Commentary on the preceding verses, and a discussion of Nasir al-Din al-Tusi, a follower of Ibn Sina, and their belief regarding Allah, which is that they describe Allah as non-existence.
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The Shaykh : He (may Allah have mercy on him) says in this excerpt that a nation followed Ibn Sina in this doctrine and were nourished by its milk, meaning: that Ibn Sina, may Allah protect us from him, was a guide to the Fire, because a nation followed his doctrine and were nourished by its milk, and what a bad milk it is, for it is milk more foul than the milk of donkeys. But among them is the supporter of disbelief among those who support the religion of Satan. This supporter of disbelief is Nasir al-Din al-Tusi, who was a minister to Hulagu, the king of the Mongols, who killed the Abbasid Caliph in Baghdad and killed nations of scholars that only Allah can count. This wretch is called Nasir al-Din, but Ibn al-Qayyim described him with what he deserves, saying: the supporter of disbelief. And he (may Allah have mercy on him) spoke the truth. The supporter of disbelief according to the doctrine of Ibn Sina and his followers who support the religion of Satan, not the religion of Muhammad (peace and blessings be upon him).
"So ask one with knowledge about them, you will find them *** Enemies of every one who affirms the oneness of the Divine Lord"
And among those with knowledge of their doctrine is Ibn al-Qayyim, for he studied the religions, the sects, and the schools of thought and knew them, just as his Shaykh Ibn Taymiyyah studied them before him, may Allah have mercy on them all.
"And ask one with knowledge about them, you will find them *** Enemies of the messengers of Allah and the Qur'an"
So they are enemies of tawhid (the oneness of Allah) and enemies of the message. They are enemies of tawhid, taken from his saying: "Enemies of every one who affirms the oneness". They are enemies of the messengers, taken from his saying: "Enemies of the messengers of Allah".
"Their Sufi worships the Absolute Existence *** Which is non-existent to reason in reality"
Their Sufi means the Sufi among them who worships the Absolute Existence. How does he worship the Absolute Existence? Because they hold that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is the Absolute Existence with the condition of absoluteness. The meaning of the Absolute Existence with the condition of absoluteness is that it cannot be described with any attribute. You do not say it exists or does not exist. If they were asked: Who is your god? Who is your Lord? They would say: Our Lord is neither existent nor non-existent, neither living nor dead, neither knowing nor ignorant, neither hearing nor seeing. Yes, neither hearing nor deaf, neither seeing nor blind. It cannot be described with any attribute. Now, can this be an existent being? Can it be a Lord? Absolutely not. And this cannot exist except only in the minds. That is, the mind may posit an essence that has no attributes, but existence in the external world, no. For this reason he said: "Worships the Absolute Existence which is non-existent *** To reason"
This is non-existent, my brothers. If we say that the Lord who is worshipped is neither existent nor non-existent, neither living nor dead, neither hearing nor deaf, neither seeing nor blind, neither knowing nor ignorant, what is it? It is non-existence. They worship this. They worship one who is not described with hearing or sight, nor life or death, nor anything else, but neither existence nor non-existence. May Allah protect us. I mean, if these were not doctrines that were written down and transmitted by trustworthy people, we would say this is something no one can conceive, let alone make it their belief and be at peace with it until they meet Allah. But may Allah protect us. Yes.
"Or an atheist who worships by union, not tawhid ***"
He worships by union, not tawhid. There is a difference between union and tawhid. Tawhid is the oneness of the Creator, and union is making the Creator and the created one thing. This is their doctrine. They say: the Creator and the created are one thing. Did this pass by us or not? It passed by us. They say the Creator and the created are one thing. So Allah is Zayd, 'Umar, Bakr, and Khalid. He is the camel and the she-camel, he is the hen and the rooster, he is the donkey and the mule. I seek refuge in Allah. I cannot speak. This is the god in their view, this is the god. He says: because the Creator united in the created and became one thing. These people, by the great Allah, are more disbelievers than the Christians, because the Christians did not make a general union, they made a specific union. And the Christians' union is in a messenger of the noblest of the human species, whereas these people made it in dogs and donkeys and everything, and they did not purify Him from anything at all. Rather, they say His wife is Allah, and He is Allah. I seek refuge in Allah. These people worshipped the universe. They have no worshipped object. They worshipped the entire universe. In a group, they worship cows. Which is better, them or these? The worshippers of cows are better. The cow is good and lawful, and these people worship donkeys, dogs, and pigs. Yes. For this reason he says:
"Or an atheist who worships by union, not tawhid *** Stripped of the religions
the one worshipped, the one with whom he has intercourse
I seek refuge in Allah. He means the wife whom he has intercourse with is his worshipped object. He has intercourse with a woman and says she is his Lord. May Allah protect us.
"In it he sees *** The description of beauty and the manifestation of excellence"
Ibn al-Qayyim said: "Allahu Akbar". Allahu Akbar, this phrase is like our saying "Allah is sufficient for you," meaning: that I face you with the majesty and greatness of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), just as you say "Allahu Akbar over you." Allahu Akbar. And it is possible that he does not intend this, meaning he does not intend to rely on Allah against them, but rather to magnify Allah, and that He is greater than what they described Him with.
"How many Shaykhs are there among the people *** For this cursed doctrine"
Allahu Akbar. "How many" is a word of multiplication. Meaning, this cursed doctrine, and its lowest attribute is that it is cursed, how many Shaykhs does it have among the people? Shaykhan is the plural of Shaykh. Good.
"They seek from them a call". They seek, the pronoun here refers to the people, "from them" refers to the Shaykhs, the two Shaykhs.
"They seek from them a call and accept *** Hands from them hoping for forgiveness"
The two Shaykhs are the atheist philosophers of the unionist school. Yes. These people attribute themselves to being awliya (close friends of Allah). They attribute themselves to being awliya. And the common people, the ignorant rabble, come to them saying "My master, the one who knows Allah, the wali of Allah," and they heap upon them a halo of titles. And Ibn al-Qayyim says: "They seek from them a call". And how far is the response to the call for these people. He says, "My master, call upon Allah for me." "My master, I have no children, call upon Allah for me." A woman comes, "My master, I have not married and I have reached thirty years old, call upon Allah for me." Yes. And so on. And he calls, but where does it go? Into the air[Al-Furqan 25:23]. Good.
"*** And accept hands from them hoping for forgiveness"
And perhaps the Shaykh extends his hand from the moment the common person kisses it. Yes. Why? To kiss it and show respect. And perhaps they bow to him and prostrate, and he does not care about this. Ibn al-Qayyim said:
"If they had known the truth of their matter *** They would have stoned them without doubt with pebbles"
If they, the pronoun refers to the people, had known the truth of the matter of whom? The two Shaykhs. They would have stoned them without doubt with pebbles. If they had known that these people do not worship anyone and do not believe in the existence of a Lord except this universe, they would have stoned them with pebbles. Pebbles are strong stones, and what is known to us as marble, do you know it? Marble is a hard stone. If they had known, one would be kissing his hand and another would be with pebbles. Yes. And so on. They come to them to stone them. And are they deserving of that or not? By Allah, they are deserving of more than this. More than this, and may Allah protect us.
"So ask one with knowledge about them, you will find them *** Enemies of every one who affirms the oneness of the Divine Lord"
And among those with knowledge of their doctrine is Ibn al-Qayyim, for he studied the religions, the sects, and the schools of thought and knew them, just as his Shaykh Ibn Taymiyyah studied them before him, may Allah have mercy on them all.
"And ask one with knowledge about them, you will find them *** Enemies of the messengers of Allah and the Qur'an"
So they are enemies of tawhid (the oneness of Allah) and enemies of the message. They are enemies of tawhid, taken from his saying: "Enemies of every one who affirms the oneness". They are enemies of the messengers, taken from his saying: "Enemies of the messengers of Allah".
"Their Sufi worships the Absolute Existence *** Which is non-existent to reason in reality"
Their Sufi means the Sufi among them who worships the Absolute Existence. How does he worship the Absolute Existence? Because they hold that Allah (Mighty and Majestic) is the Absolute Existence with the condition of absoluteness. The meaning of the Absolute Existence with the condition of absoluteness is that it cannot be described with any attribute. You do not say it exists or does not exist. If they were asked: Who is your god? Who is your Lord? They would say: Our Lord is neither existent nor non-existent, neither living nor dead, neither knowing nor ignorant, neither hearing nor seeing. Yes, neither hearing nor deaf, neither seeing nor blind. It cannot be described with any attribute. Now, can this be an existent being? Can it be a Lord? Absolutely not. And this cannot exist except only in the minds. That is, the mind may posit an essence that has no attributes, but existence in the external world, no. For this reason he said: "Worships the Absolute Existence which is non-existent *** To reason"
This is non-existent, my brothers. If we say that the Lord who is worshipped is neither existent nor non-existent, neither living nor dead, neither hearing nor deaf, neither seeing nor blind, neither knowing nor ignorant, what is it? It is non-existence. They worship this. They worship one who is not described with hearing or sight, nor life or death, nor anything else, but neither existence nor non-existence. May Allah protect us. I mean, if these were not doctrines that were written down and transmitted by trustworthy people, we would say this is something no one can conceive, let alone make it their belief and be at peace with it until they meet Allah. But may Allah protect us. Yes.
"Or an atheist who worships by union, not tawhid ***"
He worships by union, not tawhid. There is a difference between union and tawhid. Tawhid is the oneness of the Creator, and union is making the Creator and the created one thing. This is their doctrine. They say: the Creator and the created are one thing. Did this pass by us or not? It passed by us. They say the Creator and the created are one thing. So Allah is Zayd, 'Umar, Bakr, and Khalid. He is the camel and the she-camel, he is the hen and the rooster, he is the donkey and the mule. I seek refuge in Allah. I cannot speak. This is the god in their view, this is the god. He says: because the Creator united in the created and became one thing. These people, by the great Allah, are more disbelievers than the Christians, because the Christians did not make a general union, they made a specific union. And the Christians' union is in a messenger of the noblest of the human species, whereas these people made it in dogs and donkeys and everything, and they did not purify Him from anything at all. Rather, they say His wife is Allah, and He is Allah. I seek refuge in Allah. These people worshipped the universe. They have no worshipped object. They worshipped the entire universe. In a group, they worship cows. Which is better, them or these? The worshippers of cows are better. The cow is good and lawful, and these people worship donkeys, dogs, and pigs. Yes. For this reason he says:
"Or an atheist who worships by union, not tawhid *** Stripped of the religions
the one worshipped, the one with whom he has intercourse
I seek refuge in Allah. He means the wife whom he has intercourse with is his worshipped object. He has intercourse with a woman and says she is his Lord. May Allah protect us.
"In it he sees *** The description of beauty and the manifestation of excellence"
Ibn al-Qayyim said: "Allahu Akbar". Allahu Akbar, this phrase is like our saying "Allah is sufficient for you," meaning: that I face you with the majesty and greatness of Allah (Mighty and Majestic), just as you say "Allahu Akbar over you." Allahu Akbar. And it is possible that he does not intend this, meaning he does not intend to rely on Allah against them, but rather to magnify Allah, and that He is greater than what they described Him with.
"How many Shaykhs are there among the people *** For this cursed doctrine"
Allahu Akbar. "How many" is a word of multiplication. Meaning, this cursed doctrine, and its lowest attribute is that it is cursed, how many Shaykhs does it have among the people? Shaykhan is the plural of Shaykh. Good.
"They seek from them a call". They seek, the pronoun here refers to the people, "from them" refers to the Shaykhs, the two Shaykhs.
"They seek from them a call and accept *** Hands from them hoping for forgiveness"
The two Shaykhs are the atheist philosophers of the unionist school. Yes. These people attribute themselves to being awliya (close friends of Allah). They attribute themselves to being awliya. And the common people, the ignorant rabble, come to them saying "My master, the one who knows Allah, the wali of Allah," and they heap upon them a halo of titles. And Ibn al-Qayyim says: "They seek from them a call". And how far is the response to the call for these people. He says, "My master, call upon Allah for me." "My master, I have no children, call upon Allah for me." A woman comes, "My master, I have not married and I have reached thirty years old, call upon Allah for me." Yes. And so on. And he calls, but where does it go? Into the air
And We will regard what they have done of deeds and make them as dust dispersed.
وقدمنا إلى ما عملوا من عمل فجعلناه هباء منثورا"*** And accept hands from them hoping for forgiveness"
And perhaps the Shaykh extends his hand from the moment the common person kisses it. Yes. Why? To kiss it and show respect. And perhaps they bow to him and prostrate, and he does not care about this. Ibn al-Qayyim said:
"If they had known the truth of their matter *** They would have stoned them without doubt with pebbles"
If they, the pronoun refers to the people, had known the truth of the matter of whom? The two Shaykhs. They would have stoned them without doubt with pebbles. If they had known that these people do not worship anyone and do not believe in the existence of a Lord except this universe, they would have stoned them with pebbles. Pebbles are strong stones, and what is known to us as marble, do you know it? Marble is a hard stone. If they had known, one would be kissing his hand and another would be with pebbles. Yes. And so on. They come to them to stone them. And are they deserving of that or not? By Allah, they are deserving of more than this. More than this, and may Allah protect us.