Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (2/200)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

its meaning in ordinary language, since linguists classify concrete entities as long or short, distances and times as near or far, and depressions in (1) the ground as deep or not deep.

According to these thinkers, every concrete entity a person can see has length, width, and depth. Even a grain—indeed, a particle and anything smaller than a particle—has length, width, and depth in their terminology.

They may also describe a body as composite or composed (2). What they mean by this is broader than its meaning in ordinary language. In ordinary language, a composite (3) or composed thing is something that an agent has combined or composed, such as medicines compounded from medicinal pastes, potions, and the like. The term “fitted” is also applied to something mounted upon, or set into, something else (4), such as a door fitted in its proper place and the like.

This usage occurs in the saying of Allah, Exalted is He:

“In whatever form He willed, He assembled you.”

[Surah al-Infitār: 8]

Composition may also mean bringing hearts into harmony and the like. An example is the saying of Allah, Exalted is He:

(1) A and B read *ʿan* (“from”). (2) Ibn al-Bāqillānī states: “Thus, a body is that which is composed” (*al-Tamhīd*, p. [0–9] 7, Beirut, 1957). He also states (p. 191): “The true nature of a body is that it is composed and assembled, as evidenced by their expressions, ‘a large-built man’ and ‘Zayd is larger-bodied than ʿAmr,’ and by the fact that they restrict this intensification to a type of composition involving width and length, and do not use it to indicate an increase in any bodily attribute other than composition.” Ibn Sīnā states: “It has thus become clear that bodies are composed of matter and form” (*al-Shifāʾ*, Metaphysics, 1:71). See also the entry “Jism” by De Boer in the *Encyclopaedia of Islam*. (3) N and M read *fa-al-murakkabu* (“thus, the composite”). (4) N and M read: “… and the like, or that which is mounted upon or set into something else.”

مَعْنَاهُ فِي اللُّغَةِ، فَإِنَّ أَهْلَ اللُّغَةِ يُقَسِّمُونَ الْأَعْيَانَ إِلَى طَوِيلٍ وَقَصِيرٍ، وَالْمَسَافَةَ وَالزَّمَانَ إِلَى قَرِيبٍ وَبِعِيدٍ، وَالْمُنْخَفِضَ مِنْ (١) الْأَرْضِ إِلَى عَمِيقٍ وَغَيْرِ عَمِيقٍ. وَهَؤُلَاءِ عِنْدَهُمْ كُلُّ مَا يَرَاهُ الْإِنْسَانُ مِنَ الْأَعْيَانِ فَهُوَ طَوِيلٌ عَرِيضٌ عَمِيقٌ، حَتَّى الْحَبَّةُ - بَلِ الذَّرَّةُ وَمَا هُوَ أَصْغَرُ مِنْ ذَرَّةٍ - هُوَ فِي اصْطِلَاحِهِمْ طَوِيلٌ عَرِيضٌ عَمِيقٌ. وَقَدْ يُعَبِّرُونَ عَنِ الْجِسْمِ بِالْمُرَكَّبِ أَوِ الْمُؤَلَّفِ (٢) ، وَمَعْنَى ذَلِكَ عِنْدَهُمْ أَعَمُّ مِنْ مَعْنَاهُ فِي اللُّغَةِ، فَإِنَّ الْمُرَكَّبَ (٣) وَالْمُؤَلَّفَ فِي اللُّغَةِ مَا رَكَّبَهُ مُرَكِّبٌ أَوْ أَلَّفَهُ مُؤَلِّفٌ، كَالْأَدْوِيَةِ الْمُرَكَّبَةِ مِنَ الْمَعَاجِينِ وَالْأَشْرِبَةِ وَنَحْوِ ذَلِكَ، وَبِالْمُرَكَّبِ مَا رُكِّبَ عَلَى غَيْرِهِ أَوْ فِيهِ (٤) ، كَالْبَابِ الْمُرَكَّبِ فِي مَوْضِعِهِ وَنَحْوِهِ. وَمِنْهُ قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: {فِي أَيِّ صُورَةٍ مَا شَاءَ رَكَّبَكَ} [سُورَةُ الِانْفِطَارِ: ٨] . وَبِالتَّأْلِيفِ: التَّوْفِيقِ بَيْنَ الْقُلُوبِ وَنَحْوِ ذَلِكَ. وَمِنْهُ قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى:

(١) أ، ب: عَنْ. (٢) يَقُولُ ابْنُ الْبَاقِلَّانِيِّ (التَّمْهِيدُ، ص [٠ - ٩] ٧، بَيْرُوتُ، ١٩٥٧) : " فَالْجِسْمُ هُوَ الْمُؤَلَّفُ "، وَيَقُولُ (ص ١٩١) : " حَقِيقَةُ الْجِسْمِ أَنَّهُ مُؤَلَّفٌ مُجْتَمِعٌ بِدَلَالَةِ قَوْلِهِمْ: رَجُلٌ جَسِيمٌ، وَزَيْدٌ أَجْسَمُ مِنْ عَمْرٍو، وَعِلْمًا بِأَنَّهُمْ يَقْصُرُونَ هَذِهِ الْمُبَالَغَةَ عَلَى ضَرْبٍ مِنْ ضُرُوبِ التَّأْلِيفِ فِي جِهَةِ الْعَرْضِ وَالطُّولِ وَلَا يُوقِعُونَهَا بِزِيَادَةِ شَيْءٍ مِنْ صِفَاتِ الْجِسْمِ سِوَى التَّأْلِيفِ ". وَيَقُولُ ابْنُ سِينَا (الشِّفَاءُ، قِسْمُ الْإِلَهِيَّاتِ ١/٧١) : " فَقَدْ بَانَ أَنَّ الْأَجْسَامَ مُؤَلَّفَةٌ مِنْ مَادَّةٍ وَصُورَةٍ ". وَانْظُرْ دَائِرَةَ الْمَعَارِفِ الْإِسْلَامِيَّةِ مَادَّةَ " جَسَمَ " بِقَلَمِ دِي بُورْ. (٣) ن، م: فَالْمُرَكَّبُ. (٤) ن، م:. . . وَنَحْوُ ذَلِكَ أَوْ مَا رُكِّبَ عَلَى غَيْرِهِ أَوْ فِيهِ.