Explaining the levels of specifying a thing, that they originally reduce to one thing, and the meaning of the poet's statement: "The specified thing has four levels."
Machine translationRead the Arabic original
The Shaykh : Then Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) elaborated, saying:
"The specified thing has four levels *** I have understood them, so they are not hidden from any person
In the reality, then in the mind, then *** in the word, then in the script"
The specified thing has four levels. The first one says:
"In the reality" meaning: its existence as a reality. This, with regard to speech, is what issues from the first one who speaks it. For example, if I say a sermon, this sermon came into existence by what? By the reality. It came into existence now; it was heard, recited, and I recited it. I brought it into existence by the reality. This is called existential reality. Then, after that, it is in the mind. When you hear the sermon, it is imprinted in your minds. Then, after that, what? The word; you pronounce it. Then, after that, the script. This is with regard to the listener. And it is the same with regard to the one who creates the speech. However, the one who creates the speech begins the speech in the mind first, then the word, then the script. And when it exists in the word, it exists as a reality, not as a mental concept. So, in reality, the existence—and we are now speaking about the existence of speech—if it is with regard to the speaker, the order is as follows. What is it? The mind, then the word, and by it the reality is established, then the script. With regard to others, first: the reality, meaning its existence from the speaker, then its imprint in the mind, then its transmission and conveyance by the word or by the script. If you reflect on speech, you will find that it does not go beyond these levels. But do these levels necessitate the multiplication of the reality, or is it one reality? It is one reality, but it has levels. So Ibn Hazm (may Allah have mercy on him) thought that these levels, or thought that the difference between these levels is like the difference between realities, and that every level makes the thing an independent reality from the level before it. But the correct view is that the levels do not take the one specified thing out of being one; they do not take it out of being one, but its existence is ordered. So, with regard to the speaker, we say: the mind, then the word, then the script, and the word establishes the reality. That is, the reality of the letters I speak with is the same as the reality of their existence. Good. With regard to the listener, here? The reality begins with what I pronounced, the reality of the speech, then the mind, then the word and the script. One may pronounce it to express what is in his mind, or one may write it, writing what is in his mind. The Noble Qur'an: Allah (Mighty and Majestic) spoke with it. So, what is its existence? As a reality. Then Jibril heard it and transmitted it to Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), and Muhammad conveyed it. This is its existence as a word. Then the people who heard it also memorized it, so this was its existence in the mind. Then they recited it, so it was an existence as a word, or they wrote it in the mushafs, so it became an existence as a script. But this transition, or the stages that speech goes through, does not necessitate that the speech is what? Multiplied. It does not necessitate that. And a person may be amazed when he sees such a statement from Ibn Hazm (may Allah have mercy on him). But one might say, in apology for him, that he wants to clarify what is created of this thing and what is not created. So we say: his statement, "the last one fixed in the script" and what is in the breasts and what is recited—his statement that these are created is subject to clear consideration. Because what is preserved in the breasts and what is written in the mushaf, yes, and what is recited—the recited thing by the tongue—is not created except according to the view of whom? Except according to the view of the Asha'irah. And he said: "and the fourth is the ancient meaning". The fourth is the ancient meaning. So he (may Allah have mercy on him) followed the path of the Asha'irah, but he differed from them in some aspects. He agreed with the Asha'irah that the ancient meaning subsists in Allah and is not created, and that what is preserved, read, and written is created. This is exactly the doctrine of the Asha'irah. But the Asha'irah previously stated that there are only two Qur'ans, or that there are only two Qur'ans, namely: the meaning and the word. He says that there are four: the ancient meaning, the word, the writing, and the preserved memorization. But we say to Ibn Hazm and to anyone other than Ibn Hazm: what is read is not created, and the act of reading is created. What is pronounced?
The student: Not created.
The Shaykh : And the word?
The student: A created being.
The Shaykh : Created. What is written?
The student: Not created.
The Shaykh : And the act of writing is created. This is the correct view, and this is the reality. Yes.
"The specified thing has four levels *** I have understood them, so they are not hidden from any person
In the reality, then in the mind, then *** in the word, then in the script"
The specified thing has four levels. The first one says:
"In the reality" meaning: its existence as a reality. This, with regard to speech, is what issues from the first one who speaks it. For example, if I say a sermon, this sermon came into existence by what? By the reality. It came into existence now; it was heard, recited, and I recited it. I brought it into existence by the reality. This is called existential reality. Then, after that, it is in the mind. When you hear the sermon, it is imprinted in your minds. Then, after that, what? The word; you pronounce it. Then, after that, the script. This is with regard to the listener. And it is the same with regard to the one who creates the speech. However, the one who creates the speech begins the speech in the mind first, then the word, then the script. And when it exists in the word, it exists as a reality, not as a mental concept. So, in reality, the existence—and we are now speaking about the existence of speech—if it is with regard to the speaker, the order is as follows. What is it? The mind, then the word, and by it the reality is established, then the script. With regard to others, first: the reality, meaning its existence from the speaker, then its imprint in the mind, then its transmission and conveyance by the word or by the script. If you reflect on speech, you will find that it does not go beyond these levels. But do these levels necessitate the multiplication of the reality, or is it one reality? It is one reality, but it has levels. So Ibn Hazm (may Allah have mercy on him) thought that these levels, or thought that the difference between these levels is like the difference between realities, and that every level makes the thing an independent reality from the level before it. But the correct view is that the levels do not take the one specified thing out of being one; they do not take it out of being one, but its existence is ordered. So, with regard to the speaker, we say: the mind, then the word, then the script, and the word establishes the reality. That is, the reality of the letters I speak with is the same as the reality of their existence. Good. With regard to the listener, here? The reality begins with what I pronounced, the reality of the speech, then the mind, then the word and the script. One may pronounce it to express what is in his mind, or one may write it, writing what is in his mind. The Noble Qur'an: Allah (Mighty and Majestic) spoke with it. So, what is its existence? As a reality. Then Jibril heard it and transmitted it to Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him), and Muhammad conveyed it. This is its existence as a word. Then the people who heard it also memorized it, so this was its existence in the mind. Then they recited it, so it was an existence as a word, or they wrote it in the mushafs, so it became an existence as a script. But this transition, or the stages that speech goes through, does not necessitate that the speech is what? Multiplied. It does not necessitate that. And a person may be amazed when he sees such a statement from Ibn Hazm (may Allah have mercy on him). But one might say, in apology for him, that he wants to clarify what is created of this thing and what is not created. So we say: his statement, "the last one fixed in the script" and what is in the breasts and what is recited—his statement that these are created is subject to clear consideration. Because what is preserved in the breasts and what is written in the mushaf, yes, and what is recited—the recited thing by the tongue—is not created except according to the view of whom? Except according to the view of the Asha'irah. And he said: "and the fourth is the ancient meaning". The fourth is the ancient meaning. So he (may Allah have mercy on him) followed the path of the Asha'irah, but he differed from them in some aspects. He agreed with the Asha'irah that the ancient meaning subsists in Allah and is not created, and that what is preserved, read, and written is created. This is exactly the doctrine of the Asha'irah. But the Asha'irah previously stated that there are only two Qur'ans, or that there are only two Qur'ans, namely: the meaning and the word. He says that there are four: the ancient meaning, the word, the writing, and the preserved memorization. But we say to Ibn Hazm and to anyone other than Ibn Hazm: what is read is not created, and the act of reading is created. What is pronounced?
The student: Not created.
The Shaykh : And the word?
The student: A created being.
The Shaykh : Created. What is written?
The student: Not created.
The Shaykh : And the act of writing is created. This is the correct view, and this is the reality. Yes.