16
It is authentically established that Ja‘far al-Sādiq was asked concerning the Quran:
“Is it a creator, or is it created?”
He replied:
“It is neither a creator nor created; rather, it is the speech of Allah.”
As for the Rāfidī’s statement:
“Wāsil ibn ‘Atā’ learned from Abū Hāshim ibn Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah,”
it may be answered that [al-Hasan ibn] Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyyah (1) composed a book on the doctrine of irjā’, the very opposite of the Mu‘tazilite position. More than one scholar has mentioned this (2). This contradicts the Mu‘tazilite doctrine espoused by Wāsil ibn ‘Atā’, which he is said to have learned from Abū Hāshim (3).
(1) All the manuscript witnesses read “Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyya.” I hope that the reading I have adopted is correct. This is also indicated by Ibn Taymiyya’s discussion shortly below, where he speaks of al-Hasan and Abū Hāshim, the two sons of Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyya.
(2) It is well known that al-Hasan ibn Muhammad ibn al-Hanafiyya—not his father—was the first to write on *irjā’*. He authored the earliest treatise on *irjā’* and in refutation of the Qadariyya. See Sezgin, vol. 1, part [0–9], pp. 15–16.
(3) Abū Hāshim was Abd Allāh, son of Muhammad ibn Alī ibn Abī Tālib—Muhammad being Ibn al-Hanafiyya. Ibn Hajar states in *Tahdhīb al-Tahdhīb*, 6:16: “... On the authority of al-Zuhrī: ‘Abd Allāh and al-Hasan, the two sons of Muhammad ibn Alī, narrated to us. Al-Hasan was the more highly regarded of the two.’ Another version reads: ‘Al-Hasan was the more reliable of the two.’ ... Abū Usāma said: ‘One of them was a Murji’, and the other a Shī‘ī.’” Ibn Hajar also cites al-Zubayr as saying: “Abū Hāshim was the leader of the Shī‘a.” He further states: “Abd Allāh used to seek out—or, according to another version, collect—the reports of the Saba’iyya. ... He died in 98 AH, though al-Haytham dated his death to 99 AH.”
وَقَدْ ثَبَتَ عَنْ جَعْفَرٍ الصَّادِقِ أَنَّهُ سُئِلَ عَنِ الْقُرْآنِ:
أَخَالِقٌ هُوَ أَمْ مَخْلُوقٌ؟
فَقَالَ:
لَيْسَ بِخَالِقٍ وَلَا مَخْلُوقٍ، لَكِنَّهُ كَلَامُ اللَّهِ.
وَأَمَّا قَوْلُ الرَّافِضِيِّ:
" إِنَّ وَاصِلَ بْنَ عَطَاءٍ أَخَذَ عَنْ أَبِي هَاشِمِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْحَنَفِيَّةِ "
.
فَيُقَالُ:
إِنَّ
[الْحَسَنَ بْنَ]
مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْحَنَفِيَّةِ
(١)
قَدْ وَضَعَ كِتَابًا فِي الْإِرْجَاءِ، نَقِيضَ قَوْلِ الْمُعْتَزِلَةِ. ذَكَرَ هَذَا غَيْرُ وَاحِدٍ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ
(٢)
، وَهَذَا يُنَاقِضُ مَذْهَبَ الْمُعْتَزِلَةِ الَّذِي يَقُولُ بِهِ وَاصِلُ بْنُ عَطَاءٍ، وَيُقَالُ إِنَّهُ أَخَذَهُ عَنْ أَبِي هَاشِمٍ
(٣)
.
(١) فِي جَمِيعِ الْأُصُولِ: مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ الْحَنَفِيَّةِ، وَأَرْجُو أَنْ يَكُونَ الصَّوَابُ مَا أَثْبَتُّهُ، وَهُوَ الَّذِي يَدُلُّ عَلَيْهِ كَلَامُ ابْنِ تَيْمِيَّةَ بَعْدَ قَلِيلٍ، إِذْ إِنَّهُ يَتَكَلَّمُ عَلَى الْحَسَنِ وَعَلَى أَبِي هَاشِمٍ ابْنَيْ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ الْحَنَفِيَّةِ.
(٢) الْمَعْرُوفُ أَنَّ الْحَسَنَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدِ ابْنِ الْحَنَفِيَّةِ هُوَ - لَا وَالِدُهُ - أَوَّلُ مَنْ أَلَّفَ فِي الْإِرْجَاءِ وَهُوَ صَاحِبُ أَقْدَمِ رِسَالَةٍ فِي الْإِرْجَاءِ وَفِي الرَّدِّ عَلَى الْقَدَرِيَّةِ. انْظُرْ: سِزْكِينَ م ١ ج [٠ - ٩] ص ١٥ - ١٦.
(٣) أَبُو هَاشِمٍ هُوَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ (أَيِ ابْنُ الْحَنَفِيَّةِ) . قَالَ ابْنُ حَجَرٍ فِي " تَهْذِيبِ التَّهْذِيبِ " ٦/١٦: ". . عَنِ الزُّهْرِيِّ، ثَنَا: عَبْدُ اللَّهِ وَالْحَسَنُ ابْنَا مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ، وَكَانَ الْحَسَنُ أَرْضَاهُمَا، وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ: وَكَانَ الْحَسَنُ أَوْثَقَهُمَا. . . . وَقَالَ أَبُو أُسَامَةَ: أَحَدُهُمَا مُرْجِئٌ وَالْآخَرُ شِيعِيٌّ " وَذَكَرَ ابْنُ حَجَرٍ: قَالَ الزُّبَيْرُ: كَانَ أَبُو هَاشِمٍ صَاحِبَ الشِّيعَةِ " وَقَالَ: " وَكَانَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ يَتْبَعُ - وَفِي رِوَايَةٍ - يَجْمَعُ: أَحَادِيثَ السَّبَائِيَّةِ. . . مَاتَ سَنَةَ ثَمَانٍ وَتِسْعِينَ وَأَرَّخَهُ الْهَيْثَمُ سَنَةَ تِسْعٍ وَتِسْعِينَ ".