Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (4/28)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

the pilgrimage, and it was the Year of Delegations. For when Mecca was conquered in the eighth year, Arab delegations arrived from every direction. Thus, this verse demonstrates the fullness of their bond with the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—as does the Hadith of the Cloak. This does not, however, entail that any one of them was superior to all other believers or more knowledgeable than they were, for virtue lies in the perfection of faith and piety, not in close kinship.

Allah Most High says:

“Indeed, the most noble of you in the sight of Allah is the most righteous of you.”

[Surah al-Hujurāt: 13]

The Book and the Sunnah establish that al-Siddīq was the most God-fearing member of the ummah. It has also been established through mass transmission that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said:

“If I were to take anyone on earth as an intimate friend, I would take Abū Bakr as an intimate friend.” (1)

This has been discussed at length elsewhere.

As for what he reports from Alī (2)—that he used to perform one thousand units of prayer every day and night—this demonstrates his ignorance both of what constitutes virtue and of the actual facts. First, because (3) this is not a virtue. It is established in the Sahīh that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—“would perform no more than thirteen units of prayer during the night.” (4) It is likewise established in the Sahīh that he said

(1) This hadith appeared previously in this book, 1/512. (2) “From Ali” is omitted from (A) and (B). (3) (N) and (M) read: “for indeed.” (4) Several hadiths transmitted from some of the Companions state that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—would not perform more than thirteen units of prayer during the night prayer. See the hadiths narrated by Ibn Abbās and Āisha—may Allah be pleased with them both—in al-Bukhārī, 2/51 (Book of Tahajjud, chapter “How the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—Performed His Prayer and How Many Units He Prayed at Night”); Muslim, 1/508–510 (Book of the Prayer of Travelers, chapter “The Night Prayer…”), hadiths nos. 121–128; and Sunan al-Tirmidhī, 1/274–276 (Book of Prayer, chapter “Reports Describing the Prophet’s Night Prayer—may Allah bless him and grant him peace”).

الْحَجُّ، وَهِيَ سَنَةُ الْوُفُودِ. فَإِنَّ مَكَّةَ لَمَّا فُتِحَتْ سَنَةَ ثَمَانٍ قَدِمَتْ وُفُودُ الْعَرَبِ مِنْ كُلِّ نَاحِيَةٍ، فَهَذِهِ الْآيَةُ تَدُلُّ عَلَى كَمَالِ اتِّصَالِهِمْ بِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ -، كَمَا دَلَّ عَلَى ذَلِكَ حَدِيثُ الْكِسَاءِ، وَلَكِنَّ هَذَا لَا يَقْتَضِي أَنْ يَكُونَ الْوَاحِدُ مِنْهُمْ أَفْضَلَ مِنْ سَائِرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَلَا أَعْلَمَ مِنْهُمْ، لِأَنَّ الْفَضِيلَةَ بِكَمَالِ الْإِيمَانِ وَالتَّقْوَى لَا بِقُرْبِ النَّسَبِ. كَمَا قَالَ تَعَالَى: {إِنَّ أَكْرَمَكُمْ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ أَتْقَاكُمْ} [سُورَةُ الْحُجُرَاتِ: ١٣] . وَقَدْ ثَبَتَ أَنَّ الصِّدِّيقَ كَانَ أَتْقَى الْأُمَّةِ بِالْكِتَابِ وَالسُّنَّةِ، وَتَوَاتَرَ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - أَنَّهُ قَالَ: " «لَوْ كُنْتُ مُتَّخِذًا مِنْ أَهْلِ الْأَرْضِ خَلِيلًا لَاتَّخَذْتُ أَبَا بَكْرٍ خَلِيلًا» " (١) وَهَذَا مَبْسُوطٌ فِي مَوْضِعِهِ. وَأَمَّا مَا نَقَلَهُ عَنْ عَلِيٍّ (٢) أَنَّهُ كَانَ يُصَلِّي كُلَّ يَوْمٍ وَلَيْلَةٍ أَلْفَ رَكْعَةٍ، فَهَذَا يَدُلُّ عَلَى جَهْلِهِ بِالْفَضِيلَةِ وَجَهْلِهِ بِالْوَاقِعِ. أَمَّا أَوَّلًا فَلِأَنَّ (٣) هَذَا لَيْسَ بِفَضِيلَةٍ، فَإِنَّهُ قَدْ ثَبَتَ فِي الصَّحِيحِ «عَنِ النَّبِيِّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - أَنَّهُ كَانَ لَا يَزِيدُ فِي اللَّيْلِ عَلَى ثَلَاثَ عَشْرَةَ رَكْعَةً» (٤) . وَثَبَتَ عَنْهُ فِي الصَّحِيحِ أَنَّهُ قَالَ

(١) مَضَى هَذَا الْحَدِيثُ مِنْ قَبْلُ فِي هَذَا الْكِتَابِ ١/٥١٢. (٢) عَنْ عَلِيٍّ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (أ) ، (ب) . (٣) ن، م: فَإِنَّ. (٤) وَرَدَ أَكْثَرُ مِنْ حَدِيثٍ عَنْ بَعْضِ الصَّحَابَةِ جَاءَ فِيهِ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - كَانَ لَا يَزِيدُ عَنْ ثَلَاثَ عَشْرَةَ رَكْعَةً فِي صَلَاةِ اللَّيْلِ. انْظُرِ الْأَحَادِيثَ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، وَعَائِشَةَ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا - فِي: الْبُخَارِيِّ ٢/٥١ (كِتَابُ التَّهَجُّدِ، بَابُ كَيْفَ كَانَ صَلَاةُ النَّبِيِّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - وَكَمْ كَانَ النَّبِيُّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - يُصَلِّي مِنَ اللَّيْلِ) ، مُسْلِمٍ ١/٥٠٨ - ٥١٠ (كِتَابُ صَلَاةِ الْمُسَافِرِينَ، بَابُ صَلَاةِ اللَّيْلِ. . .) الْأَحَادِيثُ رَقْمَ ١٢١ - ١٢٨، سُنَنِ التِّرْمِذِيِّ ١/٢٧٤ - ٢٧٦ (كِتَابُ الصَّلَاةِ، بَابُ مَا جَاءَ فِي وَصْفِ صَلَاةِ النَّبِيِّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - بِاللَّيْلِ) .