Al-Sharḥ al-Mumtiʿ - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (8/88)

Al-Sharḥ al-MumtiʿIbn al-'Uthaymin

his covenant is nullified. Or if he says, “Allah Most High is ignorant and does not know,” then his covenant is nullified. In short, if he mentions Allah Most High in any disparaging manner, his covenant is nullified.

The same applies if he speaks ill of His Messenger. The word “Messenger” here is singular and annexed, and thus encompasses every messenger. Therefore, if a Jew speaks ill of Jesus, son of Mary, peace be upon him, his covenant is nullified; and if a Christian speaks ill of Muhammad, peace and blessings be upon him, his covenant is nullified. Likewise, if he speaks ill of the Islamic law, his covenant is nullified, for this is not what the covenant between us and him entails.

His statement, “His covenant is nullified, but not that of his wives and children”: The ruling is differentiated according to its respective cause. The wives and children have done nothing that warrants the annulment of the covenant, so they remain under it; whereas he has done what warrants its annulment, and so it is annulled.

His statement, “His blood becomes lawful”: That is, even if he says that he has repented. Once his covenant is nullified, he passes from the status of a protected non-Muslim to that of a hostile combatant. Once he becomes a hostile combatant, the imam has a choice between four options concerning him: execution, enslavement, release without compensation—that is, freely—or release in exchange for ransom. The ransom may be wealth or some benefit. In short, his ruling is that of a hostile combatant.

Issue: If his covenant is nullified because he insulted the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, then some scholars—including Shaykh al-Islam Ibn Taymiyyah, may Allah have mercy on him, whose view was that it is obligatory to execute him if he insults the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, even if he repents. This is because it is a right belonging to the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, and we do not know that he pardoned him. The basic principle is that retribution is exacted on behalf of the Messenger, peace and blessings be upon him, unless we know that he pardoned him. Indeed, he pardoned people who used to insult him during his lifetime, and execution was waived for them.

عهده، أو قال: إن الله تعالى جاهل ولا يدري، فإن عهده ينتقض، المهم إذا ذكر الله تعالى بأي سوء فإن عهده ينتقض. وكذلك إذا ذكر رسوله، والرسول هنا مفرد مضاف فيعم كل رسول، فلو ذكر اليهودي عيسى ابن مريم ﷺ بسوء فإن عهده ينتقض، ولو ذكر النصراني محمداً ﷺ بسوء فإن عهده ينتقض، وكذلك لو ذكر الشريعة الإسلامية بسوء فإن عهده ينتقض؛ لأنه ليس هذا الذي بيننا وبينه. قوله: «انتقض عهده دون نسائه وأولاده» فيتبعض الحكم لتبعُّض موجِبِه، فالنساء والأولاد لم يفعلوا شيئاً يوجب نقض العهد فيبقون على العهد، وهو فَعَلَ ما يوجب نقض العهد فينتقض. قوله: «وحل دمه» أي: حتى لو قال إنه تاب، وإذا انتقض عهده انتقل من الذمة إلى الحرابة فصار حَرْبِيّاً، وإذا صار حَرْبِيّاً يخير فيه الإمام بين أربعة أشياء: إما القتل، أو الاسترقاق، أو المنّ بدون شيء ـ يعني مجاناً ـ، أو المن بفداء، والفداء إما بمال أو بمنفعة، المهم أن يكون حكمه حكم الحربي. مسألة: إن كان انتقاض عهده بسب الرسول ﷺ، فذهب بعض أهل العلم واختاره شيخ الإسلام ابن تيمية ﵀ إلى أنه يتعين قتله إذا سب الرسول ﷺ ولو تاب؛ لأن هذا حق للرسول ﷺ ولا نعلم أنه عفا عنه، والأصل أن يؤخذ للرسول ﷺ بالثأر، إلا إذا علمنا أنه عفا، فإنه عفا ﷺ عن الناس الذين كانوا يسبونه في عهده، وارتفع عنهم القتل.