Al-Tisʿīniyya - Ibn Taimiya - (3/903)

Al-TisʿīniyyaIbn Taimiya

“the people of truth,” yet what he really means are his own followers. This is a claim anyone at all could make about his own partisans, for the people of truth, beyond any doubt, are the believers—those who do not collectively agree upon misguidance. As for a person who singles out (1) a faction affiliated with some figure of the ummah, labeling it (2) “the people of truth,” and giving the impression that whoever differs with it in anything is among the people of falsehood, this is the hallmark of the sects of desire and innovation, such as the Khawārij, the Muʿtazilah, and the Rāfiḍah. This is not the practice of Ahl al-Sunnah wa’l-Jamāʿah, for they never describe any group as the exclusive bearers of truth (3) except the believers (4), who do not all unite upon error.

Allah the Exalted says:
“That is because those who disbelieved followed falsehood, whereas those who believed followed the truth from their Lord.” (5)

This is the consummation of truth; the discourse about which there is no doubt that it is true is the speech of Allah and the speech of His Messenger, who himself is truth and who came with the truth. Allah, Exalted is He, says:
“Allah speaks the truth,” (6)

and He says:
“His word is the truth.” (7)

The Prophet (8)—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said, “Write, for by Him in whose hand is my soul, nothing issues from between them except the truth,” (9) meaning his two lips.

(1) The original reads “yufrit,” a meaningless scribal corruption. Manuscripts S and T confirm the corrected reading. (2) The original reads “yasmaʿuha,” also a scribal error. Manuscripts S and T attest the correct reading. (3) In manuscript S it appears as “mutlaqa” (unrestricted), which is a scribal mistake. (4) The original and manuscript S read “al-mu’minun” (the believers), a reading also confirmed by manuscript T and likely the correct one. (5) Surah Muhammad, verse 3. (6) Surah al-Ahzab, verse 4. (7) Surah al-An‘am, verse 73. (8) Manuscript S reads “wa qala al-nabi” (and the Prophet said), while manuscript T reads “wa qala rasul Allah” (and the Messenger of God said). (9) The hadith, with minor variations in wording, is narrated by Abu Dawud from ʿAbdullah b. ʿAmr, who said: “I used to write down everything I heard from the Messenger of God—peace be upon him—to preserve it. Quraysh forbade me, saying, ‘Will you write down everything you hear, when the Prophet is only human and speaks in anger and pleasure?’ So I ceased writing. I reported this to the Messenger of God—peace be upon him—and he pointed to his chest with his finger and said, ‘Write, for by Him in Whose Hand is my soul, nothing comes from me except the truth.’” Sunan Abu Dawud, vol. 4, pp. 60–61, Kitab al-ʿIlm (Book of Knowledge), chapter on the Book of Knowledge.

أهل الحق، وإنما يعني أصحابه، وهذه دعوى يمكن كل أحد أن يقول لأصحابه مثلها، فإن أهل الحق الذين لا ريب فيهم هم المؤمنون، الذين لا يجتمعون على ضلالة، فأما أن يفرد (١) الإنسان طائفة منتسبة إلى متبوع من الأمة، ويسميها (٢) أهل الحق، ويشعر بأن كل من خالفها في شيء فهو من أهل الباطل، فهذا حال أهل الأهواء والبدع، كالخوارج والمعتزلة والرافضة، وليس هذا من فعل أهل السنة والجماعة، فإنهم لا يصفون طائفة بأنها صاحبة الحق مطلقًا (٣) إلا المؤمنين (٤) ، الذين لا يجتمعون على ضلالة، قال الله تعالى: {ذَلِكَ بِأَنَّ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا اتَّبَعُوا الْبَاطِلَ وَأَنَّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا اتَّبَعُوا الْحَقَّ مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ} (٥) وهذا نهاية الحق، والكلام الذي لا ريب فيه أنه حق، قول الله، وقول رسوله الذي هو حق وآت بالحق. قال تعالى: {وَاللَّهُ يَقُولُ الْحَقَّ} (٦) ، وقال تعالى: {قَوْلُهُ الْحَقُّ} (٧) . وقول النبي (٨) - صلى الله عليه وسلم -: "اكتب، فوالذي نفسي بيده ما خرج من بينهما إلّا الحق" (٩) . يعني شفتيه.

(١) في الأصل: يفرط. وهو تصحيف لا معنى له. والمثبت من: س، ط. (٢) في الأصل: يسمعها. وهو تصحيف. والمثبت من: س، ط. (٣) في س: مطلقة. وهو تصحيف. (٤) في الأصل، س: المؤمنون. والمثبت من: ط. ولعله الصواب. (٥) سورة محمد، الآية: ٣. (٦) سورة الأحزاب، الآية: ٤. (٧) سورة الأنعام، الآية: ٧٣. (٨) في س: وقال النبي. وفي ط: وقال رسول الله. (٩) الحديث مع اختلاف يسير في الألفاظ رواه أبو داود عن عبد الله بن عمرو قال: كنت أكتب كل شيء أسمعه من رسول الله - صلى الله عليه وسلم - أريد حفظه، فنهتني قريش، وقالوا: أتكتب كل شيء تسمعه، ورسول الله - صلى الله عليه وسلم - بشر، يتكلم في الغضب والرضا؟ فأمسكت عن الكتاب، فذكرت ذلك لرسول الله - صلى الله عليه وسلم - فأومأ بأصبعه إلى فيه، فقال: "اكتب فوالذي نفسي بيده ما يخرج منه إلّا الحق". سنن أبي داود ٤/ ٦٠، ٦١ - كتاب العلم- باب في كتاب العلم =