Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (2/337)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

then your position is more deserving of rejection; and if your position is acceptable, theirs is more deserving of acceptance.

The second answer:

It may be said: *) You have not established the existence of things (1) that cannot be perceived [in the first place] (2), such that this line of argument would be valid. Rather, you established only what you claimed could not be perceived [in the first place] (3) by invalidating this innate judgment (4), which deems impossible the existence of anything that cannot be perceived in any way (5). If (6) this judgment cannot be invalidated until one establishes (7) things that are imperceptible (8), circular reasoning necessarily follows (9): this judgment cannot be invalidated until that which cannot be perceived is established, yet that cannot be established until this judgment is invalidated. Consequently, it is not established.

[And] it may be said [to you]: If (10) the existence of things that cannot be perceived is possible (11), then the existence of what can be perceived is all the more possible (12); but if such existence is impossible, your position is invalid. Thus, the position of one who affirms an existent above the world that is not a body but can be perceived is

(1) ʿ reads: “You have established the existence of things”; N: “You did not establish existence, then” (a corruption). (2) “In the first place” is absent from N and M. (3) “In the first place” is absent from B, A, N, and M. (4) N and M read: “the theoretical [judgment].” (5) B reads: “perception of it, which is impossible”; A: “perception of it is impossible.” (6) “Was” is absent from B and A. (7) B and A read: “you establish.” (8) ʿ reads: “are not perceptible”; N and M: “are not imperceptible.” (9) B alone reads: “then it follows.” (10) N and M read: “It is said: If…” (11) B reads: “the existence of something that cannot be perceived”; A: “the existence of something that can be perceived,” using a feminine pronoun. (12) N and M read: “along with the existence of what cannot be perceived”; ʿ: “then the existence of what cannot be perceived is all the more possible,” which is a corruption.

فَقَوْلُكُمْ أَوْلَى بِالرَّدِّ، وَإِنْ كَانَ قَوْلُكُمْ مَقْبُولًا فَقَوْلُهُمْ أَوْلَى بِالْقَبُولِ. الْجَوَابُ الثَّانِي: أَنْ يُقَالَ: *) : أَنْتُمْ لَمْ تُثْبِتُوا وُجُودَ أُمُورٍ (١) لَا يُمْكِنُ الْإِحْسَاسُ بِهَا [ابْتِدَاءً] (٢) حَتَّى يَصِحَّ هَذَا الْكَلَامُ، بَلْ إِنَّمَا أَثْبَتُّمْ مَا ادَّعَيْتُمْ أَنَّهُ لَا يُمْكِنُ الْإِحْسَاسُ بِهِ [ابْتِدَاءً] (٣) بِإِبْطَالِ هَذَا الْحُكْمِ الْفِطْرِيِّ (٤) الَّذِي يُحِيلُ وُجُودَ مَا لَا يُمْكِنُ الْإِحْسَاسُ بِهِ بِحَالٍ (٥) ، فَإِنْ كَانَ (٦) هَذَا الْحُكْمُ لَا يَبْطُلُ حَتَّى يُثْبِتَ (٧) الْأُمُورَ الَّتِي لَيْسَتْ بِمَحْسُوسَةٍ (٨) لَزِمَ (٩) الدَّوْرُ فَلَا يَبْطُلُ هَذَا الْحُكْمُ حَتَّى يُثْبِتَ مَا لَا يُمْكِنُ الْإِحْسَاسُ بِهِ، وَلَا يُثْبِتُ ذَلِكَ حَتَّى يُبْطِلَ هَذَا الْحَكَّ، فَلَا يُثْبِتُ ذَلِكَ. [وَ] يُقَالُ: [لَكُمْ] : إِنْ (١٠) جَازَ وُجُودُ أُمُورٍ لَا يُمْكِنُ الْإِحْسَاسُ بِهَا (١١) فَوُجُودُ مَا يُمْكِنُ الْإِحْسَاسُ بِهِ أَوْلَى (١٢) وَإِنْ لَمْ يُمْكِنْ بَطَلَ قَوْلُكُمْ. فَمَنْ أَثْبَتَ مَوْجُودًا فَوْقَ الْعَالَمِ لَيْسَ بِجِسْمٍ يُمْكِنُ الْإِحْسَاسُ بِهِ، كَانَ قَوْلُهُ

(١) ع: أَنْتُمْ أَثْبَتُّمْ وُجُودَ أُمُورٍ ; ن: أَنْتُمْ لَمْ تُثْبِتُوا وُجُودًا ثُمَّ (وَهُوَ تَحْرِيفٌ) . (٢) ابْتِدَاءً: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) . (٣) ابْتِدَاءً: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ب) ، (أ) ، (ن) ، (م) . (٤) ن، م: النَّظَرِيِّ. (٥) ب: الْإِحْسَاسُ بِهِ وَهُوَ مُحَالٌ ; أ: الْإِحْسَاسُ بِهِ مُحَالٌ. (٦) كَانَ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ب) ، (أ) . (٧) ب، ا: تُثْبِتَ. (٨) ع: لَيْسَتْ مَحْسُوسَةً ; ن، م: لَيْسَتْ غَيْرَ مَحْسُوسَةٍ. (٩) ب (فَقَطْ) : فَيَلْزَمُ. (١٠) ن، م: يُقَالُ إِنْ. . (١١) ب: وُجُودُ أَمْرٍ لَا يُمْكِنُ الْإِحْسَاسُ بِهِ ; أ: وُجُودُ أَمْرٍ يُمْكِنُ الْإِحْسَاسُ بِهَا. (١٢) ن، م: مَعَ وُجُودِ مَا لَا يُمْكِنُ الْإِحْسَاسُ بِهِ ; ع: فَوُجُودُ مَا لَا يُمْكِنُ الْإِحْسَاسُ بِهِ أَوْلَى، وَهُوَ تَحْرِيفٌ.