Al-Irshad ila Sahih al-Itiqad - Salih Al-Fawzan - (174)

Al-Irshad ila Sahih al-ItiqadSalih Al-Fawzan

People have divided with respect to the heavenly scriptures into three categories:

A group that denies every one of them altogether—these are the enemies of the messengers: the unbelievers, the polytheists, and the philosophers.
A group that believes in all of them—namely, the believers who affirm every messenger and all that was revealed to them, as Allah, Exalted is He, says: “The Messenger has believed in what was sent down to him from his Lord, and so have the believers. Each of them believes in Allah, His angels, His books, and His messengers.” ⦗1⦘
A group that believes in some of the books and rejects others; these are the Jews, the Christians, and those who follow their way, who say, “We believe in what was sent down to us,” yet they deny what came after it, though it is the truth confirming what they already possess. ⦗2⦘ Indeed, they even accept parts of their own book while rejecting other parts, as He says about them: “Do you then believe in part of the Scripture and disbelieve in part? The recompense of those among you who do so is nothing but disgrace in this worldly life, and on the Day of Resurrection they will be returned to the severest punishment. Allah is not unaware of what you do.” ⦗3⦘

There is no doubt that believing in part of a book—or in some of the scriptures—while disbelieving in the rest is, in reality, disbelief in all of them. One must believe in every heavenly book and in every messenger, for faith must be comprehensive and indivisible, admitting no fragmentation, selectiveness, or contradiction. Allah has censured those who splintered and differed concerning the Book: “Indeed, those who differ about the Book are deeply entrenched in discord.” ⦗4⦘

The reason why some deny the scriptures, or portions of them, is their submission to whims and false conjectures. They claim to possess intellect, opinion, and rational analogy, calling themselves sages and philosophers. They mock the messengers and their followers, branding them as foolish, as the Almighty says: “When their messengers came to them with clear proofs, they exulted in the knowledge they possessed, but that which they used to ridicule encompassed them.” ⦗5⦘

(1) Surah al-Baqarah, verse 285. (2) Surah al-Baqarah, verse 91. (3) Surah al-Baqarah, verse 85. (4) Surah al-Baqarah, verse 176. (5) Surah Ghafir, verse 83.

وقد انقسم الناس حيال الكتب السماوية إلى ثلاثة أقسام: قسم كذب بها كلها، وهم أعداء الرسل من الكفار والمشركين والفلاسفة. وقسم آمن بها كلها، وهم المؤمنون الذين آمنوا بجميع الرسل وما أنزل إليهم؛ كما قال تعالى: ﴿آمَنَ الرَّسُولُ بِمَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْهِ مِنْ رَبِّهِ وَالْمُؤْمِنُونَ كُلٌّ آمَنَ بِاللَّهِ وَمَلائِكَتِهِ وَكُتُبِهِ وَرُسُلِهِ﴾ ١. وقسم آمن ببعض الكتب وكفر ببعضها، وهم اليهود والنصارى ومن سار على نهجهم، الذين يقولون: ﴿نُؤْمِنُ بِمَا أُنْزِلَ عَلَيْنَا وَيَكْفُرُونَ بِمَا وَرَاءَهُ وَهُوَ الْحَقُّ مُصَدِّقاً لِمَا مَعَهُمْ﴾ ٢، بل هؤلاء يؤمنون ببعض كتابهم ويكفرون ببعضه؛ كما قال تعالى فيهم: ﴿أَفَتُؤْمِنُونَ بِبَعْضِ الْكِتَابِ وَتَكْفُرُونَ بِبَعْضٍ فَمَا جَزَاءُ مَنْ يَفْعَلُ ذَلِكَ مِنْكُمْ إِلاّ خِزْيٌ فِي الْحَيَاةِ الدُّنْيَا وَيَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ يُرَدُّونَ إِلَى أَشَدِّ الْعَذَابِ وَمَا اللَّهُ بِغَافِلٍ عَمَّا تَعْمَلُونَ﴾ ٣. ولا شك أن الإيمان ببعض الكتاب أو ببعض الكتب والكفر بالبعض الآخر كفر بالجميع؛ لأنه لا بد من الإيمان بجميع الكتب السماوية وبجميع الرسل؛ لأن الإيمان لا بد أن يكون مؤتلفا جامعا، لا تفريق فيه ولا تبعيض ولا اختلاف، والله تعالى ذم الذين تفرقوا واختلفوا في الكتاب؛ كما قال تعالى: ﴿وَإِنَّ الَّذِينَ اخْتَلَفُوا فِي الْكِتَابِ لَفِي شِقَاقٍ بَعِيدٍ﴾ ٤. وسبب كُفْر من كفَرَ بالكتب أو كفر ببعضها أو ببعض الكتاب الواحد هو اتباع الهوى والظنون الكاذبة، وزعمهم أن لهم العقل والرأي والقياس العقلي، ويسمون أنفسهم بالحكماء والفلاسفة، ويسخرون من الرسل وأتباعهم، ويصفونهم بالسفه؛ كما قال تعالى: ﴿فَلَمَّا جَاءَتْهُمْ رُسُلُهُمْ بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ فَرِحُوا بِمَا عِنْدَهُمْ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ وَحَاقَ بِهِمْ مَا كَانُوا بِهِ يَسْتَهْزِئُونَ﴾ ٥.

١ سورة البقرة، الآية ٢٨٥. ٢ سورة البقرة، الآية ٩١. ٣ سورة البقرة، الآية ٨٥. ٤ سورة البقرة، الآية ١٧٦. ٥ سورة غافر، الآية ٨٣.