Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (1/106)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

And many of these people say:

“Love for Ali is a good deed alongside which no sin can do harm.” (1)

And if (2) sins do no harm when accompanied by love for Ali, there is no need for the infallible Imam, who is a gracious aid in fulfilling religious obligations. For if he does not exist, only sins and acts of disobedience result. If love for Ali is sufficient, it makes no difference whether the Imam exists or not.

[The Fifth Point: The Imamate Is Not One of the Pillars of Faith]

The fifth point concerns his statement:

“(It is one of the pillars of faith, through which eternal abode in the Gardens is merited).”

It may be said to him: Who has deemed this part of faith other than people of ignorance and calumny? Allah willing, we shall discuss what he has stated concerning this matter.

Allah Most High has described the believers and their states, and the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—explained faith and mentioned its branches. Yet neither Allah nor His Messenger mentioned the Imamate among the pillars of faith. Thus, in the authentic [hadith] (3)—the Hadith of Gabriel—when Gabriel came to the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—in the guise of a Bedouin and asked him about Islam, faith, and spiritual excellence, the Prophet said [to him] (4):

“Islam is that you bear witness that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah, establish prayer, give zakat, fast Ramadan, and perform pilgrimage to the House.”

He said: “And faith is to

(1) Muhammad Mahdī al-Kāzimī al-Qazwīnī responds to this as follows (*Minhāj al-Sharīa*, 1:98): “His attribution to many of the Shia of the belief that love for Ali is a good deed alongside which no sin can cause harm is a calumny on his part, for they all agree on it. Thus, his singling out many of them as holding this belief has no basis other than falsehood!” (2) A and B read: “and if.” (3) “Hadith” is added in A and B. (4) “To him” is added in A and B.

وَكَثِيرٌ مِنْ هَؤُلَاءِ يَقُولُ: حُبُّ عَلِيٍّ حَسَنَةٌ لَا يَضُرُّ مَعَهَا سَيِّئَةٌ (١) ، وَإِنْ (٢) كَانَتِ السَّيِّئَاتُ لَا تَضُرُّ مَعَ حُبِّ عَلِيٍّ، فَلَا حَاجَةَ إِلَى الْإِمَامِ الْمَعْصُومِ الَّذِي هُوَ لُطْفٌ فِي التَّكْلِيفِ، فَإِنَّهُ إِذَا لَمْ يُوجَدْ إِنَّمَا تُوجَدُ سَيِّئَاتٌ وَمَعَاصٍ، فَإِنْ كَانَ حُبُّ عَلِيٍّ كَافِيًا، فَسَوَاءٌ. وُجِدَ الْإِمَامُ أَوْ لَمْ يُوجَدْ. [الْوَجْهُ الْخَامِسُ الإمامة ليست من أركان الإيمان] الْوَجْهُ الْخَامِسُ: قَوْلُهُ: (وَهِيَ أَحَدُ أَرْكَانِ الْإِيمَانِ الْمُسْتَحَقِّ بِسَبَبِهِ الْخُلُودُ فِي الْجِنَانِ) . فَيُقَالُ. لَهُ: مَنْ جَعَلَ هَذَا مِنَ الْإِيمَانِ إِلَّا أَهْلُ الْجَهْلِ، وَالْبُهْتَانِ؟ . وَسَنَتَكَلَّمُ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ عَلَى مَا ذَكَرَهُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ. وَاللَّهُ تَعَالَى وَصَفَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، وَأَحْوَالَهُمْ، وَالنَّبِيُّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - قَدْ فَسَّرَ الْإِيمَانَ، وَذَكَرَ شُعَبَهُ، وَلَمْ يَذْكُرِ اللَّهُ وَلَا رَسُولُهُ الْإِمَامَةَ فِي أَرْكَانِ الْإِيمَانِ، فَفِي [الْحَدِيثِ] (٣) الصَّحِيحِ حَدِيثِ جِبْرِيلَ لَمَّا أَتَى النَّبِيَّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - فِي صُورَةِ أَعْرَابِيٍّ، وَسَأَلَهُ عَنِ الْإِسْلَامِ، وَالْإِيمَانِ، وَالْإِحْسَانِ قَالَ. [لَهُ] (٤) : ( «الْإِسْلَامُ أَنْ تَشْهَدَ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ، وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ، وَتُقِيمَ الصَّلَاةَ، وَتُؤْتِيَ الزَّكَاةَ، وَتَصُومَ رَمَضَانَ، وَتَحُجَّ الْبَيْتَ.) قَالَ: وَالْإِيمَانُ أَنْ

(١) يَرُدُّ مُحَمَّد مَهْدِي الْكَاظِمِيُّ الْقَزْوِينِيُّ عَلَى ذَلِكَ بِقَوْلِهِ (مِنْهَاجَ الشَّرِيعَةِ ١/٩٨) " مَا نَسَبَهُ إِلَى كَثِيرٍ مِنَ الشِّيعَةِ مِنَ الْقَوْلِ بِأَنَّ حُبَّ عَلِيٍّ حَسَنَةٌ لَيْسَ يَضُرُّ مَعَهُ سَيِّئَةٌ فَإِنَّهُ بُهْتَانٌ مِنْهُ، فَإِنَّهُمْ جَمِيعًا مُتَّفِقُونَ عَلَى ذَلِكَ، فَتَخْصِيصُهُ الْكَثِيرَ مِنْهُمْ بِهَذِهِ الْعَقِيدَةِ لَيْسَ لَهُ وَجْهٌ سِوَى الْكَذِبِ "! ! . (٢) أ، ب: وَإِنْ. (٣) الْحَدِيثِ: زِيَادَةٌ فِي (أ) ، (ب) . (٤) لَهُ: زِيَادَةٌ فِي (أ) ، (ب) .