Al-Siyasa al-Shar'iyya - Ibn Taimiya - (الكتاب/3)

Al-Siyasa al-Shar'iyyaIbn Taimiya

In the name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.

“My success comes only through Allah.” (1)

Praise be to Allah, who has made the landmarks of religion clear to us (2) and blessed us with the manifest Book. He prescribed rulings for us and distinguished the lawful from the unlawful, thereby ordering the welfare of creation and establishing the foundations of truth. He entrusted those in authority with matters best determined by sound judgment and most wisely administered. To Him belongs all praise for what He has determined and administered.

I testify that there is no deity worthy of worship but Allah alone, without partner. He sent His messengers with clear proofs and sent down with them the Book and the balance so that people might uphold justice:

“We sent down (3) iron, in which there is mighty power and benefits for humankind, so that Allah may make evident those who support Him and His messengers without seeing Him. Indeed, Allah is All-Strong, Almighty.” [Iron: 25]

He made our Prophet Muhammad (4)—may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him—the last of them. He sent him with guidance and the religion of truth so that He might make it prevail over every other religion, and strengthened him with a supporting authority encompassing knowledge and the pen for guidance and proof, as well as power and the sword for support (5) and discipline (6).

(1) The manuscripts have different opening formulas; we have limited ourselves to listing them in the Introduction, in the discussion of the manuscripts. (2) From this point through the words “without partner” appears only in the base manuscript. (3) The other manuscripts read: “and He sent down.” (4) From the base manuscript. (5) The base manuscript reads *al-nasīr* (“the supporter”); the reading printed here, *al-nusra* (“support”), is from the other manuscripts. (6) Manuscripts Z, B, and L read “and reinforcement.” The word “reinforcement” derives from “might.” Al-Uthaymīn preferred this reading in his *Commentary* (pp. 15–16) on account of the rhymed prose in the other manuscripts, which contain: “I testify that there is no deity but Allah alone, without partner—a sincere testimony, as pure as refined gold. And I testify that Muhammad is His servant and Messenger. May Allah bestow abundant blessings and peace upon him, his family, and his Companions; its bearer will be under impregnable protection.”

﷽ وما توفيقي إلا بالله (١) الحمد لله الذي أوضحَ (٢) لنا معالمَ الدين، ومنَّ علينا بالكتاب المبين. شرع لنا من الأحكام، وفصَل بين الحلال والحرام، فتقَدَّرت به مصالح الخلق، وثبتت به قواعد الحق، ووكل إلى ولاة الأمور ما أحسن فيه التقدير وأحكم به التدبير، فله الحمد على ما قدَّر ودبَّر. وأشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له، أرسل رسله بالبينات وأنزل معهم الكتاب والميزان ليقوم الناس بالقسط، ﴿وَأَنْزَلْنَا (٣) الْحَدِيدَ فِيهِ بَأْسٌ شَدِيدٌ وَمَنَافِعُ لِلنَّاسِ وَلِيَعْلَمَ اللَّهُ مَنْ يَنْصُرُهُ وَرُسُلَهُ بِالْغَيْبِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ قَوِيٌّ عَزِيزٌ﴾ [الحديد: ٢٥]. وختمهم بمحمد نبينا (٤) ﷺ الذي أرسله بالهدى ودين الحق ليظهره على الدين كله وأيَّده بالسلطان النصير، الجامع معنى العلم والقلم للهداية والحجة ومعنى القدرة والسيف للنُّصْرَة (٥) والتعزير (٦).

(١) اختلفت افتتاحيات النسخ، اكتفينا بذكرها في المقدمة عند الكلام على النسخ. (٢) من هنا إلى قوله: «لا شريك له» من الأصل فقط. (٣) بقية النسخ: «وأنزل». (٤) من الأصل. (٥) الأصل: «النصير»، والمثبت من بقية النسخ. (٦) (ز، ب، ل): «والتعزيز» والتعزيز من العزَّة، ورجحه العثيمين في «شرحه» (ص ١٥ - ١٦) باعتبار السجع في بقية النسخ، وفيها: «وأشهد أن لا إله إلا الله وحده لا شريك له شهادةً خالصةً خلاص الذهب الإبريز، وأشهد أن محمدًا عبده ورسوله صلى الله عليه وعلى آله وصحبه وسلم تسليمًا كثيرًا يكون صاحبه في حرزٍ حريز».