Al-Jawāb as-Sahīh li-man baddala dīn al-Masīh - Ibn Taimiya - (1/171)

and by the scholars of ḥadith and of fiqh alike; the basic narration concerning them is well-known in the Ṣaḥīḥ and Sunan collections, as we shall set out, God willing.

When the delegation of Najrān arrived, Allah—blessed and exalted—sent down, in response to what transpired, the opening verses of Sūrah Āl ʿImrān, and in them He mentioned the obligation of Hajj with His words:

“Pilgrimage to the House is a duty owed to Allah by all people who are able to find a way there.” ⦗Āl ʿImrān 97⦘.

This verse was revealed either in the ninth year AH or the tenth, as more than one scholar has stated—among them Qāḍī Abū Yaʿlā and others. They maintained that the duty of Hajj is established by His saying, “Pilgrimage to the House is a duty owed to Allah…” ⦗Āl ʿImrān 97⦘.

وَأَهْلُ الْحَدِيثِ، وَأَهْلُ الْفِقْهِ، وَأَصْلُ حَدِيثِهِمْ مَعْرُوفٌ فِي الصِّحَاحِ، وَالسُّنَنِ، كَمَا سَنَذْكُرُهُ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى. وَوَفْدُ نَجْرَانَ لَمَّا قَدِمُوا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ تَبَارَكَ وَتَعَالَى بِسَبَبِ مَا جَرَى صَدْرَ سُورَةِ آلِ عِمْرَانَ، وَذَكَرَ تَعَالَى فَرْضَ الْحَجِّ بِقَوْلِهِ: {وَلِلَّهِ عَلَى النَّاسِ حِجُّ الْبَيْتِ مَنِ اسْتَطَاعَ إِلَيْهِ سَبِيلًا} [آل عمران: ٩٧] . وَهَذَا نَزَلَ إِمَّا سَنَةَ تِسْعٍ وَإِمَّا سَنَةَ عَشْرٍ، كَمَا ذَكَرَ ذَلِكَ غَيْرُ وَاحِدٍ مِنَ الْعُلَمَاءِ، مِنْهُمُ: الْقَاضِي أَبُو يَعْلَى، وَغَيْرُهُ. قَالُوا وُجُوبُ الْحَجِّ ثَبَتَ بِقَوْلِهِ {وَلِلَّهِ عَلَى النَّاسِ حِجُّ الْبَيْتِ} [آل عمران: ٩٧] .