Al-Sharḥ al-Mumtiʿ - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (8/54)

Al-Sharḥ al-MumtiʿIbn al-'Uthaymin

The specified manner will be explained under the rulings pertaining to the people of dhimmah.

Our statement, “Allowing certain disbelievers to remain upon their religion under specified terms,” indicates that the basic principle is not to allow a disbeliever to remain upon his religion. This is indeed so, in light of the Prophet’s statement, peace and blessings be upon him: “I have been commanded to fight the people until they testify that there is no god worthy of worship but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.” (1)

The basis for this principle, as indicated by the Quran—as we shall mention—and by the sunnah, is that all created beings are servants of Allah, and they are required to fulfil the implications of this servitude: humbling themselves before Him and adhering to the rulings of His law. If they depart from this, they have departed from the implications of that servitude, and so they must be brought back to it, since they were created for that purpose. Yet we may allow them to remain upon their religion through dhimmah and treaty.

But what does dhimmah mean here? Does it mean the covenant previously mentioned?

The answer is that dhimmah here means allowing certain disbelievers to remain in their disbelief on the condition that they pay the jizyah and abide by the rulings of the religious community.

As for the previously mentioned covenant, it is a truce: we enter into a treaty with the disbelievers while they remain in their own land, independent of the Muslims; we have no involvement with them except the suspension of fighting.

Our statement, “abiding by the rulings of the religious community,” rather than “adhering to the religious community,” is used because if they adhered to the religious community, they would be Muslims. Rather, what is meant is abiding by the rulings of the Islamic law that apply to them.

The basis for this is the saying of Allah, the Exalted: “Fight those who do not believe in Allah or in the Last Day, who do not regard as forbidden what Allah and His Messenger have forbidden, and who do not follow the religion of truth, from among those who were given the Scripture, until they pay the jizyah willingly, while they

(1) Al-Bukhari, Kitab al-Iman (Faith), chapter: “If they repent and establish the prayer ...,” no. 25; and Muslim, Kitab al-Iman, chapter: “The command to fight the people until they say: There is no god but Allah, Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah ...,” no. 22, on the authority of Ibn Umar, may Allah be pleased with him.

الوجه المعين يأتي في أحكام أهل الذمة. وقولنا: «إقرار بعض الكفار على دينهم على وجه معين» يفيد أن الأصل عدم إقرار الكافر على دينه، وهو كذلك لقوله ﷺ: «أُمرت أن أقاتل الناس حتى يشهدوا أن لا إله إلا الله وأن محمداً رسول الله» (١)، ووجه هذا الأصل الذي دل عليه القرآن ـ كما سنذكره ـ ودلَّت عليه السنّة، أن الخلق عبادٌ لله يجب عليهم أن يقوموا بمقتضى هذه العبودية من التذلل له والتزام أحكام شريعته، فإذا خالفوا ذلك خرجوا عن مقتضى هذه العبودية، فكان يجب أن يردوا إليها؛ لأنهم خلقوا من أجلها، ولكن لنا أن نقرهم على دينهم بالذمة والعهد. ولكن ما معنى الذمة هنا، هل هي العهد السابق؟. الجواب: معنى الذمة هنا إقرار بعض الكفار على كفرهم بشرط بذل الجزية والتزام أحكام الملة. أما العهد السابق فهو الهدنة، فنعاهد الكفار، وهم في أرضهم مستقلون عن المسلمين ليس لنا من شأنهم شيء إلا وضع القتال. وقولنا: التزام أحكام الملة، وليس التزام الملة؛ لأنهم لو التزموا الملة لكانوا مسلمين، لكن التزام أحكام الملة، أي: ما حكمت به الشريعة الإسلامية عليهم. والأصل في هذا قوله تعالى: ﴿قَاتِلُوا الَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَلَا بِالْيَوْمِ الآخِرِ وَلَا يُحَرِّمُونَ مَا حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ وَلَا يَدِينُونَ دِينَ الْحَقِّ مِنَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ حَتَّى يُعْطُوا الْجِزْيَةَ عَنْ يَدٍ وَهُمْ

(١) أخرجه البخاري في الإيمان/ باب ﴿فَإِنْ تَابُوا وَأَقَامُوا الصَّلَاةَ﴾ … ﴾ (٢٥)؛ ومسلم في الإيمان/ باب الأمر بقتال الناس حتى يقولوا: لا إله إلا الله محمد رسول الله … (٢٢) عن ابن عمر ﵄.