Majmu' al-Fatawa - Ibn Taimiya - (7/312)

Majmu' al-FatawaIbn Taimiya

Since the early generations held that a person may have both faith and hypocrisy within him, the same applies to their statement that he may have both faith and disbelief: this is not the disbelief that takes one outside the religion. Thus, concerning the Most High’s words,

“And whoever does not judge by what Allah has revealed—it is they who are the disbelievers,”

Ibn ‘Abbās and his companions said: “They have committed a form of disbelief that does not take them outside the religion.” Ahmad ibn Hanbal and other imams of the Sunnah followed them in this.

Imam Muhammad ibn Nasr al-Marwazī said in his book al-Salāh (Prayer):

“People have differed over the interpretation of this hadith of Gabriel. A group of our companions said: The Prophet’s words, ‘Faith is to believe in Allah,’ together with what he mentioned alongside this, constitute a concise, comprehensive statement with profound meaning. The Murji’ah misunderstood its explanation and interpreted it incorrectly because of their limited knowledge of the Arabic language and the depth of the words of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. He was granted comprehensive speech and its keys, and his words were made exceptionally concise.

“As for his words, ‘Faith is to believe in Allah,’ this means that you affirm His oneness and affirm your belief in Him with your heart and tongue, submitting to Him and His command by firmly resolving to carry out what He has commanded, free of disdain, arrogance, and obstinate resistance. When you do this, you adhere to what He loves and avoid what displeases Him.

“As for his words, ‘and His angels,’ this means that you believe in those whom Allah has named for you in His Book, and believe that Allah has other angels whose names and number are known only to the One who created them.

“As for his words, ‘and His Books,’ this means that you believe in the Books Allah has named in His Book—specifically, the Torah, the Gospel, and the Psalms—and believe that Allah has other Books which He sent down to His prophets, whose names and number are known only to the One who revealed them. You must also believe in the Criterion, and your belief in it differs from your belief in all the other Books.

وَإِذَا كَانَ مِنْ قَوْلِ السَّلَفِ: إنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ يَكُونُ فِيهِ إيمَانٌ وَنِفَاقٌ فَكَذَلِكَ فِي قَوْلِهِمْ: إنَّهُ يَكُونُ فِيهِ إيمَانٌ وَكُفْرٌ لَيْسَ هُوَ الْكُفْرُ الَّذِي يَنْقُلُ عَنْ الْمِلَّةِ؛ كَمَا قَالَ ابْنُ عَبَّاسٍ وَأَصْحَابُهُ فِي قَوْله تَعَالَى {وَمَنْ لَمْ يَحْكُمْ بِمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْكَافِرُونَ} قَالُوا: كَفَرُوا كُفْرًا لَا يَنْقُلُ عَنْ الْمِلَّةِ وَقَدْ اتَّبَعَهُمْ عَلَى ذَلِكَ أَحْمَد بْنُ حَنْبَلٍ وَغَيْرُهُ مِنْ أَئِمَّةِ السُّنَّةِ. قَالَ الْإِمَامُ مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ نَصْرٍ الْمَرْوَزِي فِي كِتَابِ " الصَّلَاةِ " : اخْتَلَفَ النَّاسُ فِي تَفْسِيرِ حَدِيثِ جبرائيل هَذَا فَقَالَ طَائِفَةٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِنَا: قَوْلُ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ {الْإِيمَانُ أَنْ تُؤْمِنَ بِاَللَّهِ} وَمَا ذَكَرَ مَعَهُ كَلَامٌ جَامِعٌ مُخْتَصَرٌ لَهُ غَوْرٌ وَقَدْ وَهَمَتْ الْمُرْجِئَةُ فِي تَفْسِيرِهِ فَتَأَوَّلُوهُ عَلَى غَيْرِ تَأْوِيلِهِ قِلَّةٌ مَعْرِفَةً مِنْهُمْ بِلِسَانِ الْعَرَبِ وَغَوْرُ كَلَامِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ الَّذِي قَدْ أُعْطِيَ جَوَامِعَ الْكَلِمِ وَفَوَاتِحَهُ وَاخْتُصِرَ لَهُ الْحَدِيثُ اخْتِصَارًا. أَمَّا قَوْلُهُ: {الْإِيمَانُ أَنْ تُؤْمِنَ بِاَللَّهِ} فَأَنْ تُوَحِّدَهُ وَتُصَدِّقَ بِهِ بِالْقَلْبِ وَاللِّسَانِ وَتَخْضَعَ لَهُ وَلِأَمْرِهِ بِإِعْطَاءِ الْعَزْمِ لِلْأَدَاءِ لِمَا أَمَرَ مُجَانِبًا لِلِاسْتِنْكَافِ وَالِاسْتِكْبَارِ وَالْمُعَانَدَةِ فَإِذَا فَعَلْت ذَلِكَ لَزِمْت مُحَابَّهُ وَاجْتَنَبْت مساخطه. وَأَمَّا قَوْلُهُ: " وَمَلَائِكَتِهِ " فَأَنْ تُؤْمِنَ بِمَنْ سَمَّى اللَّهُ لَك مِنْهُمْ فِي كِتَابِهِ وَتُؤْمِنَ بِأَنَّ لِلَّهِ مَلَائِكَةً سِوَاهُمْ لَا يَعْرِفُ أَسْمَاءَهُمْ وَعَدَدَهُمْ إلَّا الَّذِي خَلَقَهُمْ. وَأَمَّا قَوْلُهُ: " وَكُتُبِهِ " فَأَنْ تُؤْمِنَ بِمَا سَمَّى اللَّهُ مِنْ كُتُبِهِ فِي كِتَابِهِ مِنْ التَّوْرَاةِ وَالْإِنْجِيلِ وَالزَّبُورِ خَاصَّةً؛ وَتُؤْمِنَ بِأَنَّ لِلَّهِ سِوَى ذَلِكَ كُتُبًا أَنْزَلَهَا عَلَى أَنْبِيَائِهِ لَا يَعْرِفُ أَسْمَاءَهَا وَعَدَدَهَا إلَّا الَّذِي أَنْزَلَهَا وَتُؤْمِنَ بِالْفُرْقَانِ وَإِيمَانُك بِهِ غَيْرُ إيمَانِك بِسَائِرِ الْكُتُبِ.