(Ibn al-Qayyim’s response to those who used this formulation) We do not accept a term coined *** by the convention of the followers of the Greeks or of those who learned from them from the *** Jahmiyyah sect
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The Shaykh : He said: "We do not accept a term coined *** by the convention of the followers of the Greeks"
This means that Ibn al-Qayyim rejected this type of formulation and said that this is not a composition, because every essence is necessarily accompanied by attributes, my brothers. Every essence must have attributes. Is it possible for the one described by His attributes to be a composite of His essence and His attributes? No, because the attributes are inseparable from the essence; there is no existence of an essence without attributes, ever. For this reason, he said:
"We do not accept a term coined *** by the convention"
What is the coined term? It is the composition of the essence and the attributes, and that the existence of the attributes being added to the essence is considered a composition.
"*** by the convention of the followers of the Greeks", who are the philosophers.
"Or of those who learned from them from the *** Jahmiyyah sect, which is devoid of knowledge"
Here, may Allah have mercy on him, he described the Jahmiyyah as being like the Khawarij, following one another without knowledge. They took this meaning from the philosophers and said that this is a composition. Therefore, they deny the attributes of Allah, Mighty and Majestic. Yes.
"*** which is devoid of knowledge"
"Who describes Him, the Exalted, with His *** exalted attributes"
And what comes after that?
The student: And abandons
The Shaykh :"*** and abandons the implication of the Qur'an"
If it were "the term and we abandon," it would be good. Yes. "*** and we abandon the implication of the Qur'an"
"And the implication of reason and the innate dispositions, all of *** them, before corruption, and the implication of proof"
Yes, he says: We do not accept this term, and we deny the attributes of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, and we abandon the implication of the Qur'an, the implication of reason, the implication of the innate disposition, and the implication of proof. We cannot abandon these for the sake of a recent convention taken from the Greeks or from those who took it from them from the ignorant Jahmiyyah sect.
This means that Ibn al-Qayyim rejected this type of formulation and said that this is not a composition, because every essence is necessarily accompanied by attributes, my brothers. Every essence must have attributes. Is it possible for the one described by His attributes to be a composite of His essence and His attributes? No, because the attributes are inseparable from the essence; there is no existence of an essence without attributes, ever. For this reason, he said:
"We do not accept a term coined *** by the convention"
What is the coined term? It is the composition of the essence and the attributes, and that the existence of the attributes being added to the essence is considered a composition.
"*** by the convention of the followers of the Greeks", who are the philosophers.
"Or of those who learned from them from the *** Jahmiyyah sect, which is devoid of knowledge"
Here, may Allah have mercy on him, he described the Jahmiyyah as being like the Khawarij, following one another without knowledge. They took this meaning from the philosophers and said that this is a composition. Therefore, they deny the attributes of Allah, Mighty and Majestic. Yes.
"*** which is devoid of knowledge"
"Who describes Him, the Exalted, with His *** exalted attributes"
And what comes after that?
The student: And abandons
The Shaykh :"*** and abandons the implication of the Qur'an"
If it were "the term and we abandon," it would be good. Yes. "*** and we abandon the implication of the Qur'an"
"And the implication of reason and the innate dispositions, all of *** them, before corruption, and the implication of proof"
Yes, he says: We do not accept this term, and we deny the attributes of Allah, Blessed and Exalted is He, and we abandon the implication of the Qur'an, the implication of reason, the implication of the innate disposition, and the implication of proof. We cannot abandon these for the sake of a recent convention taken from the Greeks or from those who took it from them from the ignorant Jahmiyyah sect.
