Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (3/469)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

[And the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said: “The best course in all matters is the middle course.”(1) Accordingly, the adherents of the Sunnah and the community are the best of the sects.](2)

Regarding divine decree, they take a middle course between those who deny it and those who invoke it as an excuse; regarding religious designations and rulings, between those who emphasize the threat of punishment and the Murji’ites; and regarding the Companions, between those who go to excess and those who are hostile. Thus, they neither go to excess regarding Alī as the Rāfidis do nor declare him an unbeliever as the Kharijites do. Nor do they declare Abū Bakr, Umar, and Uthmān unbelievers, as the Rāfidis do(3), nor do they declare Uthmān and Alī unbelievers, as the Kharijites do.

The eighth argument is as follows: The Shia have no single position upon which they all agree(4). The position set forth by this man is one(5) of the positions held by the Imāmiyya. Indeed, some factions among the Imāmiyya disagree with these people concerning divine unity and justice, as was related earlier(6). Moreover, the majority of the Shia disagree with the Imāmiyya regarding the Twelve,

(1) This is a weak hadith narrated from Alī ibn Abī Tālib—may Allah be pleased with him. Ibn al-Dayba' al-Shaybānī states in *Tamyīz al-Tayyib min al-Khabīth fīmā Yadūr alā Alsinat al-Nās min al-Hadīth* (Distinguishing the Sound from the Unsound among Hadiths Current on People’s Tongues), p. 3[0–9] (Muhammad Alī Subayh; Cairo, 1347): “Al-Sam'ānī included it in his supplement to *Tārīkh Baghdād* (The History of Baghdad), through an unknown chain of transmission from Alī as a report attributed to the Prophet. Al-Bayhaqī transmitted it as a statement of Mutarrif.” Ismāīl ibn Muhammad al-Ajlūnī adds in *Kashf al-Khafā wa Muzīl al-Ilbās ammā Ishtahara min al-Ahādīth alā Alsinat al-Nās*, 1/391 (al-Qudsī ed.; Cairo, 1351): “Ibn al-Faras said: ‘It is weak.’” (2) The text between square brackets occurs only in (A) and (B). (3) (A), (B), and (S) read: “the Rāfida.” (4) (A) and (B) read: “are agreed upon it.” (5) The word “position” is omitted in (N) and (M). (6) The word “account” is omitted in (N) and (M).

[وَقَالَ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ -: " «خَيْرُ الْأُمُورِ أَوْسَطُهَا» " . (١) . " وَحِينَئِذٍ أَهْلُ السُّنَّةِ وَالْجَمَاعَةِ خَيْرُ الْفِرَقِ] . (٢) . وَفِي بَابِ الْقَدَرِ بَيْنَ أَهْلِ التَّكْذِيبِ بِهِ وَأَهْلِ الِاحْتِجَاجِ بِهِ، وَفِي بَابِ الْأَسْمَاءِ وَالْأَحْكَامِ بَيْنَ الْوَعِيدِيَّةِ وَالْمُرْجِئَةِ، وَفِي بَابِ الصَّحَابَةِ بَيْنَ الْغُلَاةِ وَالْجُفَاةِ، فَلَا يَغْلُونَ فِي عَلِيٍّ غُلُوَّ الرَّافِضَةِ، وَلَا يُكَفِّرُونَهُ تَكْفِيرَ الْخَوَارِجِ، وَلَا يُكَفِّرُونَ أَبَا بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ وَعُثْمَانَ كَمَا تُكَفِّرُهُمُ الرَّوَافِضُ (٣) . وَلَا يُكَفِّرُونَ عُثْمَانَ وَعَلِيًّا كَمَا يُكَفِّرُهُمَا الْخَوَارِجُ. الْوَجْهُ الثَّامِنُ: أَنْ يُقَالَ: إِنَّ الشِّيعَةَ لَيْسَ لَهُمْ قَوْلٌ وَاحِدٌ اتَّفَقُوا عَلَيْهِ (٤) .، فَإِنَّ الْقَوْلَ الَّذِي ذَكَرَهُ هَذَا قَوْلٌ (٥) . مِنْ أَقْوَالِ الْإِمَامِيَّةِ، وَمِنَ الْإِمَامِيَّةِ طَوَائِفُ تُخَالِفُ هَؤُلَاءِ فِي التَّوْحِيدِ وَالْعَدْلِ، كَمَا تَقَدَّمَ حِكَايَتُهُ (٦) . . وَجُمْهُورُ الشِّيعَةِ تُخَالِفُ الْإِمَامِيَّةَ فِي الِاثْنَيْ عَشَرَ،

(١) هَذَا حَدِيثٌ ضَعِيفٌ مَرْوِيٌّ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ -، قَالَ ابْنُ الدَّيْبَعِ الشَّيْبَانِيُّ فِي تَمْيِيزِ الطَّيِّبِ مِنَ الْخَبِيثِ فِيمَا يَدُورُ عَلَى أَلْسِنَةِ النَّاسِ مِنَ الْحَدِيثِ، ص [٠ - ٩] ٣ ط. مُحَمَّد عَلِي صُبَيْحٍ، الْقَاهِرَةِ ١٣٤٧) : " أَخْرَجَهُ السَّمْعَانِيُّ فِي ذَيْلِ تَارِيخِهِ بَغْدَادَ بِسَنَدٍ مَجْهُولٍ عَنْ عَلِيٍّ مَرْفُوعًا بِهِ، وَأَخْرَجَهُ الْبَيْهَقِيُّ عَنْ مُطَرِّفٍ مِنْ قَوْلِهِ "، وَزَادَ إِسْمَاعِيلُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ الْعَجْلُونِيُّ فِي " كَشْفِ الْخَفَاءِ وَمُزِيلِ الْإِلْبَاسِ عَمَّا اشْتُهِرَ مِنَ الْأَحَادِيثِ عَلَى أَلْسِنَةِ النَّاسِ "، ١/٣٩١ (ط. الْقُدْسِيِّ، الْقَاهِرَةِ ١٣٥١) : قَالَ ابْنُ الْفَرَسِ: ضَعِيفٌ " (٢) مَا بَيْنَ الْمَعْقُوفَتَيْنِ (أ) ، (ب) فَقَطْ (٣) أ، ب، ص: الرَّافِضَةُ (٤) أ، ب: مُتَّفِقُونَ عَلَيْهِ (٥) قَوْلٌ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) (٦) حِكَايَتُهُ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م)