Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (2/400)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

What comparison is there, then, between one whose evil deeds [Allah] transforms (1) into good deeds and one who never acquired those good deeds (2)? There is no doubt that evil deeds are not commanded, nor may a servant commit them intending thereby to repent afterward. That would be like someone deliberately provoking the enemy to attack him so that he might defeat them through jihad, or rousing (3) a lion against himself so that he might kill it, when the enemy might instead defeat him and the lion devour him. Indeed, it is like (4) someone who intends to ingest poison and then take an antidote. This is sheer ignorance.

Rather, if someone afflicted by an enemy manages to overcome him, he is better than one who was never tested in that way. The same applies to one who encounters a lion, and likewise to one who happens to ingest (5) poison and is then given a [supreme] antidote (6) that prevents all poisons from permeating his body (7): his body will be healthier than that of someone who never took that antidote.

Sins harm those who commit them only if they do not repent of them. The majority, who hold that minor sins are possible in their case, [say] (8) that they are protected from persisting in them. Accordingly, what they have ascribed to them (9) is nothing but that which constitutes their perfection, for deeds are judged by their endings.

(1) B, A, N, and M: “What comparison is there, then, with one whose evil deeds are transformed…” (2) N and M: “with one who has no good deed.” (3) N and M: “have [the lion] charge at him.” (4) B: “Rather, like one who”; A: “Rather, there was one who” (a corruption). (5) ʿ: “Likewise, one who drank”; B: “Likewise, one who happened to have drunk”; A: “Likewise, one who happened to drink.” (6) “*fārūq*” is omitted from B. In A: “Then he was given a *dūq* antidote” (a corruption). In N, the wording is confused: “*fārwi*, and it was checked.” In M: “Then he was given a *fārūq* antidote, whereupon [the poison] was checked.” *Al-Qāmūs* states: “The *fārūq* antidote is the finest of antidotes and the noblest of compound remedies, because it distinguishes sickness from health.” (7) ʿ: “prevents the rest of the poison from penetrating his body”; N and M: “Thus, all other poisons were prevented from reaching him.” (8) “They say” is omitted from N. (9) ʿ: “Accordingly, what he ascribed to them…”

فَأَيْنَ مَنْ يُبَدِّلُ [اللَّهُ] سَيِّئَاتِهِ (١) حَسَنَاتٍ إِلَى مَنْ لَمْ تَحْصُلْ لَهُ تِلْكَ الْحَسَنَاتُ (٢) ؟ وَلَا رَيْبَ أَنَّ السَّيِّئَاتِ لَا يُؤْمَرُ بِهَا، وَلَيْسَ لِلْعَبْدِ أَنْ يَفْعَلَهَا لِيَقْصِدَ بِذَلِكَ التَّوْبَةَ مِنْهَا، فَإِنَّ هَذَا مِثْلُ مَنْ يُرِيدُ أَنْ يُحَرِّكَ الْعَدُوَّ عَلَيْهِ لِيَغْلِبَهُمْ بِالْجِهَادِ، أَوْ يُثِيرَ (٣) الْأَسَدَ عَلَيْهِ لِيَقْتُلَهُ، وَلَعَلَّ الْعَدُوَّ يَغْلِبُهُ وَالْأَسَدَ يَفْتَرِسُهُ، بَلْ مِثْلُ (٤) مَنْ يُرِيدُ أَنْ يَأْكُلَ السُّمَّ ثُمَّ يَشْرَبُ التِّرْيَاقَ وَهَذَا جَهْلٌ، بَلْ إِذَا قَدَرَ مَنِ ابْتُلِيَ بِالْعَدُوِّ فَغَلَبَهُ كَانَ أَفْضَلَ مِمَّنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ كَذَلِكَ، وَكَذَلِكَ مَنْ صَادَفَهُ الْأَسَدُ وَكَذَلِكَ مَنِ اتَّفَقَ أَنْ شَرِبَ (٥) السُّمَّ فَسُقِيَ تِرْيَاقًا [فَارُوقًا] (٦) يَمْنَعُ [نُفُوذَ] سَائِرِ السُّمُومِ فِيهِ (٧) كَانَ بَدَنُهُ أَصَحَّ مِنْ بَدْنِ مَنْ لَمْ يَشْرَبْ ذَلِكَ التِّرْيَاقَ. وَالذُّنُوبُ إِنَّمَا تَضُرُّ أَصْحَابَهَا إِذَا لَمْ يَتُوبُوا مِنْهَا، وَالْجُمْهُورُ الَّذِينَ يَقُولُونَ بِجَوَازِ الصَّغَائِرِ عَلَيْهِمْ. [يَقُولُونَ] (٨) إِنَّهُمْ مَعْصُومُونَ مِنَ الْإِقْرَارِ عَلَيْهَا. وَحِينَئِذٍ فَمَا وَصَفُوهُمْ (٩) إِلَّا بِمَا فِيهِ كَمَالُهُمْ، فَإِنَّ الْأَعْمَالَ بِالْخَوَاتِيمِ،

(١) ب، ا، ن، م: فَأَيْنَ مَنْ تُبَدَّلُ سَيِّئَاتُهُ. (٢) ن، م: إِلَى مَنْ لَا حَسَنَةَ لَهُ (٣) ن، م: يَنْفِرَ. (٤) ب: بَلْ كَمَنْ ; أ: بَلْ كَانَ مَنْ (وَهُوَ تَحْرِيفٌ) . (٥) ع: وَكَذَلِكَ مَنْ شَرِبَ ; ب: وَكَذَا مَنِ اتَّفَقَ أَنَّهُ شَرِبَ ; أ: وَكَذَلِكَ مَنِ اتَّفَقَ أَنْ يَشْرَبَ. (٦) فَارُوقًا: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ب) . وَفِي (أ) . فَسُقِيَ تِرْيَاقًا دُوقًا (وَهُوَ تَحْرِيفٌ) . وَفِي (ن) الْعِبَارَةُ مُضْطَرِبَةٌ هَكَذَا: فَارْوِ فَامْتَنَعَ. وَفِي (م) : فَسُقِيَ تِرْيَاقًا فَارُوقًا فَامْتَنَعَ. وَفِي الْقَامُوسِ: وَالتِّرْيَاقُ الْفَارُوقُ أَحْمَدُ التَّرَايِيقِ وَأَجَّلُ الْمَرْكَبَاتِ لِأَنَّهُ يُفَرِّقُ بَيْنَ الْمَرَضِ وَالصِّحَّةِ. (٧) ع: يَمْنَعُ نُفُوذَ سَائِرِ السُّمِّ إِلَيْهِ ; ن، م: فَامْتَنَعَ سَائِرُ السُّمُومِ إِلَيْهِ. (٨) يَقُولُونَ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) . (٩) ع: فَمَا وَصَفَهُمْ.