Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (3/490)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

their followers, and just as Christian shaykhs command their followers. They command them to associate partners with Allah and to worship others besides Him, and they bar them from the path of Allah.*)(1) Thus they depart from the true meaning of the testimony(2) that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.

The true meaning of tawhīd (monotheism) is that we worship Allah alone: none is to be invoked but Him, none is to be feared but Him, none is to be guarded against but Him,(3) none is to be relied upon but Him, and all religious devotion must be for Him alone, not for any created being. We must not take the angels and prophets as lords—so what, then, of imams, shaykhs, scholars, kings, and others?!

The Messenger(4) conveys Allah’s commands and prohibitions, and no created being other than him is to be obeyed absolutely. Thus, when an imam or shaykh is treated as though he were a god—invoked while absent and after his death,(5) appealed to for aid, and asked to fulfil people’s needs—while obedience is accorded only to someone present, who commands whatever he wishes and forbids whatever he wishes,(6) then(7) the deceased is likened to Allah Most High,(8) and the living person is likened to Allah’s Messenger.(9) They thereby depart from the true meaning of Islam, whose foundation is the testimony that there is no deity worthy of worship except Allah and the testimony that(10) Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah.

(1) The text between the two asterisks is omitted from (M). (2) (A) and (B) read: “Thus they cause them to depart from the testimony of…” (3) “None is to be feared but Him, and none is to be guarded against but Him.” Thus in (N) and (H); all other copies read: “None is to be feared or guarded against but Him.” (4) “May Allah bless him and grant him peace” is added in (A) and (B). (5) “While he is absent and after his death.” Thus in (A) and (B); all other copies read: “while he is absent and dead.” (6) Omitted from (A) and (B). (7) (A) and (B) read: “and [the deceased] was.” (8) “Most High” is added in (A) and (B). (9) “May Allah bless him and grant him peace” is added in (A), (B), and (S). (10) (N), (M), and (B) read: “and that.”

أَتْبَاعَهُمْ، وَكَمَا تَأْمُرُ شُيُوخُ النَّصَارَى أَتْبَاعَهُمْ، فَهُمْ يَأْمُرُونَهُمْ بِالْإِشْرَاكِ بِاللَّهِ وَعِبَادَةِ غَيْرِ اللَّهِ، وَيَصُدُّونَهُمْ عَنْ سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ *) (١) ، فَيَخْرُجُونَ عَنْ حَقِيقَةِ شَهَادَةِ (٢) أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَأَنَّ مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ، فَإِنَّ حَقِيقَةَ التَّوْحِيدِ أَنْ نَعْبُدَ اللَّهَ وَحْدَهُ، فَلَا يُدْعَى إِلَّا هُوَ، وَلَا يُخْشَى إِلَّا هُوَ، وَلَا يُتَّقَى إِلَّا هُوَ (٣) ، وَلَا يُتَوَكَّلُ إِلَّا عَلَيْهِ، وَلَا يَكُونُ الدِّينُ إِلَّا لَهُ، لَا لِأَحَدٍ مِنَ الْخَلْقِ، وَأَنْ لَا نَتَّخِذَ الْمَلَائِكَةَ وَالنَّبِيِّينَ أَرْبَابًا، فَكَيْفَ بِالْأَئِمَّةِ وَالشُّيُوخِ وَالْعُلَمَاءِ وَالْمُلُوكِ وَغَيْرِهِمْ؟ ! وَالرَّسُولُ - (٤) هُوَ الْمُبَلِّغُ عَنِ اللَّهِ أَمْرَهُ وَنَهْيَهُ، فَلَا يُطَاعُ مَخْلُوقٌ طَاعَةً مُطْلَقَةً إِلَّا هُوَ، فَإِذَا جُعِلَ الْإِمَامُ وَالشَّيْخُ كَأَنَّهُ إِلَهٌ يُدْعَى مَعَ مَغِيبَةٍ وَبَعْدَ مَوْتِهِ (٥) ، وَيُسْتَغَاثُ بِهِ، وَيُطْلَبُ مِنْهُ الْحَوَائِجُ وَالطَّاعَةُ إِنَّمَا هِيَ لِشَخْصٍ حَاضِرٍ يَأْمُرُ بِمَا يُرِيدُ، وَيَنْهَى عَمَّا يُرِيدُ (٦) كَانَ (٧) الْمَيِّتُ مُشَبَّهًا بِاللَّهِ تَعَالَى (٨) .، وَالْحَيُّ مُشَبَّهًا بِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ - (٩) ، فَيَخْرُجُونَ عَنْ حَقِيقَةِ الْإِسْلَامِ الَّذِي أَصْلُهُ شَهَادَةُ أَنْ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا اللَّهُ وَشَهَادَةُ أَنَّ (١٠) مُحَمَّدًا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ.

(١) مَا بَيْنَ النَّجْمَتَيْنِ سَاقِطٌ مِنْ (م) . (٢) أ، ب: فَيُخْرِجُونَهُمْ عَنْ شَهَادَةِ. (٣) وَلَا يُخْشَى إِلَّا هُوَ، وَلَا يُتَّقَى إِلَّا هُوَ، كَذَا فِي (ن) ، (هـ) وَفِي سَائِرِ النُّسَخِ: وَلَا يُخْشَى وَلَا يُتَّقَى إِلَّا هُوَ. (٤) صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: زِيَادَةٌ فِي (أ) ، (ب) . (٥) مَعَ مَغِيبِهِ وَبَعْدَ مَوْتِهِ، كَذَا فِي (أ) ، (ب) ، وَفِي سَائِرِ النُّسَخِ مَعَ مَغِيبِهِ وَمَوْتِهِ. (٦) سَاقِطٌ مِنْ (أ) ، (ب) . (٧) أ، ب: وَكَانَ. (٨) تَعَالَى: زِيَادَةٌ فِي (أ) ، (ب) (٩) صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: زِيَادَةٌ فِي (أ) ، (ب) ، (ص) . (١٠) ن، م، ب: وَأَنَّ.