Al-Muqaddimāt al-Mumahhidāt - Ibn Rush al-Jadd - (1/26)

Al-Muqaddimāt al-MumahhidātIbn Rush al-Jadd

our Prophet Muhammad (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), the foremost of the messengers, the trusted envoy of the Lord of all worlds, the noblest of mankind, and the best of the prophets and messengers—a bearer of glad tidings and a warner, one who calls to Allah by His permission, and an illuminating lamp. Allah sent him to all creation, as He, Exalted is He, says:

“Say, O mankind, I am the Messenger of Allah to you all.” [al-A‘rāf: 158]

He sent him with miracles that demonstrated his prophethood and established certain knowledge of the truth of his message. He called people to Islam and faith, forbade the worship of anyone other than the Most Merciful, clarified what revelation had left unelaborated, and showed the paths to knowledge and the ways of interpretation. For Allah, Exalted is He, set out His Book in detail, making some passages clear and explicit and others ambiguous and obscure, as a trial and a test, so that Allah might raise those who believe and those endowed with knowledge by degrees through their reflection upon His verses, their drawing lessons from them, and their derivation from them of the rulings that Allah has obliged them to observe and by which He has required them to worship Him. For He, Exalted is He, referred this matter to them after the Messenger (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), saying:

“If they had referred it to the Messenger and to those in authority among them, those among them capable of drawing conclusions would have understood it.” [al-Nisā’: 83]

Thus He made what is derived from the Book a form of knowledge, and recourse to it obligatory in the absence of an explicit text or consensus.

Section: The Means of Knowing the Rulings of Religious Law

The rulings of religious law are known through four sources. The first is the Book of Allah, Almighty and Majestic, which falsehood cannot approach from before or behind, a revelation from One who is All-Wise, Praiseworthy. The second is the Sunnah of His Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace), obedience to whom Allah, Exalted is He, has coupled with obedience to Himself. He commanded us to follow his Sunnah, saying, Almighty and Majestic:

“Obey Allah and obey the Messenger.” [al-Mā’idah: 92]

He, Exalted is He, also says:

“Whoever obeys the Messenger has indeed obeyed Allah.” [al-Nisā’: 80]

He says:

“Whatever the Messenger gives you, take it; and whatever he forbids you, refrain from it.” [al-Hashr: 7]

And He says:

“Remember what is recited in your homes of Allah’s verses and wisdom.” [al-Ahzāb: 34]

بشيرا ونذيرا، وداعيا إلى الله بإذنه وسراجا منيرا، نبينا محمد ﷺ سيد المرسلين وأمين رب العالمين وأكرم البشر وأفضل الأنبياء والرسل، بعثه الله إلى الخلق كافة كما قال تعالى: ﴿قُلْ يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ إِنِّي رَسُولُ اللَّهِ إِلَيْكُمْ جَمِيعًا﴾ [الأعراف: ١٥٨] بالمعجزات التي دلت على نبوته، وأوجبت العلم بصحة رسالته، فدعا إلى الإسلام والإيمان، ونهى عن عبادة غير الرحمن، وبين مجمل التنزيل، ودل على طرق العلم ووجوه التأويل؛ لأن الله تعالى فصل كتابه فجعل منه نصا جليا ومتشابها خفيا ابتلاء واختبارا ليرفع الله الذين آمنوا والذين أوتوا العلم درجات بتدبرهم آياته واعتبارهم بها واستنباطهم منها الأحكام التي فرض الله عليهم امتثالها وتعبدهم بها؛ لأنه تعالى رد إليهم الأمر في ذلك بعد الرسول ﵊ فقال تعالى: ﴿وَلَوْ رَدُّوهُ إِلَى الرَّسُولِ وَإِلَى أُولِي الأَمْرِ مِنْهُمْ لَعَلِمَهُ الَّذِينَ يَسْتَنْبِطُونَهُ مِنْهُمْ﴾ [النساء: ٨٣]، فجعل المستنبط من الكتاب علما والمصير إليه عند عدم النص والإجماع فرضا. فصل في الطريق إلى معرفة أحكام الشرائع فأحكام شرائع الدين تدرك من أربعة أوجه، أحدها كتاب الله ﷿ الذي لا يأتيه الباطل من بين يديه ولا من خلفه تنزيل من حكيم حميد، والثاني سنة نبيه ﵊ الذي قرن الله تعالى طاعته بطاعته وأمرنا باتباع سنته فقال ﷿: ﴿وَأَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ﴾ [المائدة: ٩٢]، وقال تعالى: ﴿مَنْ يُطِعِ الرَّسُولَ فَقَدْ أَطَاعَ اللَّهَ﴾ [النساء: ٨٠]، وقال: ﴿وَمَا آتَاكُمُ الرَّسُولُ فَخُذُوهُ وَمَا نَهَاكُمْ عَنْهُ فَانْتَهُوا﴾ [الحشر: ٧]، وقال: ﴿وَاذْكُرْنَ مَا يُتْلَى فِي بُيُوتِكُنَّ مِنْ آيَاتِ اللَّهِ وَالْحِكْمَةِ﴾ [الأحزاب: ٣٤]