Al-Siyasa al-Shar'iyya - Ibn Taimiya - (الكتاب/71)

Al-Siyasa al-Shar'iyyaIbn Taimiya

For example, if an oppressor demands money from the guardian of an orphan or the administrator of an endowment, and, after making every possible effort to ward off the demand, he succeeds in doing so by giving the oppressor or someone else an amount (1) smaller than what was demanded, then he is a doer of good, and there is no cause for reproach against those who do good.

Likewise, an owner’s agent—whether an auctioneer (2), a scribe (3), or someone else—who acts on the owner’s behalf in concluding contracts, receiving payments, and paying what is demanded from him is not thereby acting on behalf of the oppressors in collecting the money.

Similarly, if a wrongful levy were imposed upon the people of a village, street, marketplace, or city, and a well-intentioned man intervened to avert it from them to the fullest extent possible, then apportioned it among them (4) according to their means, without showing favoritism toward himself or anyone else and without accepting bribes—but rather acting on their behalf to defend them and make the payment= he would be a doer of good.

In most cases, however, whoever becomes involved in such matters acts as an agent of the oppressors, showing favoritism, taking bribes, shielding whomever he wishes, and exacting payment from whomever he wishes. Such people are among the worst wrongdoers: they, their accomplices, and those like them will be gathered in coffins of fire and then cast into the Fire (5).

(1) Zh reads: “by paying what is,” while Y reads: “with what is,” followed by the note: “Zh: by paying what.” (2) This is the reading of the original and manuscripts Z, L, and Zh; these are brokers. F, Y, and B read: “administrative overseers.” Zh additionally has: “and the brokers.” (3) A note in the margin of Y reads: “I believe this is comparable to village notables and headmen, caravan leaders, and others like them. They are like agents for the owners: they negotiate on their behalf and *yatāqūna* [sic] concerning it, and they distribute and apportion whatever is levied upon them. Allah knows best.” (4) F, L, B, and T read: “among them according to.” (5) For further discussion of these balancing considerations, see *Majmūʿ al-Fatāwā*, 30:356–360.

مثال ذلك: ولي اليتيم والوقف إذا طلب ظالمٌ منه مالًا فاجتهد في دفع ذلك بما هو (١) أقل منه إليه أو إلى غيره، بعد الاجتهاد التام في الدفع فهو محسن، وما على المحسنين من سبيل. وكذلك وكيل المالك من المنادين (٢) والكُتَّاب (٣) وغيرهم، الذي يتوكل لهم في العقد والقبض ودفع ما يُطْلَب منهم، لا يتوكَّل للظالمين في الأخذ. وكذلك لو وُضِعَت مظلمة على أهل قرية أو دَرْب أو سوق أو مدينة، فتوسَّط رجل محسن في الدفع عنهم بغاية الإمكان، وقَسَّطها عليهم (٤) قدر طاقتهم من غير محاباة لنفسه ولا لغيره ولا ارتشاء، بل توكَّل لهم في الدفع عنهم والإعطاء= كان محسنًا. لكنَّ الغالب أن من يدخل في ذلك يكون وكيل الظالمين، محابيًا مرتشيًا مُخْفِرًا لمن يريد، وآخذًا ممن يريد، وهذا من أكبر الظلمة الذين يُحْشرون في توابيت من نار، هم وأعوانهم وأشباههم، ثم يُقذَفون في النار (٥).

(١) (ظ): «بدفع ما هو» و (ي): «بما هو، ثم كتب: ظ: بدفع ما». (٢) كذا في الأصل و (ز، ل، ظ) وهم الدلالون، و (ف، ي، ب): «الشادين». وزاد بعده في (ظ): (والدلالين). (٣) علق في هامش (ي) ما نصه: (أظن هذا مثل كبراء القرى والعُرفاء، وكبراء القوافل وأشباههم، فهو كالوكلاء للملاك، مفاصلون عنهم ويتاقون (كذا) عليه، ويوزعون ويقسطون ما يضرب عليهم، والله أعلم) اهـ. (٤) (ف، ل، ب، ط): «بينهم على». (٥) وانظر للمزيد عن هذه الموازنات «مجموع الفتاوى»: (٣٠/ ٣٥٦ - ٣٦٠).