Al-Siyasa al-Shar'iyya - Ibn Taimiya - (الكتاب/21)

Al-Siyasa al-Shar'iyyaIbn Taimiya

The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) also once appointed Amr ibn al-Ās as commander during the expedition of Dhāt al-Salāsil—in order to win over his relatives, to whom he was sent—placing him over men who were superior to him (1). He appointed Usāmah ibn Zayd as commander so that he might seek redress for his father’s death (2). In the same way, he would appoint a man when an overriding interest called for it, even though some of those under his command might surpass him in knowledge and faith.

Likewise, Abū Bakr, the caliph of Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him)—may Allah be pleased with him—continued to employ Khālid in the wars against the apostates and in the conquests of Iraq and Syria. Certain lapses occurred on Khālid’s part for which he had an interpretive justification, and it was reported to Abū Bakr that Khālid had acted in them from personal inclination. Yet he did not dismiss him on their account; rather, he reproached him (3), because the benefit of his remaining in command (4) outweighed the harm, and no one else could take his place. For when the temperament of the supreme ruler tends toward severity, his deputy’s temperament should tend toward gentleness; and when his temperament tends toward gentleness, his deputy’s should tend toward severity, so that affairs remain balanced.

For this reason, Abū Bakr al-Siddīq (may Allah be pleased with him) preferred to appoint Khālid as his deputy, whereas Umar ibn al-Khattāb (may Allah be pleased with him) preferred to dismiss Khālid and appoint Abū Ubaydah ibn al-Jarrāh in his place. Khālid was stern like Umar, while Abū Ubaydah was gentle like Abū Bakr. Thus, for each of them, the soundest course was to appoint the man he did [أ/ق 7], so that his administration would be balanced and he would thereby be one of the successors of Allah’s Messenger (peace and blessings be upon him), whose own disposition was balanced. The Messenger of Allah (peace and blessings be upon him) even said, “I am the Prophet of mercy; I am the Prophet of

(1) The account is found in al-Bukhārī (4358) and Muslim (2384). See also Sīrat Ibn Hishām (Qāf 2/4/623–624). (2) See Sīrat Ibn Hishām (Qāf 2/4/641–642). (3) Manuscript Yā’ reads: “he reproached him”; manuscript Zā’ reads: “he did not fault him.” (4) Manuscripts Zā’, Lām, and Bā’ read: “retaining him.”

وأمَّرَ النبيُّ ﷺ مرةً عَمْرو بن العاص في غزوة ذات السلاسل ــ استعطافًا لأقاربه الذين بعثه إليهم ــ على مَن هو أفضل منه (١). وأمَّر أسامة بن زيد لأجل طلب ثأر أبيه (٢). وكذلك كان يستعمل الرجل لمصلحة راجحة، مع أنه قد كان يكون مع الأمير مَن هو أفضل منه في العلم والإيمان. وهكذا كان أبو بكر خليفة رسول الله ﷺ ﵁ ما زال يستعمل خالدًا في حرب أهل الرِّدَّة، وفي فتوح العراق والشام، وبَدَت منه هفوات كان له فيها تأويل، وقد ذُكِر له عنه أنه كان له فيها هوى، فلم يعزِلْه من أجلها، بل عَتَبَه (٣) عليها لرجحان المصلحة على المفسدة في بقائه (٤)، وأن غيره لم يكن يقوم مقامه؛ لأن المتولي الكبير إذا كان خُلُقه يميل إلى الشِّدَّة، فينبغي أن يكون خُلُق نائبه يميل إلى اللين، وإذا كان خُلُقه يميل إلى اللين، فينبغي أن يكون خلق نائبه يميل إلى الشدة، ليعتدل الأمر. ولهذا كان أبو بكر الصديق ﵁ يُؤثِر استنابةَ خالد، وكان عمر بن الخطاب ﵁ يؤثر عزلَ خالد واستنابة أبي عبيدة بن الجراح؛ لأن خالدًا كان شديدًا كعمر، وأبا عبيدة كان ليِّنًا كأبي بكر، فكان [أ/ق ٧] الأصلح لكل منهما أن يولي مَن ولاه؛ ليكون أمره معتدلًا، ويكون بذلك مِن خلفاء رسول الله ﷺ الذي هو معتدل، حتى قال رسول الله ﷺ: «أنا نبيُّ الرحمة، أنا نبيُّ

(١) أصله في البخاري (٤٣٥٨)، ومسلم (٢٣٨٤)، وانظر «سيرة ابن هشام»: (ق ٢/ ٤/٦٢٣ - ٦٢٤). (٢) انظر «سيرة ابن هشام»: (ق ٢/ ٤/٦٤١ - ٦٤٢). (٣) (ي): «عاتبه»، (ظ): «لم يعبه». (٤) (ظ، ل، ب): «إبقائه».