Al-Muqaddimāt al-Mumahhidāt - Ibn Rush al-Jadd - (2/545)

Al-Muqaddimāt al-MumahhidātIbn Rush al-Jadd

And the Most High says:

“Like a wind bearing bitter cold that strikes the crops of people who have wronged themselves and destroys them. Allah has not wronged them; rather, they wrong themselves.” [Āl ʿImrān: 117]

Or rain—Allah, Mighty and Majestic, says:

“And send upon it a scourge from heaven, leaving it a barren, slippery plain.” [al-Kahf: 40]

Or hail—Allah, Mighty and Majestic, says:

“And He sends down hail from mountains in the sky, striking with it whomever He wills and turning it away from whom…” [al-Nūr: 43]

The same applies to similar calamities, such as locusts, frost, and birds that cannot be driven away. As for the loss of the water supply, there is unanimous agreement that it constitutes calamity damage, whether the loss is small or great. Allah, Mighty and Majestic, says:

“Or its water may sink into the ground, so that you will never be able to reach it.” [al-Kahf: 41]

Section

As for damage caused by legally accountable creatures that cannot be guarded against, such as an army or a thief, scholars differed over whether it constitutes calamity damage. Ibn al-Qāsim held that it does, because he regarded it as something that cannot be guarded against or repelled. Ibn al-Mājishūn and Mutarrif held that it does not constitute calamity damage, on the grounds that it can be repelled: the ruler can restrain an army and prevent its depredations, while precautions can likewise be taken against a thief. Ibn Nāfiʿ said that damage caused by an army constitutes calamity damage, but damage caused by a thief does not. He thus appears to have considered an army impossible to repel, whereas precautions and protective measures can be taken against a thief.

Some scholars hold that a reduction must be awarded for calamity damage, whether small or great. This is the view of Ahmad ibn Hanbal and a group of hadith scholars, and one of the two positions held by al-Shāfiʿī. There are thus three positions on the matter: two occupy opposite extremes, while the position of Mālik—may Allah have mercy on him—and his companions strikes a just balance between them. Indeed, you will always find his position to be the most balanced and moderate of all, for he was granted guidance and support. These, then, are the general principles upon which the questions in this book are to be based, Allah willing. Success comes through Him.

وقال تعالى: ﴿كَمَثَلِ رِيحٍ فِيهَا صِرٌّ أَصَابَتْ حَرْثَ قَوْمٍ ظَلَمُوا أَنْفُسَهُمْ فَأَهْلَكَتْهُ وَمَا ظَلَمَهُمُ اللَّهُ وَلَكِنْ أَنْفُسَهُمْ يَظْلِمُونَ﴾ [آل عمران: ١١٧]، أو المطر قال الله ﷿: ﴿وَيُرْسِلَ عَلَيْهَا حُسْبَانًا مِنَ السَّمَاءِ فَتُصْبِحَ صَعِيدًا زَلَقًا﴾ [الكهف: ٤٠]، أو البرد: قال الله ﷿: ﴿وَيُنَزِّلُ مِنَ السَّمَاءِ مِنْ جِبَالٍ فِيهَا مِنْ بَرَدٍ فَيُصِيبُ بِهِ مَنْ يَشَاءُ وَيَصْرِفُهُ عَنْ مَنْ﴾ [النور: ٤٣]، وكذلك ما أشبهه من الجراد والجليد والطير الغالب. وأما انقطاع الماء، فإنه جائحة في القليل والكثير بإجماع واتفاق، قال الله ﷿: ﴿أَوْ يُصْبِحَ مَاؤُهَا غَوْرًا فَلَنْ تَسْتَطِيعَ لَهُ طَلَبًا﴾ [الكهف: ٤١]. فصل وأما ما كان من اكتساب المخلوقين المكلفين ولا يمكن الاحتراس منه كالجيش والسارق، فاختلف فيه هل هو جائحة أم لا فذهب ابن القاسم إلى أن ذلك جائحة، لأنه عنده مما لا يمكن الاحتراس منه، ولا يقدر على دفعه، وذهب ابن الماجشون ومطرف إلى أن ذلك ليس بحائحه، لأن ذلك مما يمكن عنده دفعه؛ لأن السلطان يكف الجيش ويمنعه؛ وكذلك السارق يتحصن منه؛ وقال ابن نافع الجيش جائحة وليس السارق بجائحة، فكأنه رأى أن الجيش مما لا يمكن دفعه، وأن السارق يقدر على التحفظ منه والتحصن عنه. ومن أهل العلم من يرى أن الجائحة توضع في القليل والكثير - وهو قول أحمد بن حنبل وطائفة من أهل الحديث، وأحد قولي الشافعي؛ ففي المسألة ثلاثة أقوال القولان: طرفان في الإغراق، ومذهب مالك ﵀ وأصحابه عدل بينهما، وكذلك تجد مذهبه أبدا أعدل المذاهب وأوسطها، فإنه كان موقفا مؤيدا، فهذه جملة تبنى عليها مسائل الكتاب - إن شاء الله، وبه التوفيق.