Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (3/497)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

Allah bless him and grant him peace] (1), and they hold two views concerning a person who is widely praised among the people.

It is thus clear that the Imāmiyya possess no praiseworthy certainty by which they are distinguished from Ahl al-Sunnah wa al-Jamā‘a.

If they say:

“We (2) categorically affirm that every person whom we judge to be observing the religious obligations and refraining from forbidden acts is among the people of Paradise, without any infallible authority informing us of his inward state,”

it is said in reply:

This issue is not peculiar to the Imāmiyya. If there is a sound means of establishing this, it is equally available to Ahl (3) al-Sunnah, who are more adept at pursuing it. If there is no (4) sound means of establishing it, then such an assertion is made without knowledge, and there is no (5) virtue in it; rather, virtue lies in refraining from it.

In short, they claim no sound knowledge to which Ahl al-Sunnah do not have a stronger claim. Any claim of theirs that proceeds from ignorance is a deficiency, and Ahl al-Sunnah are further removed from it.

Affirming that a particular man is among the people of Paradise may be based on information conveyed by an infallible authority, or it may be based on the concurrence of the testimonies (6) of the believers, who are Allah’s witnesses on earth.

(1) “May Allah bless him and grant him peace” is omitted from (N) and (M). (2) (A) and (B) read: “If they say: ‘Only…’” (3) (A) and (B) read: “the way of the people of…” (4) (B) alone reads: “there.” (5) (A) and (B) read: “and not.” (6) (A) and (B) read: “testimony.”

اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ] (١) وَلَهُمْ فِيمَنِ اسْتَفَاضَ فِي النَّاسِ حُسْنُ الثَّنَاءِ عَلَيْهِ قَوْلَانِ. فَتَبَيَّنَ أَنَّهُ لَيْسَ فِي الْإِمَامِيَّةِ جَزْمٌ مَحْمُودٌ اخْتُصُّوا بِهِ عَنْ أَهْلِ السُّنَّةِ وَالْجَمَاعَةِ. وَإِنْ قَالُوا: إِنَّا (٢) نَجْزِمُ لِكُلِّ شَخْصٍ رَأَيْنَاهُ مُلْتَزِمًا لِلْوَاجِبَاتِ عِنْدَنَا تَارِكًا لِلْمُحَرَّمَاتِ، بِأَنَّهُ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ مِنْ غَيْرِ أَنْ يُخْبِرَنَا بِبَاطِنِهِ مَعْصُومٌ. قِيلَ: هَذِهِ الْمَسْأَلَةُ لَا تَتَعَلَّقُ بِالْإِمَامِيَّةِ بَلْ إِنْ كَانَ إِلَى هَذَا طَرِيقٌ صَحِيحٌ فَهُوَ طَرِيقٌ لِأَهْلِ (٣) السُّنَّةِ، وَهُمْ بِسُلُوكِهِ أَحَذَقُ، وَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ هُنَا (٤) طَرِيقٌ صَحِيحٌ إِلَى ذَلِكَ، كَانَ ذَلِكَ قَوْلًا بِلَا عِلْمٍ، فَلَا (٥) فَضِيلَةَ فِيهِ بَلْ فِي عَدَمِهِ. فَفِي الْجُمْلَةِ لَا يَدَّعُونَ عِلْمًا صَحِيحًا إِلَّا وَأَهْلُ السُّنَّةِ أَحَقُّ بِهِ، وَمَا ادَّعُوهُ مِنَ الْجَهْلِ فَهُوَ نَقْصٌ، وَأَهْلُ السُّنَّةِ أَبْعَدُ عَنْهُ. وَالْقَوْلُ بِكَوْنِ الرَّجُلِ الْمُعَيَّنِ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ قَدْ يَكُونُ سَبَبُهُ إِخْبَارَ الْمَعْصُومِ، وَقَدْ يَكُونُ سَبَبُهُ تَوَاطُؤَ شَهَادَاتِ (٦) الْمُؤْمِنِينَ الَّذِينَ هُمْ شُهَدَاءُ اللَّهِ فِي الْأَرْضِ.

(١) صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) . (٢) أ، ب: فَإِنْ قَالُوا إِنَّمَا. (٣) أ، ب: طَرِيقُ أَهْلِ. (٤) ب فَقَطْ: هُنَاكَ. (٥) أ، ب: وَلَا. (٦) أ، ب: شَهَادَةِ.