Al-Sharḥ al-Mumtiʿ - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (6/388)

Al-Sharḥ al-MumtiʿIbn al-'Uthaymin

The opposite of knowledge is ignorance, which is of two types:

1—Ignorance of the legal ruling: that is, not knowing that a matter is unlawful.

2—Ignorance of one’s circumstances: that is, not knowing that one is in a state in which eating and drinking are prohibited. Both are valid excuses.

The evidence for this is Allah’s saying:

“Our Lord, do not impose blame upon us if we forget or make a mistake.” [al-Baqarah 2:286]

When accountability is waived, whatever follows from it is likewise waived. This is general evidence.

There is also specific evidence in this matter for both types of ignorance.

As for ignorance of the legal ruling, its evidence is the hadith of ‘Adi ibn Hatim, may Allah be pleased with him: when he wished to fast and read Allah’s saying:

“Eat and drink until the white thread of dawn becomes distinct to you from the black thread of night.” [al-Baqarah 2:187]

he brought a black tethering cord—a rope used to bind a camel’s foreleg—and a white tethering cord, placed them beneath his pillow, and continued eating while looking at the two cords until the white cord became distinct from the black cord. He had misunderstood the verse, for what is meant by it is that the white thread is the light of day and the black thread is the darkness of night. When he came to the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, and told him, he said: “Your pillow must indeed be broad, if it accommodates the white thread and the black thread.” (1) He did not command him to make up the fast, because he was ignorant and had not intended to disobey Allah and His Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him. Rather, he believed that this was the ruling of Allah and His Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, and was therefore excused on that account.

(1) Narrated by al-Bukhari in al-Tafsir, the chapter on “Eat and drink until the white thread becomes distinct to you from the black thread of dawn” (4509), and by Muslim in al-Siyam, the chapter explaining that entry into the fast begins with the rising of dawn (1090), on the authority of Adi ibn Hatim.

وضد العلم الجهل، والجهل ينقسم إلى قسمين: ١ ـ جهل بالحكم الشرعي، أي: لا يدري أن هذا حرام. ٢ ـ جهل بالحال، أي: لا يدري أنه في حال يحرم عليه الأكل والشرب، وكلاهما عذر. والدليل لذلك قوله تعالى: ﴿رَبَّنَا لَا تُؤَاخِذْنَا إِنْ نَسِيْنَا أَوْ أَخْطَأْنَا﴾ [البقرة: ٢٨٦] وإذا انتفت المؤاخذة انتفى ما يترتب عليها، وهذا دليل عام. وهناك دليل خاص في هذه المسألة للنوعين من الجهل: أما الجهل بالحكم، فدليله حديث عدي بن حاتم ﵁ «أنه أراد أن يصوم وقرأ قول الله تعالى: ﴿وَكُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا حَتَّى يَتَبَيَّنَ لَكُمُ الْخَيْطُ الأَبْيَضُ مِنَ الْخَيْطِ الأَسْوَدِ﴾ [البقرة: ١٨٧] فأتى بعقال أسود، ـ حبل تربط به يد البعير ـ وأتى بعقال أبيض، وجعلهما تحت وسادته، وجعل يأكل وينظر إلى الخيطين حتى تبين الخيط الأبيض من الخيط الأسود» فهذا أخطأ في فهم الآية؛ لأن المراد بها أن الخيط الأبيض بياض النهار، والأسود سواد الليل، فلما جاء إلى النبي ﷺ أخبره قال له: «إن وسادك لعريض أن وسع الخيط الأبيض والأسود» (١) ولم يأمره بالقضاء؛ لأنه جاهل لم يقصد مخالفة الله ورسوله (ص)، بل رأى أن هذا حكم الله ورسوله ﷺ فعذر بهذا.

(١) أخرجه البخاري في التفسير/ باب ﴿وَكُلُوا وَاشْرَبُوا حَتَّى يَتَبَيَّنَ لَكُمُ الْخَيْطُ الأَبْيَضُ مِنَ الْخَيْطِ الأَسْوَدِ مِنَ الْفَجْرِ﴾ (٤٥٠٩)؛ ومسلم في الصيام/ باب بيان أن الدخول في الصوم يحصل بطلوع الفجر (١٠٩٠) عن عدي بن حاتم ﵁.