Reading and Explanation: (Mentioning the second aspect in refuting those who say [Allah] is neither inside the world nor outside it, and the difference between contraries and contradictories with an example)
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The reader: "It is also said, secondly, if this condition were valid, it would apply to what are contraries"
"not to the contradictories, of which neither can be affirmed nor can both be negated"
The Shaykh : Allahu Akbar.
The reader: "It is also said"
The Shaykh : ... This is a second aspect. The first aspect: we know that your claim is that this thing is capable of this thing, so it is either negated from it or affirmed. This is a bare claim that is not accepted. Second, even if we conceded that for the sake of argument, it would not be valid to say they are in the category of contradictories. It would not be valid to say they are in the category of contradictories, which are existence and non-existence. They say: do not describe Allah as existing, nor as non-existing; not existing, nor non-existing. Okay, what will it be then?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : It must be either existing or non-existing, by the consensus of people of intellect, because the opposition between existence and non-existence is opposition of negation and affirmation, not opposition of absence and possession. It is opposition of negation and affirmation. So their opposition is from the category of contradictories. And contradictories cannot coexist, nor can both be negated. That means it is not possible for them to coexist, and it is not possible for both to be negated. Therefore, one of them must exist. So if you say that Allah is not described as existing, nor as non-existing, what have you done?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : You have negated from Him what?
The student: The contradictories.
The Shaykh : The contradictories. And this is impossible. For this reason, he said:
"It is also said, secondly, if this condition were valid, it would apply to what are contraries"
And what is the condition? That affirmation and negation cannot be negated in what is capable of them. If it were valid that it is not permissible to negate both and affirm both except in what is capable of them, we would say: this is valid for contraries, but not for contradictories.
So we need to know the difference between contraries and contradictories. The difference between them is that contraries cannot coexist, but it is possible for both to be negated. It is possible for both to be negated. And contradictories cannot coexist, and it is not possible for both to be negated. Is that clear?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Yes
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : Clear. Salman, the example: black and white. Black and white are contraries because they cannot coexist. If a thing is black, it is not white. And if it is white, it is not black. ... It is not possible for a thing to be black and white at the same time. But is it possible for both to be negated?
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : how
The student: Green.
The Shaykh : Red. Meaning, black and white are negated, and red takes their place. For example, this garment is white, or black, or red. If you negate whiteness from it—if you say it is black, it is not white. And if you say it is white, it is not black. Is it possible to say it is not black and not white? What will it be?
The student: Red.
The Shaykh : Red. These two are contraries. But existence and non-existence, these two are contradictories. If you say a thing is not existing, it necessarily follows that it is non-existing. And if you say it is non-existing, it is not existing. It is known. So if a thing is non-existing, it is not existing. If it is existing, it is not non-existing. But if a thing is black, it does not necessarily follow that it is white. If it is not black, it does not necessarily follow that it is white; it may be red. So Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) says: if this condition were valid, and that is that it is permissible to negate contraries from what is not capable of them, it would not be valid for the contradictories, of which neither can be affirmed and both cannot be negated. What does "neither can be affirmed" mean?
The student: ... They do not coexist.
The Shaykh : Meaning, they do not coexist, and both cannot be negated. Yes.
"not to the contradictories, of which neither can be affirmed nor can both be negated"
The Shaykh : Allahu Akbar.
The reader: "It is also said"
The Shaykh : ... This is a second aspect. The first aspect: we know that your claim is that this thing is capable of this thing, so it is either negated from it or affirmed. This is a bare claim that is not accepted. Second, even if we conceded that for the sake of argument, it would not be valid to say they are in the category of contradictories. It would not be valid to say they are in the category of contradictories, which are existence and non-existence. They say: do not describe Allah as existing, nor as non-existing; not existing, nor non-existing. Okay, what will it be then?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : It must be either existing or non-existing, by the consensus of people of intellect, because the opposition between existence and non-existence is opposition of negation and affirmation, not opposition of absence and possession. It is opposition of negation and affirmation. So their opposition is from the category of contradictories. And contradictories cannot coexist, nor can both be negated. That means it is not possible for them to coexist, and it is not possible for both to be negated. Therefore, one of them must exist. So if you say that Allah is not described as existing, nor as non-existing, what have you done?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : You have negated from Him what?
The student: The contradictories.
The Shaykh : The contradictories. And this is impossible. For this reason, he said:
"It is also said, secondly, if this condition were valid, it would apply to what are contraries"
And what is the condition? That affirmation and negation cannot be negated in what is capable of them. If it were valid that it is not permissible to negate both and affirm both except in what is capable of them, we would say: this is valid for contraries, but not for contradictories.
So we need to know the difference between contraries and contradictories. The difference between them is that contraries cannot coexist, but it is possible for both to be negated. It is possible for both to be negated. And contradictories cannot coexist, and it is not possible for both to be negated. Is that clear?
The student: ...
The Shaykh : Yes
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : Clear. Salman, the example: black and white. Black and white are contraries because they cannot coexist. If a thing is black, it is not white. And if it is white, it is not black. ... It is not possible for a thing to be black and white at the same time. But is it possible for both to be negated?
The student: Yes.
The Shaykh : how
The student: Green.
The Shaykh : Red. Meaning, black and white are negated, and red takes their place. For example, this garment is white, or black, or red. If you negate whiteness from it—if you say it is black, it is not white. And if you say it is white, it is not black. Is it possible to say it is not black and not white? What will it be?
The student: Red.
The Shaykh : Red. These two are contraries. But existence and non-existence, these two are contradictories. If you say a thing is not existing, it necessarily follows that it is non-existing. And if you say it is non-existing, it is not existing. It is known. So if a thing is non-existing, it is not existing. If it is existing, it is not non-existing. But if a thing is black, it does not necessarily follow that it is white. If it is not black, it does not necessarily follow that it is white; it may be red. So Ibn al-Qayyim (may Allah have mercy on him) says: if this condition were valid, and that is that it is permissible to negate contraries from what is not capable of them, it would not be valid for the contradictories, of which neither can be affirmed and both cannot be negated. What does "neither can be affirmed" mean?
The student: ... They do not coexist.
The Shaykh : Meaning, they do not coexist, and both cannot be negated. Yes.