Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (1/470)

This may be said because of exacting scrutiny at the Reckoning and falling short in [the true fulfillment of] obedience (1). This is the view of one who holds that injustice is within His power but does not occur. It may also be said that injustice has no reality and that, whatever possible act might be posited, it would not constitute injustice. The sound conclusion is that, were Allah assumed to do that, He would do so only by right; He would not do it while being unjust. Yet an act that He does not perform may be an injustice—Allah is far exalted above it.

[Chapter: Refuting the Rāfidī’s Claim That They Say the Prophets Are Not Divinely Protected from Error]

Chapter

As for his report that they say:

“The prophets are not divinely protected from error” (2),

this unqualified statement is falsely attributed to them. For they unanimously agree that the prophets are divinely protected from error in what they convey from Allah

(1) N reads: “in obedience to Him.” (2) See the preceding discussion, p. 126.

وَهَذَا قَدْ يُقَالُ لِأَجْلِ الْمُنَاقَشَةِ فِي الْحِسَابِ وَالتَّقْصِيرِ فِي [حَقِيقَةِ] الطَّاعَةِ (١) ، وَهُوَ قَوْلُ مَنْ يَجْعَلُ الظُّلْمَ مَقْدُورًا غَيْرَ وَاقِعٍ، وَقَدْ يُقَالُ بِأَنَّ الظُّلْمَ لَا حَقِيقَةَ لَهُ، وَأَنَّهُ مَهْمَا قُدِّرَ مِنَ الْمُمْكِنَاتِ لَمْ يَكُنْ ظُلْمًا. وَالتَّحْقِيقُ أَنَّهُ إِذَا قُدِّرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ فَعَلَ ذَلِكَ فَلَا يَفْعَلُهُ إِلَّا بِحَقٍّ، لَا يَفْعَلُهُ وَهُوَ ظَالِمٌ، لَكِنْ إِذَا لَمْ يَفْعَلْهُ فَقَدْ يَكُونُ ظُلْمًا يَتَعَالَى اللَّهُ عَنْهُ. [فَصْلٌ الرد على قول الرافضي إنهم يَقُولُونَ إِنَّ الْأَنْبِيَاءَ غَيْرُ مَعْصُومِينَ] فَصْلٌ وَأَمَّا مَا نَقَلَهُ عَنْهُمْ أَنَّهُمْ يَقُولُونَ: " إِنَّ الْأَنْبِيَاءَ غَيْرُ مَعْصُومِينَ " (٢) فَهَذَا الْإِطْلَاقُ نَقْلٌ بَاطِلٌ عَنْهُمْ. فَإِنَّهُمْ مُتَّفِقُونَ عَلَى أَنَّ الْأَنْبِيَاءَ مَعْصُومُونَ فِيمَا يُبَلِّغُونَهُ عَنِ اللَّهِ

(١) ن: فِي طَاعَتِهِ. (٢) انْظُرْ مَا سَبَقَ، ص ١٢٦.