Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (3/459)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

in apostasy are the extremists(1), whom Alī [may Allah be pleased with him](2) burned with fire when they claimed divinity for him. They were the Sabāiyya(3), the followers of Abd Allāh ibn Saba, who openly reviled Abū Bakr and Umar.

The first among those affiliated with Islam to claim prophethood was al-Mukhtār ibn Abī Ubayd, and he belonged to the Shia(4) \ 68. It is thus known that those guilty of the gravest apostasy are more numerous among the Shia than among all other sects. Hence, no apostasy is known to be worse [in character] than the apostasy(5) of extremists such as the Nusayriyya, or [the apostasy] of the Ismāīliyya(6), the Bātiniyya, and their like. The person most renowned(7) for fighting the apostates was Abū Bakr al-Siddīq—may Allah be pleased with him. Thus, no group contains more apostates than are found among the opponents of Abū Bakr al-Siddīq. This demonstrates that those apostates who persisted in apostasy after turning back on their heels are more properly associated with the Rāfida than with the People of the Sunnah and the Community.

This is evident to every rational person familiar with Islam and its adherents(8), and no one doubts(9) that the class of apostates among those affiliated with Shiism is greater and more heinous in unbelief than

(1) “The extremists” is omitted from (A) and (B). (2) “May Allah be pleased with him” is added in (A) and (B); (M) reads: “Peace be upon him.” (3) (A) and (B) read: “They were the Sabāiyya”; all other manuscripts read: “and the Sabāiyya.” (4) This was discussed earlier in this book, 2/68. (5) (N), (M), (H), (R), (S), and (W) read: “No worse apostasy is known than the apostasy of.” (6) (N) and (M) read: “such as the Nusayriyya and the Ismāīliyya.” (7) (A) and (B) read: “and the foremost.” (8) “And its adherents” is omitted from (A) and (B). (9) (A) reads: “As for this, no one doubts”; (B) reads: “Therefore, no one doubts.”

النَّاسِ رِدَّةً الْغَالِيَةُ (١) . الَّذِينَ حَرَّقَهُمْ عَلِيٌّ [رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ] (٢) . بِالنَّارِ لَمَّا ادَّعَوْا فِيهِ الْإِلَهِيَّةَ، وَهُمُ السَّبَائِيَّةُ (٣) . أَتْبَاعُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ سَبَأٍ الَّذِينَ أَظْهَرُوا سَبَّ أَبِي بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ. وَأَوَّلُ مَنْ ظَهَرَ عَنْهُ دَعْوَى النُّبُوَّةِ مِنَ الْمُنْتَسِبِينَ إِلَى الْإِسْلَامِ الْمُخْتَارُ بْنُ أَبِي عُبَيْدٍ وَكَانَ مِنَ الشِّيعَةِ (٤) \ ٦٨. فَعُلِمَ أَنَّ أَعْظَمَ النَّاسِ رِدَّةً هُمْ فِي الشِّيعَةِ أَكْثَرُ مِنْهُمْ فِي سَائِرِ الطَّوَائِفِ، وَلِهَذَا لَا يُعْرَفُ رِدَّةٌ أَسْوَأُ [حَالًا] مِنْ رِدَّةِ (٥) . الْغَالِيَةِ كَالنُّصَيْرِيَّةِ، وَمِنْ [رِدَّةِ] الْإِسْمَاعِيلِيَّةِ (٦) . الْبَاطِنِيَّةِ وَنَحْوِهِمْ، وَأَشْهَرُ (٧) . النَّاسِ بِقِتَالِ الْمُرْتَدِّينَ هُوَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ الصِّدِّيقُ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ -، فَلَا يَكُونُ الْمُرْتَدُّونَ فِي طَائِفَةٍ أَكْثَرَ مِنْهَا فِي خُصُومِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ الصِّدِّيقِ، فَدَلَّ ذَلِكَ عَلَى أَنَّ الْمُرْتَدِّينَ الَّذِينَ لَمْ يَزَالُوا مُرْتَدِّينَ عَلَى أَعْقَابِهِمْ هُمْ بِالرَّافِضَةِ أَوْلَى مِنْهُمْ بِأَهْلِ السُّنَّةِ وَالْجَمَاعَةِ. وَهَذَا بَيِّنٌ يَعْرِفُهُ كُلُّ عَاقِلٍ يَعْرِفُ الْإِسْلَامَ وَأَهْلَهُ (٨) .، وَلَا يَسْتَرِيبُ (٩) . أَحَدٌ أَنَّ جِنْسَ الْمُرْتَدِّينَ فِي الْمُنْتَسِبِينَ إِلَى التَّشَيُّعِ أَعْظَمُ وَأَفْحَشُ كُفْرًا مِنْ

(١) الْغَالِيَةُ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (أ) ، (ب) (٢) رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ: زِيَادَةٌ فِي (أ) ، (ب) ، وَفِي (م) : عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ (٣) وَهُمُ السَّبَائِيَّةُ: كَذَا فِي (أ) ، (ب) ، وَفِي سَائِرِ النُّسَخِ: وَالسَّبَائِيَّةُ (٤) سَبَقَ الْكَلَامُ عَلَيْهِ فِي هَذَا الْكِتَابِ ٢ (٥) ن، م، هـ، ر، ص، و: لَا يُعْرَفُ أَسْوَأُ رِدَّةٍ مِنْ رِدَّةِ (٦) ن، م: كَالنُّصَيْرِيَّةِ وَالْإِسْمَاعِيلِيَّةِ (٧) أ، ب: وَأَهَمُّ (٨) وَأَهْلَهُ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (أ) ، (ب) (٩) أ: وَهَذَا لَا يَسْتَرِيبُ، ب: وَلِهَذَا لَا يَسْتَرِيبُ