Qāʿidah fī Qitāl al-Kuffār - Ibn Taimiya - (122)

rather, the verse is general (1), and as for those with whom we have a treaty, it is already established that their covenant must be honored, so they are not to be forced in anything.

If it is then objected that the verse is either particularized or abrogated—as some of those who permit coercing the pagans have claimed—Abū al-Faraj (2) says:

The specialists in abrogation have differed over this portion of the verse:
• One group holds that it is still operative (muḥkam) and that it belongs to the category of a universal statement qualified by exception. The People of the Book are not compelled to embrace Islam; they are given the choice between Islam and payment of the jizya. Accordingly, the verse is restricted to them. He adds: this is the purport of what has been transmitted from Ibn ʿAbbās, Mujāhid, and Qatāda.

(1) Ibn al-Qayyim, Hidayat al-Hayara, vol. 1, p. 12: “The sound position is that the verse, in its full generality, applies to every disbeliever.” (2) See Zad al-Masir, vol. 1, p. 305.

قِيلَ: الآَيَةُ عَامَّةٌ (١)، وَأَهْلُ العَهْدِ قَدْ عُلِمَ أَنَّهُ يَجِبُ الوَفَاءُ لَهُمْ بِعَهْدِهِمْ، فَلَا يُكْرَهُوْنَ عَلَى شَيءٍ. فَإِنْ قِيلَ: هَذِهِ الآَيَةُ مَخْصُوْصَةٌ أَوْ مَنْسُوْخَةٌ، كَمَا ذَكَرَ ذَلِكَ مَنْ ذَكَرَهُ مَمَّنْ يَقُوْلُ بِإِكْرِاهِ المُشْرِكِينَ. قَالَ أَبُو الفَرَجِ (٢): (اخْتَلَفَ عُلَمَاءُ النَّاسِخِ والمَنْسُوْخِ فِي هَذَا القَدْرِ مِنَ الآَيَةِ: * فَذَهَبَ قَوْمٌ إِلَى أَنَّهُ مُحْكَمٌ، وَإِلَى أَنَّهُ مِنَ العَامِ المَخْصُوْص، فَإِنَّ أَهْلَ الكِتَابِ لا يُكْرَهُوْنَ عَلَى الإِسْلَام، بَلْ يُخَيَّرُوْنَ بَينَهُ وَبَينَ الجِزْيَة، فَالآَيَةُ مُخْتَصَّةٌ بِهِمْ. قَالَ: وَهَذَا مَعْنَى مَا رُوِيَ عَنِ ابنِ عَبَّاسٍ، وَمُجَاهِدٍ، وَقَتَادَةَ.

(١) قال ابن القيم في هداية الحيارى (١/ ١٢): (والصحيح: أن الآية على عمومها في حق كل كافر). (٢) انظر: زاد المسير (١/ ٣٠٥).