Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (1/464)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

in his position \ denying the attributes; rather, they affirm the attributes. For this reason (1), they went to extremes in their opposition (2) to the Muʿtazilites on questions of divine predestination, until they were accused of compulsion. They denied that the natural properties and powers within living beings exert any influence upon events or serve as their causes (3), or that it may be said, “He acted by means of them.” They also denied that created things have any wise purpose or cause (4).

For this reason, it was said:

They deny that Allah acts in order to bring benefit to His servants or avert harm from them.

They do not say:

“He [does not] bring about any benefit at all” (5), for that would be to deny the obvious.

Rather, they say:

Doing so (6) is not incumbent upon Him, nor must it necessarily occur from Him.

They also say:

He does not do anything for the sake of anything else or by means of anything else. One is conjoined with the other only because He wills both (7). Thus, He brings one about together with its counterpart, not by means of it or for its sake (8). Their conjunction (9) is merely part of His customary practice, not because (10) one is a cause of the other or constitutes a wise purpose for it.

They also say:

Regarding His creation and command, there is no purpose-denoting lām in the Quran.

(1) A and B read: “Likewise.” (2) N and M read: “in disagreement with.” (3) N and M read: “the living creature.” (4) “And a cause” is absent in A and B. (5) N reads: “He brings about some benefit”; M: “He brings about benefit”; and A and B: “He does not bring about benefit.” I hope that the correct reading is the one I have adopted. (6) A and B read: “this.” (7) N, M, and A read: *li-kilāhumā* (“for both of them”), which is erroneous. (8) A and B read: “not by means of it and for its sake.” (9) All manuscripts read: “with both of them.” I hope that the correct reading is the one I have adopted. (10) A and B read: “is.”

عَلَى قَوْلِهِ \ فِي نَفْيِ الصِّفَاتِ بَلْ يُثْبِتُونَ الصِّفَاتِ؛ فَلِهَذَا (١) بَالَغُوا فِي مُخَالَفَةِ (٢) الْمُعْتَزِلَةِ فِي مَسَائِلِ الْقَدَرِ حَتَّى نُسِبُوا إِلَى الْجَبْرِ، وَأَنْكَرُوا الطَّبَائِعَ وَالْقُوَى الَّتِي فِي الْحَيَوَانِ أَنْ يَكُونَ لَهَا تَأْثِيرٌ أَوْ سَبَبٌ فِي الْحَوَادِثِ (٣) أَوْ يُقَالُ: فَعَلَ بِهَا، وَأَنْكَرُوا أَنْ يَكُونَ لِلْمَخْلُوقَاتِ حِكْمَةٌ وَعِلَّةٌ (٤) . وَلِهَذَا قِيلَ: إِنَّهُمْ أَنْكَرُوا أَنْ يَكُونَ اللَّهُ يَفْعَلُ لِجَلْبِ مَنْفَعَةٍ لِعِبَادِهِ أَوْ دَفْعِ مَضَرَّةٍ. وَهُمْ لَا يَقُولُونَ: إِنَّهُ [لَا] يَفْعَلُ مَصْلَحَةً مَا (٥) فَإِنَّ هَذَا مُكَابَرَةٌ، بَلْ يَقُولُونَ: إِنَّ ذَلِكَ (٦) لَيْسَ بِوَاجِبٍ عَلَيْهِ وَلَيْسَ بِلَازِمٍ وُقُوعُهُ مِنْهُ، وَيَقُولُونَ: إِنَّهُ لَا يَفْعَلُ شَيْئًا لِأَجْلِ شَيْءٍ وَلَا بِشَيْءٍ، وَإِنَّمَا اقْتَرَنَ هَذَا بِهَذَا لِإِرَادَتِهِ لِكِلَيْهِمَا (٧) ، فَهُوَ يَفْعَلُ أَحَدَهُمَا مَعَ صَاحِبِهِ لَا بِهِ وَلَا لِأَجْلِهِ (٨) ، وَالِاقْتِرَانُ بَيْنَهُمَا (٩) مِمَّا جَرَتْ بِهِ عَادَتُهُ لَا لِكَوْنِ (١٠) أَحَدِهِمَا سَبَبًا لِلْآخَرِ وَلَا حِكْمَةً لَهُ، وَيَقُولُونَ: إِنَّهُ لَيْسَ فِي الْقُرْآنِ فِي خَلْقِهِ وَأَمْرِهِ لَامُ تَعْلِيلٍ.

(١) أ، ب: فَكَذَا. (٢) ن، م: فِي خِلَافِ. (٣) ن، م: الْحَيَوَانِ. (٤) وَعِلَّةٌ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (أ) ، (ب) . (٥) ن: إِنَّهُ يَفْعَلُ مَصْلَحَةً مَا؛ م: إِنَّهُ يَفْعَلُ مَصْلَحَةً؛ أ، ب: إِنَّهُ لَا يَفْعَلُ مَصْلَحَةً. وَأَرْجُو أَنْ يَكُونَ الصَّوَابُ مَا أَثْبَتَهُ. (٦) أ، ب: هَذَا. (٧) ن، م، أ: لِكِلَاهُمَا، وَهُوَ خَطَأٌ. (٨) أ، ب: لَا بِهِ وَلِأَجْلِهِ. (٩) فِي جَمِيعِ النُّسَخِ: بِهِمَا. وَأَرْجُو أَنْ يَكُونَ الصَّوَابُ مَا أَثْبَتَهُ. (١٠) أ، ب: يَكُونُ.