Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (2/238)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

He said (1): “The sixth [group] (2) among the Rāfidah (3)—the followers of Hishām ibn al-Hakam—maintain that it is impossible for Allah always to have known things in Himself; rather, He comes to know them after not having known them. They maintain that He knows them [by knowledge] (4), and that knowledge is an attribute belonging to Him: it is not He Himself (5), nor is it other than Him (6), nor is it a part of Him. It is therefore impermissible (7) to say that knowledge (8) is originated or eternal, because knowledge is an attribute (9), and an attribute cannot itself be described.

He said: ‘Had He always been knowing, the objects of His knowledge would always have existed, for there can be no knower without an existing object of knowledge.’

He said: ‘If He knew what His servants would do, trial and testing (10) would not be valid.’”

He said (11): “Hishām also said regarding Allah’s (12) other attributes—such as His power, life, hearing, sight, and will—that they are attributes of Allah (13), neither identical with Allah nor other than Allah. And—

(1) Immediately following the preceding passage in *al-Maqālāt*, 1/107–108. (2) N alone reads: “and the sixth.” (3) A, M, and B read: “among the Rāfidah.” (4) “He knows” is absent from N, M, A, and B; I have restored it from *al-Maqālāt*, 1/108. (5) N reads: “and that knowledge from Him is not—not identical with Him”; M reads: “and that knowledge is an attribute belonging to Him; it is not identical with itself.” (6) *Al-Maqālāt* reads: “nor other than Him.” (7) B, A, and *al-Maqālāt* read: “therefore it is permissible.” The correct reading, from N and M, is: “therefore it is impermissible.” See *al-Maqālāt*, Ritter ed., 1/37, n. 11. (8) N reads: “the Knower,” which is an error. (9) *Al-Maqālāt* reads: “because it is an attribute.” N reads: “because knowledge is originated, an attribute,” which is an error. (10) M reads: “and beneficence,” which is a corruption. (11) Immediately following the preceding passage. (12) *Al-Maqālāt* reads: “Allah, Mighty and Majestic.” (13) *Al-Maqālāt* reads: “belonging to Allah.”

قَالَ (١) : " وَ [الْفِرْقَةُ] السَّادِسَةُ (٢) مِنَ الرَّافِضَةِ (٣) : أَصْحَابُ هِشَامِ بْنِ الْحَكَمِ يَزْعُمُونَ أَنَّهُ مُحَالٌ أَنْ يَكُونَ اللَّهُ لَمْ يَزَلْ عَالِمًا بِالْأَشْيَاءِ بِنَفْسِهِ، وَأَنَّهُ إِنَّمَا يَعْلَمُ الْأَشْيَاءَ بَعْدَ أَنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ بِهَا عَالِمًا، وَأَنَّهُ يَعْلَمُهَا [بِعِلْمٍ] (٤) ، وَأَنَّ الْعِلْمَ صِفَةٌ لَهُ، لَيْسَتْ هِيَ هُوَ (٥) ، وَلَا هِيَ غَيْرُهُ (٦) وَلَا بَعْضُهُ فَلَا يَجُوزُ (٧) أَنْ يُقَالَ: الْعِلْمُ (٨) مُحْدَثٌ أَوْ قَدِيمٌ لِأَنَّ الْعِلْمَ صِفَةٌ (٩) ، وَالصِّفَةُ لَا تُوصَفُ. قَالَ: وَلَوْ كَانَ لَمْ يَزَلْ عَالِمًا لَكَانَتِ الْمَعْلُومَاتُ لَمْ تَزَلْ ; لِأَنَّهُ لَا يَصِحَّ عَالِمٌ إِلَّا بِمَعْلُومٍ مَوْجُودٍ. قَالَ: وَلَوْ كَانَ عَالِمًا بِمَا يَفْعَلُهُ عِبَادُهُ لَمْ تَصِحَّ الْمِحْنَةُ وَالِاخْتِبَارُ (١٠) " . قَالَ (١١) : " وَقَالَ هِشَامُ فِي سَائِرِ صِفَاتِ اللَّهِ (١٢) كَقُدْرَتِهِ وَحَيَاتِهِ وَسَمْعِهِ وَبَصَرِهِ وَإِرَادَتِهِ، إِنَّهَا صِفَاتُ اللَّهِ (١٣) ، لَا هِيَ اللَّهُ، وَلَا غَيْرُ اللَّهِ. وَقَدْ

(١) بَعْدَ الْكَلَامِ السَّابِقِ مُبَاشَرَةً فِي " الْمَقَالَاتِ " ١/١٠٧ - ١٠٨. (٢) ن (فَقَطْ) : وَالسَّادِسَةُ. (٣) أ، م، ب: مِنَ الرَّوَافِضِ. (٤) يَعْلَمُ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ ن، م، أ، ب: وَأَثْبَتُّهَا مِنَ الْمَقَالَاتِ ١/١٠٨. (٥) ن: وَأَنَّ الْعِلْمَ مِنْهُ لَيْسَ لَيْسَتْ هِيَ هُوَ ; م: وَأَنَّ الْعِلْمَ صِفَةٌ لَهُ لَيْسَتْ هِيَ هِيَ. (٦) الْمَقَالَاتِ: وَلَا غَيْرُهُ. (٧) ب، أ، الْمَقَالَاتِ: فَيَجُوزُ، وَالصَّوَابُ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) ، وَانْظُرِ الْمَقَالَاتِ (ط. رَيْتَرْ ١/٣٧ - ت ١١) . (٨) ن: الْعَالِمُ، وَهُوَ خَطَأٌ. (٩) الْمَقَالَاتِ: لِأَنَّهُ صِفَةٌ ; ن: لِأَنَّ الْعِلْمَ مُحْدَثٌ صِفَةٌ، وَهُوَ خَطَأٌ. (١٠) م: وَالْإِحْسَانُ، وَهُوَ تَحْرِيفٌ. (١١) بَعْدَ الْكَلَامِ السَّابِقِ مُبَاشَرَةً. (١٢) الْمَقَالَاتِ: اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ. (١٣) الْمَقَالَاتَ: لِلَّهِ.