Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (2/312)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

[Commentary on the statement, “or punish him for his offense without wronging him”]

As for his statement (1), “or punish him for his offense without wronging him,” Muslims unanimously agree [that] Allah [Most High] does not (2) act unjustly by punishing sinners.

They nevertheless maintain the aforementioned disagreement (3) over what constitutes injustice. One side says that this is because injustice is impossible for Him (4); the other says that He has assigned punishment its proper place (5), whereas injustice means putting something where it does not belong. Thus, as the Arabs say (6), “Whoever resembles his father has not misplaced the resemblance.” (7)

[It is well known that when a person justly punishes a wrongdoer for his wrongdoing, he does not thereby wrong him, even if he believes that Allah created the wrongdoer’s deed and that it falls under the divine decree and predestination. If one created being does not wrong another created being by punishing him for his wrongdoing—even while knowing that it had been decreed for him—then it is all the more fitting that the Creator should not be deemed unjust toward him, even though what he did had been decreed.

Moreover, by virtue of His wisdom, acts are fitting for Him—glorified is He—that would not be fitting for human beings. If a man were to see his slaves committing fornication with one another and wronging one another, while being able to prevent them, yet failed to do so, he would be blameworthy for that and deserving of censure and punishment. The Creator, Most High, sees the wrongdoing and immorality committed by some of His servants, and although He is able to prevent them, He does not. Yet He—glorified is He—is Praiseworthy and Glorious, far above deserving censure, much less punishment (8), either on account of what there is in this, for Him, by way of—

(1) The following statement forms part of a statement previously cited on p. 302. (2) N and M read *Allāhu laysa* (“Allah is not”). (3) N reads *al-shāyiʿ* (“the prevalent”), which is a corruption. (4) ʿA reads *mumtaniʿun minhu* (“impossible for Him”). (5) ʿA reads *fī ghayri mawdiʿihā* (“in other than its proper place”). (6) N and M read *qālat* (“said”). (7) The text following the opening square bracket appears only in ʿA and ends on the following page. (8) The phrase “much less punishment” connects with his earlier discussion, a few lines above, concerning an ordinary person, where he said: “He would be blameworthy for that and deserving of censure and punishment.”

[التعليق على قوله أَوْ يُعَذِّبُهُ بِجُرْمِهِ مِنْ غَيْرِ ظُلْمٍ لَهُ] وَأَمَّا قَوْلُهُ (١) : " أَوْ يُعَذِّبُهُ بِجُرْمِهِ مِنْ غَيْرِ ظُلْمٍ لَهُ " فَهَذَا مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيْهِ بَيْنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ: [أَنَّ] اللَّهَ [تَعَالَى] لَيْسَ (٢) ظَالِمًا بِتَعْذِيبِ الْعُصَاةِ. وَهُمْ عَلَى مَا تَقَدَّمَ مِنَ التَّنَازُعِ (٣) فِي مُسَمَّى الظُّلْمِ، هَذَا يَقُولُ: لِأَنَّ الظُّلْمَ مِنْهُ مُمْتَنِعٌ (٤) ; وَهَذَا يَقُولُ: إِنَّهُ وَضَعَ الْعُقُوبَةَ مَوْضِعَهَا (٥) ، وَالظُّلْمُ وَضْعُ الشَّيْءِ فِي غَيْرِ مَوْضِعِهِ، كَمَا تَقُولُ (٦) الْعَرَبُ: مَنْ أَشْبَهَ أَبَاهُ فَمَا ظَلَمَ. (٧) [وَمَعْلُومٌ أَنَّ الْوَاحِدَ مِنَ الْعِبَادِ إِذَا عَذَّبَ الظَّالِمَ عَلَى ظُلْمِهِ بِالْعَدْلِ لَمْ يَكُنْ ظَالِمًا لَهُ، وَإِنِ اعْتَقَدَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ خَلَقَ فِعْلَهُ وَأَنَّهُ تَحْتَ الْقَضَاءِ وَالْقَدَرِ، فَإِذَا لَمْ يَكُنِ الْمَخْلُوقُ ظَالِمًا لِلْمَخْلُوقِ إِذَا عَاقَبَهُ بِظُلْمِهِ، وَإِنْ كَانَ يَعْلَمُ أَنَّ ذَلِكَ مُقَدَّرٌ عَلَيْهِ فَالْخَالِقُ أَوْلَى أَنْ لَا يَكُونَ ظَالِمًا لَهُ، وَإِنْ كَانَ مَا فَعَلَهُ مُقَدَّرًا. هَذَا، مَعَ مَا أَنَّهُ يَحْسُنُ مِنْهُ سُبْحَانَهُ بِحِكْمَتِهِ مَا لَا يَحْسُنُ مِنَ النَّاسِ، فَإِنَّ الْوَاحِدَ مِنَ النَّاسِ لَوْ رَأَى مَمَالِيكَهُ يَزْنِي بَعْضُهُمْ بِبَعْضٍ وَيَظْلِمُ بَعْضُهُمْ بَعْضًا - وَهُوَ قَادِرٌ عَلَى مَنْعِهِمْ - وَلَمْ يَمْنَعْهُمْ، لَكَانَ مَذْمُومًا بِذَلِكَ مُسْتَحِقًّا لِلَّوْمِ وَالْعِقَابِ. وَالْبَارِئُ تَعَالَى يَرَى مَا يَفْعَلُهُ بَعْضُ مَمَالِيكِهِ مِنْ ظُلْمٍ وَفَاحِشَةٍ، وَهُوَ قَادِرٌ عَلَى مَنْعِهِمْ فَلَا يَمْنَعُهُمْ، وَهُوَ سُبْحَانَهُ حَمِيدٌ مَجِيدٌ مُنَزَّهٌ عَنِ اسْتِحْقَاقِ الذَّمِّ فَضْلًا عَنْ عِقَابٍ (٨) ، إِمَّا لِمَا لَهُ فِي ذَلِكَ مِنَ

(١) الْعِبَارَةُ التَّالِيَةُ جُزْءٌ مِنَ الْعَبَّارَةِ الَّتِي سَبَقَ وُرُودُهَا ص ٣٠٢. (٢) ن، م: اللَّهُ لَيْسَ. . (٣) ن: الشَّايِعِ، وَهُوَ تَحْرِيفٌ. (٤) ع: مُمْتَنِعٌ مِنْهُ. (٥) ع: فِي غَيْرِ مَوْضِعِهَا. (٦) ن، م: قَالَتْ. (٧) الْكَلَامُ بَعْدَ الْقَوْسِ الْمَعْقُوفِ فِي (ع) فَقَطْ وَيَنْتَهِي فِي الصَّفْحَةِ التَّالِيَةِ. (٨) قَوْلُهُ: " فَضْلًا عَنْ عِقَابٍ " مُتَّصِلٌ بِكَلَامِهِ السَّابِقِ قَبْلَ سُطُورٍ قَلِيلَةٍ عَنِ الْوَاحِدِ مِنَ النَّاسِ حَيْثُ قَالَ: " لَكَانَ مَذْمُومًا بِذَلِكَ مُسْتَحِقًّا لِلَّوْمِ وَالْعِقَابِ ".