Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (1/447)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

[Continuation of the discussion of Ibn al-Mutahhar’s claims]

[Section: The Rāfidī’s claim that Ahl al-Sunnah deemed it possible for Allah to do evil and fail to fulfill an obligation, and the response to it]

(Section (1)) As for the Rāfidī’s statement (2), “They deemed it possible for Him to do evil and fail to fulfill an obligation (3),” it is said to him:

There is no one among the [groups of] Muslims (4) who says that Allah Most High does evil or fails to fulfill an obligation. Rather, the Muʿtazilites and their like, together with those Shia who agree with them and deny the divine decree, impose upon Allah obligations of the same kind as those they impose upon His servants, declare forbidden to Him what they declare forbidden to His servants, and prescribe a law for Him [by comparing Him] to His creation (5). They are therefore those who liken divine acts to human acts (6).

As for those among Ahl al-Sunnah and the Shia who affirm the divine decree, they agree that Allah Most High is not to be compared to His creation in His acts, just as He is not to be compared to them in His Essence and attributes. There is nothing like unto Him—neither in His Essence, His attributes, nor His acts. Nor is it the case that

(1) All the preceding discussion formed part of the digression that began on p. 148, refuting the philosophers’ doctrine of the eternity of the world and explaining the positions of Ahl al-Sunna and the other sects on this matter. (2) N reads: “As for his statement.” (3) See pp. 125–126. Ibn Taymiyya’s discussion here is, in fact, a continuation of the fourth aspect of his refutation of Ibn al-Mutahhar’s claims; see p. 133. (4) The word *tawāif* (“groups”) is absent from N. (5) The phrase *bi-qiyāsihi* (“by comparing Him”) is absent from N. (6) N reads: “Thus, they liken divine acts to human acts.”

[استمرار مناقشة مزاعم ابن المطهر] [فَصْلٌ قول الرافضي بأن أهل السنة جَوَّزُوا على الله فِعْلَ الْقَبِيحِ وَالْإِخْلَالَ بِالْوَاجِبِ والرد عليه] (فَصْلٌ (١) ) وَأَمَّا قَوْلُ الرَّافِضِيِّ (٢) " وَجَوَّزُوا عَلَيْهِ فِعْلَ الْقَبِيحِ وَالْإِخْلَالَ بِالْوَاجِبِ (٣) " . فَيُقَالُ لَهُ: لَيْسَ فِي [طَوَائِفِ] (٤) الْمُسْلِمِينَ مَنْ يَقُولُ: إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى يَفْعَلُ قَبِيحًا أَوْ يُخِلُّ بِوَاجِبٍ، وَلَكِنَّ الْمُعْتَزِلَةَ وَنَحْوَهُمْ وَمَنْ وَافَقَهُمْ مِنَ الشِّيعَةِ النَّافِينَ لِلْقَدَرِ، يُوجِبُونَ عَلَى اللَّهِ مِنْ جِنْسِ مَا يُوجِبُونَ عَلَى الْعِبَادِ، وَيُحَرِّمُونَ عَلَيْهِ مَا يُحَرِّمُونَهُ عَلَى الْعِبَادِ، وَيَضَعُونَ لَهُ شَرِيعَةً [بِقِيَاسِهِ] (٥) عَلَى خَلْقِهِ، فَهُمْ مُشَبِّهَةُ الْأَفْعَالِ (٦) . وَأَمَّا الْمُثْبِتُونَ لِلْقَدَرِ مِنْ أَهْلِ السُّنَّةِ وَالشِّيعَةِ، فَمُتَّفِقُونَ عَلَى أَنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى لَا يُقَاسُ بِخَلْقِهِ فِي أَفْعَالِهِ، كَمَا لَا يُقَاسُ بِهِمْ فِي ذَاتِهِ وَصِفَاتِهِ، فَلَيْسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيْءٌ لَا فِي ذَاتِهِ وَلَا فِي صِفَاتِهِ وَلَا فِي أَفْعَالِهِ، وَلَيْسَ

(١) كُلُّ مَا سَبَقَ كَانَ مُتَّصِلًا بِالِاسْتِطْرَادِ الَّذِي بَدَأَ فِي ص ١٤٨ لِلرَّدِّ عَلَى قَوْلِ الْفَلَاسِفَةِ بِقِدَمِ الْعَالَمِ وَبَيَانِ مَقَالَةِ أَهْلِ السُّنَّةِ وَسَائِرِ الْفِرَقِ بِهَذَا الصَّدَدِ. (٢) ن: وَأَمَّا قَوْلُهُ. (٣) انْظُرْ ص ١٢٥ - ١٢٦، وَكَلَامُ ابْنِ تَيْمِيَةَ هُنَا هُوَ فِي الْوَاقِعِ اسْتِمْرَارٌ لِكَلَامِهِ فِي الْوَجْهِ الرَّابِعِ مِنْ وُجُوهِ رَدِّهِ عَلَى مَزَاعِمِ ابْنِ الْمُطَهَّرِ، انْظُرْ ص ١٣٣. (٤) طَوَائِفِ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) . (٥) بِقِيَاسِهِ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) . (٦) ن: فَهُمْ مُشَبِّهُونَ فِي الْأَفْعَالِ.