Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (2/274)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

the complete eternal cause to be the cause of that which possesses those concomitants (1) but not of its concomitant. It would likewise be impossible for it to be the cause of its concomitant, for a complete eternal cause cannot entail the occurrence of anything. If (2) the temporal events were not among its inseparable concomitants, they would have come into being after not having existed. If (3) they had no originator, temporal events (4) would have come into being without an originator—something whose falsity is known by necessity. If they had an originator other than that which is necessary in itself, the question of how its act of bringing them into being originated would be the same as the question concerning that originator. If (5) that which is necessary in itself were the originator, temporal events would have arisen from it after not having arisen before. It would then have changed (6) and become a locus for temporal events after not having been so. Yet a complete eternal cause cannot undergo change or transition from one state to another. This is because its change would necessarily be due to a newly arising cause, whereas a complete [eternal] (7) cause cannot have any temporal event arise within it. For if an event arose (8) through it even though nothing new had arisen, this would entail occurrence without a cause (9); and if no event arose through it, this would entail temporal events coming into being without an agent. It is therefore false that it could be a complete eternal cause. Moreover, if someone were to allow (10) that it could transition from one state to another, it would be possible for the world to come into being after not having existed. The argument of those who maintain the pre-eternity of the world would thus be refuted (11).

(1) (n): “the eternal cause is a complete cause of that which bears the concomitant”; (m): “the eternal cause is complete with respect to that which bears the concomitant.” (2) (n), (m): “if.” (3) (n), (m): “and if.” (4) (b), (a), (n), (m): “the temporal event.” (5) (n), (m): “if.” (6) (ʿ): “it may already have changed.” (7) “Eternal” is absent from (n). (8) (b), (a): “brought about.” (9) (n): “even though nothing had newly come into existence without a cause”; (m): “despite knowing that no temporal occurrence had arisen anew without a cause.” (10) (m): “then it is possible,” which is a textual corruption. (11) (m): “and thus it invalidates.”

تَكُونَ الْعِلَّةُ الْأَزَلِيَّةُ التَّامَّةُ عِلَّةً لِلْمَلْزُومِ (١) دُونَ لَازِمِهِ، وَامْتَنَعَ أَيْضًا أَنْ يَكُونَ عِلَّةً لِلَازِمِهِ ; لِأَنَّ الْعِلَّةَ التَّامَّةَ الْأَزَلِيَّةَ لَا تَقْتَضِي حُدُوثَ شَيْءٍ، وَإِنْ (٢) لَمْ تَكُنِ الْحَوَادِثُ مِنْ لَوَازِمِهِ كَانَتْ حَادِثَةً بَعْدَ أَنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ، فَإِنْ (٣) لَمْ يَكُنْ لَهَا مُحْدِثٌ لَزِمَ حُدُوثُ الْحَوَادِثِ (٤) بِلَا مُحْدِثٍ، وَهَذَا مِمَّا يُعْلَمُ بُطْلَانُهُ بِالضَّرُورَةِ، وَإِنْ كَانَ لَهَا مُحْدِثٌ غَيْرُ الْوَاجِبِ بِنَفْسِهِ، كَانَ الْقَوْلُ فِي حُدُوثِ إِحْدَاثِهِ إِيَّاهَا كَالْقَوْلِ فِي ذَلِكَ الْمُحْدِثِ، وَإِنْ (٥) كَانَ الْوَاجِبُ بِنَفْسِهِ هُوَ الْمُحْدِثُ فَقَدْ حَدَثَتْ عَنْهُ الْحَوَادِثُ بَعْدَ أَنْ لَمْ تَكُنْ حَادِثَةً، وَحِينَئِذٍ فَيَكُونُ قَدْ تَغَيَّرَ (٦) وَصَارَ مَحَلًّا لِلْحَوَادِثِ بَعْدَ أَنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ، وَالْعِلَّةُ التَّامَّةُ الْأَزَلِيَّةُ لَا يَجُوزُ عَلَيْهَا التَّغَيُّرُ وَالِانْتِقَالُ مِنْ حَالٍ إِلَى حَالٍ، وَذَلِكَ لِأَنَّ تَغَيُّرَهَا لَا بُدَّ أَنْ يَكُونَ بِسَبَبٍ حَادِثٍ، وَالْعِلَّةُ التَّامَّةُ [الْأَزَلِيَّةُ] (٧) لَا يَجُوزُ أَنْ يَحْدَثَ فِيهَا حَادِثٌ، فَإِنَّهُ إِنْ حَدَثَ (٨) بِهَا مَعَ أَنَّهُ لَمْ يَتَجَدَّدْ شَيْءٌ لَزِمَ الْحُدُوثُ بِلَا سَبَبٍ (٩) ، وَإِنْ لَمْ يَحْدُثْ بِهَا لَزِمَ حُدُوثُ الْحَوَادِثِ بِلَا فَاعِلٍ، فَبَطَلَ أَنْ تَكُونَ عِلَّةً تَامَّةً أَزَلِيَّةً، وَإِنَّ جَوَّزَ مُجَوِّزٌ (١٠) عَلَيْهَا الِانْتِقَالَ مِنْ حَالٍ إِلَى حَالٍ، جَازَ أَنْ يَحْدُثَ الْعَالَمُ بَعْدَ أَنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ، فَبَطَلَ (١١) حُجَّةُ مَنْ يَقُولُ بِقِدَمِ الْعَالَمِ.

(١) ن: الْعِلَّةُ الْأَزَلِيَّةُ عِلَّةً تَامَّةً لِلْمَلْزُومِ ; م: الْعِلَّةُ الْأَزَلِيَّةُ تَامَّةً لِلْمَلْزُومِ. (٢) ن، م: فَإِنْ. (٣) ن، م: وَإِنْ. (٤) ب، أ، ن، م،: الْحَادِثِ (٥) ن، م: فَإِنْ. (٦) ع: فَقَدْ يَكُونُ قَدْ تَغَيَّرَ. (٧) الْأَزَلِيَّةُ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) . (٨) ب، أ: أَحْدَثَ. (٩) ن: مَعَ أَنَّهُ لَمْ يَتَجَدَّدْ شَيْءٌ مِنَ الْوُجُودِ بِلَا سَبَبٍ ; م: مَعَ الْعِلْمِ أَنَّهُ لَمْ يَتَجَدَّدْ شَيْءٌ مِنَ الْحُدُوثِ بِلَا سَبَبٍ. (١٠) م: فَيَجُوزُ، وَهُوَ تَحْرِيفٌ. (١١) م: فَتُبْطِلُ.