Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (3/62)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

Suppose a ruler entrusted a group of people with money to deliver to a country (1) other than their own (2). They set out with it but left it unattended in the wilderness and spent the night far away from it. The ruler had also dispatched troops [of his] (3) to fight some enemies. Passing along that road, they saw the money and assumed it was lost property with no one to claim it, so they took it and went on their way. It would then be entirely proper for the ruler to punish the first group for their negligence (4) and their failure to safeguard what he had commanded them to safeguard (5).

If they said to him:

“You did not inform us that you would send troops behind us, so that we could protect the money from them,”

he would reply to them (6):

“I was under no obligation to do so. Had I done so, it would merely have been further assistance to you. Rather, it was your duty to safeguard the money just as one safeguards (7) deposits and trusts.”

His case against them would be established, and he would not be unjust (8) if he punished them, even though he had not assisted them by informing them about those troops. Rather, he acted in pursuit of a beneficial purpose by sending both the first group and the second.

Allah Most High—to Him belongs the highest attribute—is wise (9) and just in [all] that He does (10), nor

(1) M alone adds: “whose location was.” (2) “Another” is omitted from B and A. (3) “Of his” is added only in manuscript ʿAyn. (4) B and A read: “because of their negligence.” (5) B and A read: “what he had commanded them.” (6) Manuscript ʿAyn reads: “If they said to him, ‘You did not inform us that you were sending troops behind us so that we might take precautions,’ he would say to them…” M and N read: “If they said to him, ‘You [M: ‘Indeed, you’] did not inform us that you were dispatching troops behind us so that we might take precautions,’ he would say to them…” B and A read: “If they said to him, ‘You did not inform us that you were sending troops after us so that we might protect [B: ‘so that he might protect’] the money from them,’ he said…” Perhaps the correct reading is the one I have adopted. (7) B reads: “just as you safeguard”; A has the same phrase, but without the final n. (8) B reads: “and he would not be called unjust among them”; A reads: “and he would not be unjust when ʿāfīhim,” which is a corruption. (9) B and A read: “a judge.” (10) B and A read: “all that He ordains”; N and M: “in what He does.”

وَلَوْ أَنَّ وَلِيَّ الْأَمْرِ أَعْطَى قَوْمًا مَالًا لِيُوصِلُوهُ إِلَى بَلَدٍ (١) آخَرَ (٢) فَسَافَرُوا بِهِ وَتَرَكُوهُ فِي الْبَرِّيَّةِ لَيْسَ عِنْدَهُ أَحَدٌ، وَبَاتُوا فِي مَكَانٍ بَعِيدٍ مِنْهُ، وَكَانَ وَلِيُّ الْأَمْرِ قَدْ أَرْسَلَ جُنْدًا [لَهُ] (٣) يَغْزُونَ بَعْضَ الْأَعْدَاءِ، فَاجْتَازُوا تِلْكَ، الطَّرِيقَ فَرَأَوْا ذَلِكَ الْمَالَ فَظَنُّوهُ لُقَطَةً لَيْسَ لَهُ أَحَدٌ فَأَخَذُوهُ وَذَهَبُوا، لَكَانَ يَحْسُنُ مِنْهُ أَنْ يُعَاقِبَ الْأَوَّلِينَ عَلَى تَفْرِيطِهِمْ (٤) وَتَضْيِيعِهِمْ حِفْظَ مَا أَمَرَهُمْ بِحِفْظِهِ (٥) . وَلَوْ قَالُوا لَهُ: أَنْتَ لَمْ تُعْلِمْنَا أَنَّكَ تَبْعَثُ خَلْفَنَا جُنْدًا حَتَّى نَحْتَرِزَ الْمَالَ مِنْهُمْ. قَالَ لَهُمْ (٦) : هَذَا لَا يَجِبُ عَلَيَّ، وَلَوْ فَعَلْتُهُ لَكَانَ زِيَادَةَ إِعَانَةٍ لَكُمْ، لَكِنْ كَانَ عَلَيْكُمْ أَنْ تَحْفَظُوا ذَلِكَ، كَمَا تُحْفَظُ (٧) الْوَدَائِعَ وَالْأَمَانَاتِ. وَكَانَتْ حُجَّتُهُ عَلَيْهِمْ قَائِمَةً، وَلَمْ يَكُنْ إِنْ عَاقَبَهُمْ ظَالِمًا (٨) وَإِنْ كَانَ لَمْ يُعِنْهُمْ بِالْإِعْلَامِ بِذَلِكَ الْجُنْدِ، لَكِنَّ عَمَلَ الْمَصْلَحَةِ فِي إِرْسَالِ الْأَوَّلِينَ وَالْآخَرِينَ. وَاللَّهُ تَعَالَى وَلَهُ الْمَثَلُ الْأَعْلَى حَكِيمٌ (٩) عَدْلٌ فِي [كُلِّ] مَا يَفْعَلُهُ (١٠) ، وَلَا

(١) م (فَقَطْ) مَحَلِّهِ. (٢) آخَرَ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ب) ، (أ) . (٣) لَهُ: زِيَادَةٌ فِي (ع) فَقَطْ. (٤) ب، أ: لِتَفْرِيطِهِمْ. (٥) ب، أ: مَا أَمَرَهُمْ بِهِ. (٦) ع: وَلَوْ قَالُوا لَهُ لَمْ تُعْلِمْنَا أَنَّكَ تَبْعَثُ خَلْفَنَا جُنْدًا حَتَّى نَحْتَرِزَ، لَقَالَ لَهُمْ ; م، ن وَلَوْ قَالُوا لَهُ أَنْتَ، (م: إِنَّكَ) ، لَمْ تُعْلِمْنَا أَنَّكَ تُرْسِلُ خَلْفَنَا جُنْدًا حَتَّى نَحْتَرِزَ لَقَالَ لَهُمْ ; ب، أ: وَلَوْ قَالُوا لَهُ: أَنْتَ لَمْ تُعْلِمْنَا أَنَّكَ تَبْعَثُ بَعْدَنَا جُنْدًا حَتَّى نَحْتَرِزَ، (ب: يَحْتَرِزَ) ، الْمَالَ مِنْهُمْ قَالَ: وَلَعَلَّ الصَّوَابَ مَا أَثْبَتَهُ. (٧) ب: كَمَا تَحْفَظُونَ، أ: كَمَا تَحْفَظُوا. (٨) ب: وَلَمْ يَكُنْ يُدْعَى فِيهِمْ ظَالِمًا ; أ: وَلَمْ يَكُنْ إِذْ عَافِيهِمْ ظَالِمًا، وَهُوَ تَحْرِيفٌ. (٩) ب، أ: حَكَمٌ. (١٠) ب، أ: كُلِّ مَا جَعَلَهُ ; ن، م: فِيمَا يَفْعَلُهُ.