Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (1/110)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

the two testimonies of faith, belief in the angels, the Books, the messengers, and the Last Day. How could it be otherwise, when we know by necessity from his religion that the people (1) who entered his religion in multitudes were never required, as a condition of faith, to believe in the Imamate—neither in general nor with respect to any particular imam?

[The Sixth Point: The hadith cited as evidence by Ibn al-Mutahhar has no basis]

The sixth point:

His statement:

“Then the Messenger of Allah (2)—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said: ‘Whoever dies without knowing the imam of his time dies a death of pre-Islamic ignorance.’”

The reply to him is (3), first: Who narrated this hadith in this wording, and where is its chain of transmission? How can a report attributed to the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—be cited as proof without identifying the chain by which it can be established that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—actually said it? This would be so even if its status were merely unknown to hadith scholars; how much more so when this hadith is unknown in this wording?

Rather, the well-known hadith is along the lines of the report Muslim narrated in his Sahīh (4), from Nāfi, who said: “[Abdullah] (5) ibn Umar came to Abdullah ibn Mutī at the time of the events of al-Harra under Yazīd ibn Muāwiya. He said, ‘Lay out a cushion for Abū Abd al-Rahmān.’

(1) “The people” is omitted from B only. (2) N and M read: “The Prophet said”; B reads: “The Messenger of Allah said.” (3) A and B read: “Then it will be said to him.” (4) A and B read: “This.” (5) *Sahīh Muslim*, 3/1478 (Book of Leadership, chapter: “The Obligation to Remain with the Muslim Community When Tribulations Arise”).

الشَّهَادَتَيْنِ، وَالْإِيمَانَ بِالْمَلَائِكَةِ، وَالْكُتُبِ، وَالرُّسُلِ، وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ، فَكَيْفَ وَنَحْنُ نَعْلَمُ بِالِاضْطِرَارِ مِنْ دِينِهِ أَنَّ النَّاسَ الَّذِينَ (١) دَخَلُوا فِي دِينِهِ أَفْوَاجًا لَمْ يُشْتَرَطْ عَلَى أَحَدٍ مِنْهُمْ فِي الْإِيمَانِ الْإِيمَانُ بِالْإِمَامَةِ لَا مُطْلَقًا، وَلَا مُعَيَّنًا؟ . [الْوَجْهُ السَّادِسُ الحديث الذي يستشهد به ابن المطهر لا أصل له] الْوَجْهُ السَّادِسُ: قَوْلُهُ: فَقَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ. (٢) - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ -: «مَنْ مَاتَ، وَلَمْ يَعْرِفْ إِمَامَ زَمَانِهِ مَاتَ مِيتَةً جَاهِلِيَّةً» . يُقَالُ لَهُ (٣) أَوَّلًا: مَنْ رَوَى هَذَا الْحَدِيثَ بِهَذَا اللَّفْظِ، وَأَيْنَ إِسْنَادُهُ؟ . وَكَيْفَ يَجُوزُ أَنْ يُحْتَجَّ بِنَقْلٍ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - مِنْ غَيْرِ بَيَانِ الطَّرِيقِ الَّذِي بِهِ يَثْبُتُ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - قَالَهُ؟ وَهَذَا لَوْ كَانَ مَجْهُولَ الْحَالِ عِنْدَ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ بِالْحَدِيثِ، فَكَيْفَ وَهَذَا الْحَدِيثُ بِهَذَا اللَّفْظِ لَا يُعْرَفُ؟ . إِنَّمَا الْحَدِيثُ الْمَعْرُوفُ مِثْلَ مَا رَوَى مُسْلِمٌ فِي صَحِيحِهِ (٤) عَنْ نَافِعٍ قَالَ: «جَاءَ [عَبْدُ اللَّهِ] (٥) بْنُ عُمَرَ إِلَى عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ مُطِيعٍ حِينَ كَانَ مِنْ أَمْرِ الْحَرَّةِ مَا كَانَ زَمَنَ يَزِيدَ بْنِ مُعَاوِيَةَ، فَقَالَ: اطْرَحُوا لِأَبِي عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، وِسَادَةً.

(١) النَّاسَ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ب) فَقَطْ. (٢) ن، م: فَقَالَ النَّبِيُّ؛ ب: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ. (٣) أ، ب: فَيُقَالُ لَهُ. (٤) أ، ب: هَذَا. (٥) صَحِيحَ مُسْلِمٍ ٣/١٤٧٨ (كِتَابُ الْإِمَارَةِ، بَابُ وُجُوبِ مُلَازَمَةِ جَمَاعَةِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ عِنْدَ ظُهُورِ الْفِتَنِ) .