Sharhul Aqaid
Author : Sa'ad al-Din Masud ibn Umar ibn Abd Allah al-Taftazani
Translated to English by : Muhammad Sajeer Bukhari
The Foundation of Kalam Science
قال أهل الحق حقائق الأشياء ثابتة
ثم لما كان مبنى علم الكلام على الاستدلال بوجود المحدثات على وجود الصانع وتوحيده وصفاته وأفعاله. ثم منها الى سائر السمعيات، ناسب تصدير الكتاب بالتنبيه على وجود ما يشاهد من الأعيان والأعراض، وتحقق العلم بهما ليتوسل بذلك الى معرفة ما هو المقصود الأهم فقال: (قال أهل الحق) وهو الحكم المطابق للواقع يطلق على الأقوال والعقائد والأديان والمذاهب، باعتبار اشتمالها على ذلك، والحكم يقابله الباطل وأما الصدق فقد شاع استعماله في الأقوال خاصة، ويقابله الكذب. وقد يفرق بينهما بأن المطابقة تعتبر فى الحق من جانب الواقع، وفي الصدق من جانب الحكم، فمعنى صدق الحكم مطابقته للواقع، ومعنى حقيته مطابقة الواقع إياه.
Since the foundation of Ilm al-Kalam is based on using the existence of created things as evidence for the existence of the Creator, His oneness, His attributes, and His actions, and then extending this to all other matters of transmitted beliefs, it is appropriate to begin the book by drawing attention to the existence of what can be observed of substances and qualities, and confirming knowledge of them to thereby facilitate understanding the primary intended purpose, So he said:
"The people of truth said:"
The term "truth" (al-haqq) is referring to the judgment that aligns with reality. it is applied to statements, beliefs, religions, and schools of thought, considering their inclusion of truth. The judgment referring to the opposite of "al-haqq" is al-bathil (literally: falsehood), while the term “as-Sidq” (literally: truthfulness), its use has become widespread especially in words, and its opposite is al-kadib, lying. It is often distinguished between the both that conformity in the case of truth from the perspective of reality, and in the case of truthfulness from the side of judgment. So the meaning of the truthfulness of judgment is its conformity to reality, and the meaning of its truth is the conformity of reality to it.
Judging the Existence of Realities
(حقائق الأشياء ثابتة) حقيقة الشيء وماهيته ما به الشيء هو هو، كالحيوان الناطق للإنسان، بخلاف مثل الضاحك والكاتب، مما يمكن تصور الإنسان بدونه، فإنه من العوارض. وقد يقال: إن ما به الشيء هو هو، باعتبار تحققه حقيقة، وباعتبار تشخصه هوية. ومع قطع النظر عن ذلك ماهية. والشيء عندنا: الموجود. والثبوت والتحقق والوجود، والكون: ألفاظ مترادفة، معناها بديهي التصور.
"The Realities of Things Are Fixed"
The reality of a thing and its essence are what makes it what it is (the thing itself), such as the rational animal for human beings, unlike characteristics like laughter and writer, which a human being can be imagined without them, as they are accidental qualities.
It can also be said that what makes a thing what it is, in terms of its actualization, is its reality, and in terms of its individuation, its identity. However, regardless of these aspects, it is its essence.
In our view, a thing is something that exists. Stability, actualization, existence, and being are synonymous terms, and their meaning is self-evident.
فإن قيل فالحكم بثبوت حقائق الأشياء يكون لغوا بمنزلة قولنا: الأمور الثابتة ثابتة. قلنا: المراد أن ما نعتقده حقائق الأشياء، ونسميه بالأسماء من الإنسان والفرس والسماء والأرض، أمور موجودة فى نفس الأمر، كما يقال: واجب الوجود موجود. وهذا الكلام مفيد ربما يحتاج الى البيان. وليس مثل قولك: الثابت ثابت، ولا مثل قوله: أنا أبو النجم وشعري شعري على ما لا يخفى.
If someone says that, then judging the existence of the realities of things is meaningless, like saying "fixed things are fixed," we respond: Our intention is that what we consider the realities of things, and name with terms like "human," "horse," "sky," and "earth," are indeed existent in reality, in the same way as it is said: "The necessary existent exists." This statement is meaningful and may require clarification. It is not like your saying "the fixed is fixed," or like saying the poet: "I am Abu Najm and my poetry is my poetry," which is obviously not obscure.
وتحقيق ذلك: أن الشيء قد يكون له اعتبارات مختلفة، يكون الحكم عليه بالشيء مفيدا بالنظر الى بعض تلك الاعتبارات، دون البعض، كالإنسان إذا أخذ من حيث انه جسم ما، كان الحكم عليه بالحيوانية مفيدا. وإذا أخذ من حيث انه حيوان ناطق، كان ذلك لغوا.
And to achieve this: A thing may have different considerations. Judging it based on one of those considerations may be beneficial in light of that aspect alone, excluding the others. For instance, if a human being is taken from the perspective of being a physical body, then judgment on them as an animal would be beneficial. However, if considered as a rational animal, such a judgment would be absurd.