Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (3/458)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

during his lifetime, comprising whatever he commanded them to do, approved them in doing, or did himself. The Community means those who are united(1), who did not(2) divide their religion and become sects. Those(3) who divided their religion and became sects stand outside the Community(4). Allah has declared His Prophet free of them. It is thereby(5) established that this describes the People of the Sunnah and the Community, not the Rāfida, and that this(6) hadith describes the saved group as following the Sunnah practiced by him and his Companions and as holding fast to the community of Muslims.

If it is said:

The hadith states: “Whoever follows(7) the same way that I and my Companions follow today.” Thus, anyone who departed from that way after him did not follow the way of the saved group. Some people apostatized after him, so they do not belong to the saved group.

We reply:

Yes. The people most notorious for apostasy were those who opposed Abū Bakr al-Siddīq—may Allah be pleased with him—and his followers, such as Musaylima the Liar, his followers, and others. The Rāfida side with these people, as more than one of their leading authorities—including this Imāmī and others—has stated. They maintain that those people were in the right and that al-Siddīq fought them unjustly. Then among(8) the most conspicuous

(1) (A) reads: “As for the Community, they are those who are united”; (B) reads: “As for the Community, then they are those who are united.” (2) “Not” is omitted from (N). (3) (A) and (B) read: “And those who.” (4) (A) and (B) read: “from the saved group.” (5) (N) reads: “this was known”; (M) reads: “it was known from this”; (H), (W), (S), and (R) read: “it was known thereby.” (6) “This” is omitted from (A) and (B). (7) The phrase “whoever follows” is omitted from (A) and (B). (8) “Among” is omitted from (A) and (B).

فِي عَهْدِهِ، مِمَّا أَمَرَهُمْ بِهِ أَوْ أَقَرَّهُمْ عَلَيْهِ أَوْ فَعَلَهُ هُوَ وَالْجَمَاعَةُ هُمُ الْمُجْتَمِعُونَ (١) . الَّذِينَ مَا (٢) . فَرَّقُوا دِينَهُمْ وَكَانُوا شِيَعًا، فَالَّذِينَ (٣) . فَرَّقُوا دَيْنَهُمْ وَكَانُوا شِيَعًا خَارِجُونَ عَنِ الْجَمَاعَةِ (٤) . قَدْ بَرَّأَ اللَّهُ نَبِيَّهُ مِنْهُمْ، فَعُلِمَ بِذَلِكَ (٥) . أَنَّ هَذَا وَصْفُ أَهْلِ السُّنَّةِ وَالْجَمَاعَةِ، لَا وَصْفُ الرَّافِضَةِ، وَأَنَّ هَذَا (٦) . الْحَدِيثَ وَصَفَ الْفِرْقَةِ النَّاجِيَةِ بِاتِّبَاعِ سُنَّتِهِ الَّتِي كَانَ عَلَيْهَا هُوَ وَأَصْحَابُهُ وَبِلُزُومِ جَمَاعَةِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ. فَإِنْ قِيلَ: فَقَدْ قَالَ فِي الْحَدِيثِ: " «مَنْ كَانَ (٧) . عَلَى مِثْلِ مَا أَنَا عَلَيْهِ الْيَوْمَ وَأَصْحَابِي» " ، فَمَنْ خَرَجَ عَنْ تِلْكَ الطَّرِيقَةِ بَعْدَهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ عَلَى طَرِيقَةِ الْفِرْقَةِ النَّاجِيَةِ، وَقَدِ ارْتَدَّ نَاسٌ بَعْدَهُ فَلَيْسُوا مِنَ الْفِرْقَةِ النَّاجِيَةِ. قُلْنَا: نَعَمْ، وَأَشْهَرُ النَّاسِ بِالرِّدَّةِ خُصُومُ أَبِي بَكْرٍ الصِّدِّيقِ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ - وَأَتْبَاعِهِ؛ كَمُسَيْلِمَةَ الْكَذَّابِ وَأَتْبَاعِهِ وَغَيْرِهِمْ. وَهَؤُلَاءِ تَتَوَلَّاهُمُ الرَّافِضَةُ كَمَا ذَكَرَ ذَلِكَ غَيْرُ وَاحِدٍ مِنْ شُيُوخِهِمْ، مِثْلُ هَذَا الْإِمَامِيُّ وَغَيْرُهُ، وَيَقُولُونَ: إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا عَلَى الْحَقِّ، وَأَنَّ الصِّدِّيقَ قَاتَلَهُمْ بِغَيْرِ حَقٍّ. ثُمَّ مِنْ (٨) . أَظْهَرِ

(١) أ: وَأَمَّا الْجَمَاعَةُ هُمُ الْمُجْتَمِعُونَ، ب: وَأَمَّا الْجَمَاعَةُ فَهُمُ الْمُجْتَمِعُونَ (٢) مَا: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) (٣) أ، ب: وَالَّذِينَ (٤) أ، ب: عَنِ الْفِرْقَةِ النَّاجِيَةِ (٥) ن: عُلِمَ ذَلِكَ، م: عُلِمَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ، هـ، و، ص، ر: عُلِمَ بِذَلِكَ (٦) هَذَا: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (أ) ، (ب) (٧) عِبَارَةُ " مَنْ كَانَ " سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (أ) ، (ب) (٨) مِنْ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ أ، ب