِّقَةٍ) ؛ الْمُسْنَدِ (ط. الْحَلَبِيِّ) ٦/١٥٣، ١٦٨. (٣) ن: بِنَفْيِ؛ ا: يَنْفِي، وَهُوَ تَحْرِيفٌ. (٤) مُعَيَّنٌ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ا) ، (ب) . (٥) هَؤُلَاءِ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) .