Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (3/493)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

knowledge and religion in what they command concerning obedience to Allah and His Messenger *) (1), and who require obedience to no particular individual except the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—and guarantee felicity only to those who obey Allah and His Messenger. They say (2) that anyone other than him may be right or wrong and therefore is not to be obeyed unconditionally—then, if (3) following such people is deficient and mistaken, while the correct course is to follow unconditionally those who profess certainty, it would be obligatory to follow both the adherents of the infallible imams and the adherents of the protected shaykhs. Yet the followers of one group impugn the other, while the followers of the other impugn the first. It would then follow that each of the two paths (4) is truly false (5), and this would combine two contradictories.

This consequence arises only because the underlying principle is corrupt: following someone who asserts certainty without knowledge or evidence. Thus, anyone who regards following either a shaykh who makes categorical, reckless assertions without proof (6) or evidence, or an Imāmī who categorically and recklessly (7) asserts salvation without proof or evidence, as something (8) obligatory will necessarily espouse contradictory positions. By contrast, positions grounded in a sound principle do not contradict one another (9).

(1) The text between the two asterisks is omitted from (A) and (B). (2) (M) reads: “And they say.” (3) (B) alone reads: “And it was.” (4) (A) and (B) read: “the two paths.” (5) (B) reads: “false and true”; (N): “utterly false.” (6) (A) reads: “Thus, anyone who regards the shaykh as categorically asserting salvation without proof”; (B): “Thus, anyone who follows the shaykh who categorically asserts salvation without proof”; (N), (M), (H), (W), and (R): “Thus, anyone who regards the shaykh who makes categorical, reckless assertions without proof.” (7) (A) reads: *bi-l-mujāzif* (“by the one making reckless assertions”); the word is omitted from (B). (8) (A) reads: “then what”; (B): “concerning what.” (9) (A) and (B) read: “do not contradict one another—and Allah knows best.”

الْعِلْمِ وَالدِّينِ فِيمَا يَأْمُرُونَ بِهِ مِنْ طَاعَةِ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ *) (١) ، وَلَا يُوجِبُونَ طَاعَةَ مُعَيَّنٍ إِلَّا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ -، وَلَا يَضْمَنُونَ السَّعَادَةَ إِلَّا لِمَنْ أَطَاعَ اللَّهَ وَرَسُولَهُ، وَيَقُولُونَ (٢) : إِنَّ مَنْ سِوَاهُ يُخْطِئُ وَيُصِيبُ فَلَا يُطَاعُ مُطْلَقًا، فَإِنْ كَانَ (٣) اتِّبَاعُ هَؤُلَاءِ نَقْصًا وَخَطَأً وَالصَّوَابُ اتِّبَاعُ أَهْلِ الْجَزْمِ مُطْلَقًا، وَجَبَ اتِّبَاعُ شِيعَةِ الْأَئِمَّةِ الْمَعْصُومِينَ وَشِيعَةِ الْمَشَايِخِ الْمَحْفُوظِينَ. وَشِيعَةُ هَؤُلَاءِ يَقْدَحُونَ فِي هَؤُلَاءِ، وَشِيعَةُ هَؤُلَاءِ يَقْدَحُونَ فِي هَؤُلَاءِ، فَيَلْزَمُ أَنْ يَكُونَ كُلٌّ مِنَ الطَّرِيقَيْنِ (٤) بَاطِلًا حَقًّا (٥) ، وَهَذَا جَمْعٌ بَيْنَ النَّقِيضَيْنِ. وَهَذَا إِنَّمَا لَزِمَ لِأَنَّ الْأَصْلَ فَاسِدٌ؛ وَهُوَ اتِّبَاعُ مَنْ يَجْزِمُ بِلَا عِلْمٍ وَلَا دَلِيلٍ، فَكُلُّ مَنْ جَعَلَ اتِّبَاعَ الشَّيْخِ الْجَازِمِ وَالْمُجَازِفِ بِلَا حُجَّةٍ (٦) . وَلَا دَلِيلٍ، أَوِ الْإِمَامِيَّ الْجَازِمَ الْمُجَازِفَ (٧) بِالنَّجَاةِ بِلَا حُجَّةٍ وَلَا دَلِيلٍ مِمَّا (٨) يَجِبُ اتِّبَاعُهُ، لَزِمَ تَنَاقُضُ أَقْوَالِهِمْ، بِخِلَافِ الْأَقْوَالِ الَّتِي تَرْجِعُ إِلَى أَصْلٍ صَحِيحٍ فَإِنَّهَا لَا تَتَنَاقَضُ (٩) .

(١) مَا بَيْنَ النَّجْمَتَيْنِ سَاقِطٌ مِنْ (أ) ، (ب) . (٢) م: وَيَقُولُ. (٣) ب فَقَطْ: وَكَانَ. (٤) أ، ب: الطَّرِيقَتَيْنِ. (٥) ب: بَاطِلًا وَحَقًّا، ن: بَاطِلًا جِدًّا. (٦) أ: فَكُلُّ مَنْ جَعَلَ الشَّيْخَ جَازِمًا بِالنَّجَاةِ بِلَا حُجَّةٍ، ب: فَكُلُّ مَنِ اتَّبَعَ الشَّيْخَ الْجَازِمَ بِالنَّجَاةِ بِلَا حُجَّةٍ، ن، م، هـ، و، ر: فَكُلُّ مَنْ جَعَلَ الشَّيْخَ الْجَازِمَ الْمُجَازِفَ بِلَا حُجَّةٍ (٧) أ: بِالْمُجَازِفِ وَسَقَطَتِ الْكَلِمَةُ مِنْ (ب) . (٨) أ: فَمَا، ب: فِيمَا. (٩) أ، ب: لَا تَتَنَاقَضُ وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ.