Majmu' al-Fatawa - Ibn Taimiya - (19/113)

Majmu' al-FatawaIbn Taimiya

“And who is better than Allah in judgment for a people who are certain?”

These verses were revealed concerning judgments involving prescribed punishments, retaliation, and blood money. He stated that the Torah was that:

“By which the prophets who submitted to Allah judged for the Jews, as did the devout scholars and rabbis, by virtue of what they were entrusted to preserve.”

This applies generally to all the prophets, devout scholars, and rabbis. Then, when He mentioned the Gospel, He said:

“Let the people of the Gospel judge by what Allah has revealed therein.”

He commanded these people to judge accordingly because the Gospel contains some of what is in the Torah and confirms most of it. Judging by what Allah revealed in it is therefore also judging by what is in the Torah. Then He said:

“So judge between them by what Allah has revealed, and do not follow their desires, turning away from the truth that has come to you. To each of you We appointed a law and a clear path.”

He thus commanded him to judge by what Allah had revealed to those before him. “To each We appointed”—of the two messengers and the two scriptures—“a law and a clear path,” meaning a prescribed practice and a way. The law is the revealed law, namely the prescribed practice; the clear path is the road or way. This explained why he was to leave the practice and path appointed for others in favor of what had been appointed for him.

Then He commanded him to judge between them by what Allah had revealed to him. The first forbids him to adopt another’s path and law. The second—even if it constitutes a ruling other than the ruling that was revealed—forbids him to abandon anything revealed therein concerning following Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, whom they find mentioned in writing in the Torah and the Gospel that they possess. Whoever does not follow him has not judged by what Allah revealed, even if he is not among the People of the Scripture who were commanded to judge by what it contains of provisions differing from his judgment.

{وَمَنْ أَحْسَنُ مِنَ اللَّهِ حُكْمًا لِقَوْمٍ يُوقِنُونَ} وَهَذِهِ الْآيَاتُ نَزَلَتْ بِسَبَبِ الْحُكْمِ فِي الْحُدُودِ وَالْقِصَاصِ وَالدِّيَاتِ أَخْبَرَ أَنَّ التَّوْرَاةَ {يَحْكُمُ بِهَا النَّبِيُّونَ الَّذِينَ أَسْلَمُوا لِلَّذِينَ هَادُوا وَالرَّبَّانِيُّونَ وَالْأَحْبَارُ بِمَا اسْتُحْفِظُوا} وَهَذَا عَامٌّ فِي النَّبِيِّينَ جَمِيعِهِمْ والربانيين وَالْأَحْبَارِ. ثُمَّ لَمَّا ذَكَرَ الْإِنْجِيلَ قَالَ: {وَلْيَحْكُمْ أَهْلُ الْإِنْجِيلِ بِمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ فِيهِ} فَأَمَرَ هَؤُلَاءِ بِالْحُكْمِ لِأَنَّ الْإِنْجِيلَ بَعْضُ مَا فِي التَّوْرَاةِ وَأَقَرَّ الْأَكْثَرُ وَالْحُكْمُ بِمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ فِيهِ حُكْمُ بِمَا فِي التَّوْرَاةِ أَيْضًا ثُمَّ قَالَ: {فَاحْكُمْ بَيْنَهُمْ بِمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ وَلَا تَتَّبِعْ أَهْوَاءَهُمْ عَمَّا جَاءَكَ مِنَ الْحَقِّ لِكُلٍّ جَعَلْنَا مِنْكُمْ شِرْعَةً وَمِنْهَاجًا} فَأَمَرَهُ أَنْ يَحْكُمَ بِمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ عَلَى مَنْ قَبْلَهُ لِكُلٍّ جَعَلْنَا مِنْ الرَّسُولَيْنِ وَالْكِتَابَيْنِ شِرْعَةً وَمِنْهَاجًا أَيْ سُنَّةً وَسَبِيلًا فَالشِّرْعَةُ الشَّرِيعَةُ وَهِيَ السُّنَّةُ وَالْمِنْهَاجُ الطَّرِيقُ وَالسَّبِيلُ وَكَانَ هَذَا بَيَانُ وَجْهِ تَرْكِهِ لِمَا جَعَلَ لِغَيْرِهِ مِنْ السُّنَّةِ وَالْمِنْهَاجِ إلَى مَا جَعَلَ لَهُ ثُمَّ أَمَرَهُ أَنْ يَحْكُمَ بَيْنَهُمْ بِمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ إلَيْهِ فَالْأَوَّلُ نَهَى لَهُ أَنْ يَأْخُذَ بِمِنْهَاجِ غَيْرِهِ وَشِرْعَتِهِ وَالثَّانِي وَإِنْ كَانَ حُكْمًا غَيْرَ الْحُكْمِ الَّذِي أُنْزِلَ نَهَى لَهُ أَنْ يَتْرُكَ شَيْئًا مِمَّا أُنْزِلَ فِيهَا عَنْ اتِّبَاعِ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ الَّذِي يَجِدُونَهُ مَكْتُوبًا عِنْدَهُمْ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ وَالْإِنْجِيلِ فَمَنْ لَمْ يَتَّبِعْهُ لَمْ يَحْكُمْ بِمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ وَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَاب الَّذِينَ أُمِرُوا أَنْ يَحْكُمُوا بِمَا فِيهَا مِمَّا يُخَالِفُ حُكْمَهُ.