Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (1/433)

impossible (1). Rather, we know that the span from the Flood to that which has no end in the future is greater than the span from the Hijra to that which has no end in the future. Likewise, [the span from the Hijra back to that which has no beginning (2) in the past is greater than the span from the Flood back to that which has no beginning in the past, even though neither has a beginning (3). For] (4) that which has no end in either direction is not an actually existing, encompassed and delimited whole, such that it could be said: “They are alike (5) in magnitude, so how can one be greater than the other?” Rather, for it to be endless means that it continually produces one thing after another; it is not an assembled, encompassed whole.

The fact that both are endless does not entail equality in magnitude, unless everything described as endless had a determinate magnitude (6), which is false. That which is endless has neither a fixed limit nor a determinate magnitude. Rather, it is like a number subject to repeated multiplication: just as the fact that one, ten, one hundred, and one thousand can each be multiplied (7) without end does not entail that their respective magnitudes are equal, so too here.

Moreover, these two are finite at one end—the future end—and infinite at the other—the past.

(1) N, M: “The occurrence of such a thing [is impossible]. Inequality is impossible.” (2) M: “that which has no end.” (3) M: “it has no end.” (4) The text between brackets is omitted from N only. (5) A: “mutually concomitant”; B: “balanced.” (6) A: “Everything described as endless is a determinate magnitude”; B: “Everything described as endless in determinate magnitude.” (7) N: “the weak”; M: “doubling”; both are corruptions.

مُمْتَنَعٌ (١) ، بَلْ نَحْنُ نَعْلَمُ أَنَّهُ مِنَ الطُّوفَانِ إِلَى مَا لَا نِهَايَةَ لَهُ فِي الْمُسْتَقْبَلِ أَعْظَمُ مِنَ الْهِجْرَةِ إِلَى مَا لَا نِهَايَةَ لَهُ فِي الْمُسْتَقْبَلِ، وَكَذَلِكَ [مِنَ الْهِجْرَةِ إِلَى مَا لَا بِدَايَةَ لَهُ (٢) فِي الْمَاضِي أَعْظَمُ مِنَ الطُّوفَانِ إِلَى مَا لَا بِدَايَةَ لَهُ فِي الْمَاضِي، وَإِنْ كَانَ كُلٌّ مِنْهُمَا لَا بِدَايَةَ لَهُ (٣) ، فَإِنَّ] (٤) مَا لَا نِهَايَةَ لَهُ مِنْ هَذَا الطَّرَفِ وَهَذَا الطَّرَفِ، لَيْسَ أَمْرًا مَحْصُورًا مَحْدُودًا مَوْجُودًا حَتَّى يُقَالَ هُمَا مُتَمَاثِلَانِ (٥) فِي الْمِقْدَارِ، فَكَيْفَ يَكُونُ أَحَدُهُمَا أَكْثَرَ؟ بَلْ كَوْنُهُ لَا يَتَنَاهَى مَعْنَاهُ أَنَّهُ يُوجِدُ شَيْئًا بَعْدَ شَيْءٍ دَائِمًا، فَلَيْسَ هُوَ مُجْتَمِعًا مَحْصُورًا. وَالِاشْتِرَاكُ فِي عَدَمِ التَّنَاهِي لَا يَقْتَضِي التَّسَاوِيَ فِي الْمِقْدَارِ، إِلَّا إِذَا كَانَ كُلُّ مَا يُقَالُ عَلَيْهِ إِنَّهُ لَا يَتَنَاهَى لَهُ قَدْرٌ مَحْدُودٌ (٦) ، وَهَذَا بَاطِلٌ. فَإِنَّ مَا لَا يَتَنَاهَى لَيْسَ لَهُ حَدٌّ مَحْدُودٌ وَلَا مِقْدَارٌ مُعَيَّنٌ، بَلْ هُوَ بِمَنْزِلَةِ الْعَدَدِ الْمُضَعَّفِ، فَكَمَا أَنَّ اشْتِرَاكَ الْوَاحِدِ وَالْعَشَرَةِ وَالْمِائَةِ وَالْأَلْفِ فِي التَّضْعِيفِ (٧) الَّذِي لَا يَتَنَاهَى لَا يَقْتَضِي تَسَاوِيَ مَقَادِيرِهَا، فَكَذَلِكَ هَذَا. وَأَيْضًا: فَإِنَّ هَذَيْنِ هُمَا مُتَنَاهِيَانِ مِنْ أَحَدِ الطَّرَفَيْنِ وَهُوَ الطَّرَفُ الْمُسْتَقْبَلُ، وَغَيْرُ مُتَنَاهِيَيْنِ مِنَ الطَّرَفِ الْآخَرِ وَهُوَ الْمَاضِي.

(١) ن، م: حُصُولُ مِثْلِ هَذَا. وَالتَّفَاضُلُ مُمْتَنَعٌ. (٢) م: مَا لَا نِهَايَةَ لَهُ. (٣) م: لَا نِهَايَةَ لَهُ. (٤) مَا بَيْنَ الْمَعْقُوفَتَيْنِ سَاقِطٌ مِنْ (ن) فَقَطْ. (٥) ا: مُتَلَازِمَانِ؛ ب: مُتَوَازِنَانِ. (٦) ا: كُلُّ مَا يُقَالُ عَلَيْهِ إِنَّهُ لَا يَتَنَاهَى قَدْرٌ مَحْدُودٌ؛ ب: كُلُّ مَا يُقَالُ عَلَيْهِ إِنَّهُ لَا يَتَنَاهَى قَدْرًا مَحْدُودًا. . (٧) ن: الضَّعِيفِ؛ م: الضَّعْفِ، وَكِلَاهُمَا تَحْرِيفٌ.