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or others besides them. At times they rally around a highly-revered leader in matters of religion—someone other than the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him—and will accept neither opinion nor report in the religion unless it comes through their own faction. Yet they do not even know what their faction itself obliges. The religion of Islam, however, makes it incumbent to follow the truth absolutely—whether transmitted or reasoned—without confining it to any particular individual or group other than the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him.
Concerning those who have incurred His wrath, Allah the Exalted said:
“Among the Jews are those who distort words from their proper places.” (Qur’an, 4:46)
He further described them as
(1) This includes the followers of sectarian groups such as the Mu‘tazilah, Jahmiyyah, Khawarij, Shi‘ah and the like; the adherents of modern ideological or party movements such as Arab nationalism, Ba‘thism, socialism, and Marxism; as well as the partisans of contemporary cults like Baha’ism and Qadiyanism, in addition to many other sects, doctrines, and movements.
(2) The phrase “with them” is missing from MS Aṭ.
(3) The printed edition reads: “neither in jurisprudence nor in transmission.”
(4) The printed edition has: “in transmission and jurisprudence.”
(5) Qur’an 4:46.
(6) The words “and he described them as” are absent from MS Aṭ. Instead, that manuscript, as well as the next, simply quotes the phrase “yalwuna alsinatahum…” (“they twist their tongues…,” the verse). MS B further adds: “He said—and Allah, exalted, also says about them: ‘Among them is a group who twist their tongues concerning the Book so that you might think it is from the Book’ (Qur’an 3:78).”
أو غيرهم
(١)
. أو إلى رئيس معظم عندهم
(٢)
في الدين - غير النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم - فإنهم لا يقبلون من الدين رأيا
(٣)
ورواية إلا ما جاءت به طائفتهم، ثم إنهم لا يعلمون ما توجبه طائفتهم،
مع أن دين الإسلام يوجب اتباع الحق مطلقا:
رواية ورأيا
(٤)
من غير تعيين شخص أو طائفة - غير الرسول صلى الله عليه وسلم -.
وقال تعالى في صفة المغضوب عليهم:
{مِنَ الَّذِينَ هَادُوا يُحَرِّفُونَ الْكَلِمَ عَنْ مَوَاضِعِهِ}
[النساء: ٤٦]
(٥)
.
ووصفهم بأنهم
(٦)
(١) كأتباع الفرق: المعتزلة والجهمية والخوارج والشيعة ونحوهم، وأتباع الاتجاهات والأحزاب: كالقومية، والبعثية، والاشتراكية، والماركسية، وأتباع النحل المعاصرة كالبهائية والقاديانية، وغيرها من النحل والمذاهب والحركات.
(٢) عندهم: سقطت من (أط) .
(٣) في المطبوعة: لا فقها ولا رواية.
(٤) في المطبوعة: رواية وفقها.
(٥) سورة النساء: من الآية ٤٦.
(٦) قوله: ووصفهم بأنهم، ساقطة من (أط) ، وفيهما: يَلْوُونَ أَلْسِنَتَهُمْ. . الآية، وفي (ب) : قال: وقال تعالى فيهم: وَإِنَّ مِنْهُمْ لَفَرِيقًا يَلْوُونَ أَلْسِنَتَهُمْ بِالْكِتَابِ لِتَحْسَبُوهُ مِنَ الْكِتَابِ.