Majmu' al-Fatawa - Ibn Taimiya - (19/125)

Majmu' al-FatawaIbn Taimiya

this does not preclude that ruling from being what Allah intended and commanded. A person’s inability to understand a scholar’s words does not preclude the scholar from having intended that meaning, nor does it preclude the person who understood it from being correct and receiving two rewards.

For this reason, the scholars of our school have differed concerning someone who fails to arrive at the true ruling: may he be described as outwardly correct because he fulfilled the duty within his power by exercising independent judgment and confining himself to what he could accomplish? Or should he never be described as correct, even though he is rewarded for exercising independent judgment and seeking the truth? These are two views, both reported from Ahmad. Such a person has not arrived at the true ruling, but he has sought the truth. Yet has he exercised the independent judgment he was commanded to exercise?

The precise conclusion is that he has exercised independent judgment to the extent of his ability. He is therefore correct in this respect: he has fulfilled what he was commanded to do within his capacity, even though he has not been correct in attaining the intended result and performing what is commanded in absolute terms.

This becomes clear when we recognize that authority is of two kinds. The first is the authority of proof and knowledge; this is what the Quran most often calls authority. Indeed, it is reported from Ibn ʿAbbās that every occurrence of authority in the Quran means proof. The second is the authority of power. Righteous action cannot be accomplished without both forms of authority. When the authority of proof is weak, the obligation is proportionate to it; when the authority of power is weak, the obligation is likewise proportionate to it. Obligation is conditional upon capacity in both respects, so inability in either respect removes liability to sin for failing to fulfil the command.

Allah’s authority in matters of knowledge is the prophetic message, which is His proof against His creation, as He, Exalted is He, says:

هَذَا لَا يَمْنَعُ أَنْ يَكُونَ ذَاكَ هُوَ مُرَادُ اللَّهِ وَمَأْمُورُهُ؛ فَإِنَّ عَجْزَ الْإِنْسَانِ عَنْ فَهْمِ كَلَامِ الْعَالِمِ لَا يَمْنَعُ أَنْ يَكُونَ قَدْ أَرَادَ بِكَلَامِهِ ذَلِكَ الْمَعْنَى وَأَنْ يَكُونَ الَّذِي فَهِمَهُ هُوَ الْمُصِيبُ الَّذِي لَهُ الْأَجْرَانِ. وَلِهَذَا تَنَازَعَ أَصْحَابُنَا فِيمَنْ لَمْ يُصِبْ الْحُكْمَ الْبَاطِنَ: هَلْ يُقَالُ: إنَّهُ مُصِيبٌ فِي الظَّاهِرِ؛ لِكَوْنِهِ أَدَّى الْوَاجِبَ الْمَقْدُورَ عَلَيْهِ مِنْ اجْتِهَادِهِ وَاقْتِصَارِهِ؟ أَوْ لَا يُطْلَقُ عَلَيْهِ اسْمُ الْإِصَابَةِ بِحَالِ وَإِنْ كَانَ لَهُ أَجْرٌ عَلَى اجْتِهَادِهِ وَقَصْدِهِ الْحَقَّ؟ عَلَى قَوْلَيْنِ هُمَا رِوَايَتَانِ عَنْ أَحْمَد وَذَلِكَ لِأَنَّهُ لَمْ يُصِبْ الْحُكْمَ الْبَاطِنَ وَلَكِنْ قَصَدَ الْحَقَّ وَهَلْ اجْتَهَدَ الِاجْتِهَادَ الْمَأْمُورَ بِهِ؟ التَّحْقِيقُ: أَنَّهُ اجْتَهَدَ الِاجْتِهَادَ الْمَقْدُورَ عَلَيْهِ فَهُوَ مُصِيبٌ مِنْ هَذَا الْوَجْهِ مِنْ جِهَةِ الْمَأْمُورِ الْمَقْدُورِ وَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ مُصِيبًا مِنْ جِهَةِ إدْرَاكِ الْمَطْلُوبِ وَفِعْلُ الْمَأْمُورِ الْمُطْلَقِ. يُوَضِّحُ ذَلِكَ أَنَّ السُّلْطَانَ نَوْعَانِ: سُلْطَانُ الْحُجَّةِ وَالْعِلْمِ وَهُوَ أَكْثَرُ مَا سُمِّيَ فِي الْقُرْآنِ سُلْطَانًا حَتَّى رُوِيَ عَنْ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ أَنَّ كُلَّ سُلْطَانٍ فِي الْقُرْآنِ فَهُوَ الْحُجَّةُ. وَالثَّانِي سُلْطَانُ الْقُدْرَةِ. وَالْعَمَلُ الصَّالِحُ لَا يَقُومُ إلَّا بِالسُّلْطَانَيْنِ فَإِذَا ضَعُفَ سُلْطَانُ الْحُجَّةِ كَانَ الْأَمْرُ بِقَدْرِهِ وَإِذَا ضَعُفَ سُلْطَانُ الْقُدْرَةِ كَانَ الْأَمْرُ بِحَسَبِهِ وَالْأَمْرُ مَشْرُوطٌ بِالْقُدْرَةِ عَلَى السُّلْطَانَيْنِ فَالْإِثْمُ يَنْتَفِي عَنْ الْأَمْرِ بِالْعَجْزِ عَنْ كُلٍّ مِنْهُمَا. وَسُلْطَانُ اللَّهِ فِي الْعِلْمِ هُوَ الرِّسَالَةُ وَهُوَ حُجَّةُ اللَّهِ عَلَى خَلْقِهِ كَمَا قَالَ تَعَالَى: