Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (3/373)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

a blemish upon the religion of the Muslims. No group is known to commit more errors or tell more lies than they do, yet that (1) does not harm the Muslims in the least. Likewise, they are not harmed (2) by the existence of another person in error (3) besides the Rāfidīs.

Most people—or many of them—do not consider it possible for the prophets to commit major sins. The majority who consider minor sins possible for them—[together with those who consider major sins possible for them—] (4) say that the prophets are not allowed to persist in them. Rather, through repentance from them, they attain a station (5) greater than the one they held before, as previously noted.

In sum, (6) no Muslim says that obedience to the Messenger is obligatory while also allowing that his command might be erroneous. Rather, they agree that a command which must be obeyed can only be correct.

Thus, his statement:

“How can following them be obligatory when it is considered possible that what they command (7) may be wrong?”

is an argument that applies to no one in the Ummah (8).

There are two well-known positions concerning whether the prophets could err in independent judgment. All agree, however, that they are not allowed to persist in such an error. They are obeyed only in what Allah allowed to stand, not in what Allah changed and forbade and in which He did not command obedience.

(1) (N) and (M) read: “and likewise.” (2) (A) reads: “anything of that does not harm them”; (B): “anything of that, then it does not harm them”; and (M): “and likewise, it does not harm them.” (3) “Another” is absent from (A) and (B). (4) The passage in square brackets is an addition in (A) and (B). (5) (N) and (M) read: “from the Muʿtazilah,” which is a corruption. (6) (N), (M), and (W) read: “In sum.” (7) “What they command” is absent from (N) and (M). (8) (A) and (B) read: “from among the imams.”

عَيْبًا فِي دِينِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ، فَلَا يُعْرَفُ فِي الطَّوَائِفِ أَكْثَرُ خَطَأً وَكَذِبًا مِنْهُمْ، وَذَلِكَ (١) لَا يَضُرُّ الْمُسْلِمِينَ شَيْئًا، فَكَذَلِكَ لَا يَضُرُّهُمْ (٢) وُجُودُ مُخْطِئٍ آخَرَ (٣) غَيْرِ الرَّافِضَةِ. وَأَكْثَرُ النَّاسِ - أَوْ كَثِيرٌ مِنْهُمْ - لَا يُجَوِّزُونَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْكَبَائِرَ، وَالْجُمْهُورُ الَّذِي يُجَوِّزُونَ الصَّغَائِرَ - [هُمْ وَمَنْ يُجَوِّزُ الْكَبَائِرَ -] (٤) يَقُولُونَ: إِنَّهُمْ لَا يُقَرُّونَ عَلَيْهَا، بَلْ يَحْصُلُ لَهُمْ بِالتَّوْبَةِ مِنْهَا مِنَ الْمَنْزِلَةِ (٥) أَعْظَمُ مِمَّا كَانَ قَبْلَ ذَلِكَ كَمَا تَقَدَّمَ التَّنْبِيهُ عَلَيْهِ. وَبِالْجُمْلَةِ (٦) فَلَيْسَ فِي الْمُسْلِمِينَ مَنْ يَقُولُ: إِنَّهُ يَجِبُ طَاعَةُ الرَّسُولِ مَعَ جَوَازِ أَنْ يَكُونَ أَمْرُهُ خَطَأً، بَلْ هُمْ مُتَّفِقُونَ عَلَى أَنَّ الْأَمْرَ الَّذِي يَجِبُ طَاعَتُهُ لَا يَكُونُ إِلَّا صَوَابًا. فَقَوْلُهُ: " كَيْفَ يَجِبُ اتِّبَاعُهُمْ مَعَ تَجْوِيزِ أَنْ يَكُونَ مَا يَأْمُرُونَ (٧) بِهِ خَطَأً " قَوْلٌ لَا يُلْزِمُ أَحَدًا مِنَ الْأُمَّةِ (٨) . وَلِلنَّاسِ فِي تَجْوِيزِ الْخَطَأِ عَلَيْهِمْ فِي الِاجْتِهَادِ قَوْلَانِ مَعْرُوفَانِ، وَهُمْ مُتَّفِقُونَ عَلَى أَنَّهُمْ لَا يُقَرُّونَ عَلَيْهِ، وَإِنَّمَا يُطَاعُونَ فِيمَا أُقِرُّوا عَلَيْهِ، لَا فِيمَا غَيَّرَهُ اللَّهُ وَنَهَى عَنْهُ، وَلَمْ يَأْمُرْ بِالطَّاعَةِ فِيهِ.

(١) ن، م: وَكَذَلِكَ. (٢) أ: شَيْئًا مِنْ ذَلِكَ لَا يَضُرُّهُمْ، ب: شَيْئًا مِنْ ذَلِكَ فَلَا يَضُرُّهُمْ، م: وَكَذَلِكَ لَا يَضُرُّهُمْ. (٣) آخَرَ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (أ) ، (ب) . (٤) مَا بَيْنَ الْمَعْقُوفَتَيْنِ زِيَادَةٌ فِي (أ) ، (ب) . (٥) ن، م: مِنَ الْمُعْتَزِلَةِ، وَهُوَ تَحْرِيفٌ. (٦) ن، م، وَ: وَفِي الْجُمْلَةِ. (٧) مَا يَأْمُرُونَ، سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) . (٨) أ، ب: مِنَ الْأَئِمَّةِ.