Al-Qawl al-Mufid ala Kitab al-Tawhid — Volume 1 (القول المفيد على كتاب التوحيد) — Page 9

Arabic text · النص

Line-by-line translation · المعاني

فَهُمْ يَقُولُونَ: إِنَّ النُّورَ خَيْرٌ مِنَ الظُّلْمَةِ، لِأَنَّهُ يَخْلُقُ الْخَيْرَ وَالظُّلْمَةُ تَخْلُقُ الشَّرَّ، وَالَّذِي يَخْلُقُ الْخَيْرَ خَيْرٌ مِنَ الَّذِي يَخْلُقُ الشَّرَّ.

They argue that light is superior to darkness because it creates good, whereas darkness creates evil; naturally, the creator of good is superior to the creator of evil.

وَأَيْضًا: فَإِنَّ الظُّلْمَةَ عَدَمٌ لَا يُضِيءُ وَالنُّورَ وُجُودٌ يُضِيءُ، فَهُوَ أَكْمَلُ فِي ذَاتِهِ.

They also maintain that darkness is a non-entity that provides no illumination, while light is an existing reality that does, making it inherently more perfect.

وَيَقُولُونَ أَيْضًا بِفَرْقٍ ثَالِثٍ وَهُوَ: أَنَّ النُّورَ قَدِيمٌ عَلَى اصْطِلَاحِ الْفَلَاسِفَةِ وَاخْتَلَفُوا فِي الظُّلْمَةِ هَلْ هِيَ قَدِيمَةٌ، أَوْ مُحْدَثَةٌ؟ عَلَى قَوْلَيْنِ.

They propose a third distinction: light is eternal according to philosophical terminology. They remain divided on whether darkness is likewise eternal or created, resulting in two distinct schools of thought.

دَلَالَةُ الْعَقْلِ عَلَى أَنَّ الْخَالِقَ لِلْعَالَمِ وَاحِدٌ.

Reason dictates that the Creator of the world must be one.

قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿مَا اتَّخَذَ اللَّهُ مِنْ وَلَدٍ وَمَا كَانَ مَعَهُ مِنْ إِلَهٍ إِذًا لَذَهَبَ كُلُّ إِلَهٍ بِمَا خَلَقَ وَلَعَلَا بَعْضُهُمْ عَلَى بَعْضٍ﴾.

Allah has not taken any son, nor has there ever been with Him any deity. [If there had been], then each deity would have taken what it created, and some of them would have sought to overcome others. Exalted is Allah above what they describe [concerning Him].

إِذْ لَوْ أَثْبَتْنَا لِلْعَالَمِ خَالِقَيْنِ لَكَانَ كُلُّ خَالِقٍ يُرِيدُ أَنْ يَنْفَرِدَ بِمَا خَلَقَ وَيَسْتَقِلَّ بِهِ كَعَادَةِ الْمُلُوكِ، إِذْ لَا يَرْضَى أَنْ يُشَارِكَهُ أَحَدٌ.

If we were to posit two creators for the world, each would naturally desire to possess his own creation exclusively, much like kings who refuse to share their sovereignty.

وَإِذَا اسْتَقَلَّ بِهِ فَإِنَّهُ يُرِيدُ أَيْضًا أَمْرًا آخَرَ، وَهُوَ أَنْ يَكُونَ السُّلْطَانُ لَهُ لَا يُشَارِكَهُ فِيهِ أَحَدٌ.

Once a creator establishes his independence, he would inevitably seek absolute authority, refusing to share power with anyone else.

وَحِينَئِذٍ إِذَا أَرَادَ السُّلْطَانَ، فَإِمَّا أَنْ يَعْجِزَ كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمَا عَنِ الْآخَرِ، أَوْ يُسَيْطِرَ أَحَدُهُمَا عَلَى الْآخَرِ، فَإِنْ عَجَزَ أَحَدُهُمَا عَنِ الْآخَرِ ثَبَتَتِ الرُّبُوبِيَّةُ لِلْقَادِرِ وَإِنْ عَجَزَ كُلُّ مِنْهُمَا عَنِ الْآخَرِ زَالَتِ الرُّبُوبِيَّةُ مِنْهُمَا جَمِيعًا؛ لِأَنَّ الْعَاجِزَ لَا يَصْلُحُ أَنْ يَكُونَ رَبًّا.

In that scenario, either they would be unable to overcome one another, or one would dominate the other. If one prevails, Lordship belongs to the capable one. If both are unable to overcome each other, then Lordship is negated for both, as one who is incapable cannot be a Lord.

الْقِسْمُ الثَّانِي: تَوْحِيدُ الْأُلُوهِيَّةِ: وَيُقَالُ لَهُ: تَوْحِيدُ الْعِبَادَةِ بِاعْتِبَارَيْنِ فَبِاعْتِبَارِ إِضَافَتِهِ إِلَى اللَّهِ يُسَمَّى: تَوْحِيدُ الْأُلُوهِيَّةِ، وَبِاعْتِبَارِ إِضَافَتِهِ إِلَى الْخَلْقِ يُسَمَّى تَوْحِيدُ الْعِبَادَةِ.

The second category is Tawhid al-Uluhiyyah, also known as Tawhid al-Ibadah. It bears two names based on perspective: when attributed to God, it is called the Monotheism of Divinity, and when attributed to the act of creation, it is called the Monotheism of Worship.

وَهُوَ إِفْرَادُ اللَّهِ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ بِالْعِبَادَةِ.

It means dedicating all worship exclusively to God, the Almighty and Majestic.

Vocabulary · المفردات (21 verbs · 39 nouns)

• قَالَ — to say
• خَلَقَ — to create
• أَضَاءَ — to illuminate
• اِخْتَلَفَ — to differ
• اِتَّخَذَ — to take
• كَانَ — to be
• ذَهَبَ — to go
• عَلَا — to rise
• أَثْبَتَ — to prove
• أَرَادَ — to want
• اِنْفَرَدَ — to be alone
• اِسْتَقَلَّ — to be independent
• رَضِيَ — to be satisfied
• شَارَكَ — to share
• عَجَزَ — to be unable
• سَيْطَرَ — to control
• ثَبَتَ — to be established
• زَالَ — to cease
• صَلَحَ — to be fit
• سَمَّى — to name
• أَفْرَدَ — to single out
• نُورٌ — light
• خَيْرٌ — good
• ظُلْمَةٌ — darkness
• شَرٌّ — evil
• عَدَمٌ — non-existence
• وُجُودٌ — existence
• ذَاتٌ — essence
• فَرْقٌ — difference
• اصْطِلَاحٌ — convention
• فَيْلَسُوفٌ — philosopher
• قَدِيمٌ — ancient
• مُحْدَثٌ — created
• قَوْلٌ — saying
• دَلَالَةٌ — indication
• عَقْلٌ — intellect
• خَالِقٌ — creator
• عَالَمٌ — world
• وَاحِدٌ — one
• وَلَدٌ — child
• إِلَهٌ — god
• بَعْضٌ — some
• عَادَةٌ — habit
• مَلِكٌ — king
• أَحَدٌ — one
• أَمْرٌ — matter
• آخَرُ — other
• سُلْطَانٌ — authority
• رُبُوبِيَّةٌ — lordship
• قَادِرٌ — capable
• عَاجِزٌ — incapable
• رَبٌّ — lord
• قِسْمٌ — part
• تَوْحِيدٌ — monotheism
• أُلُوهِيَّةٌ — divinity
• عِبَادَةٌ — worship
• اعْتِبَارٌ — consideration
• إِضَافَةٌ — attribution
• خَلْقٌ — creation
• إِفْرَادٌ — singling out