Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (4/38)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

The Kharijites are more numerous, more rational, and more devout (1) than those who claimed divinity for him. If an argument of this kind is admissible, and this claim is deemed (2) a merit, then the claim (3) of those who hated him and that of the Kharijites would be an even stronger—indeed, far stronger—ground for disparagement. How can the Kharijites even be compared with the extremist Rāfidah?!

The Kharijites are among the most assiduous of people in prayer, fasting, [and recitation of the Quran] (4). They have armies and military forces, and they adhere to the religion of Islam inwardly and outwardly. As for the extremists who claimed divinity for him, they are either among the most ignorant of people or among the most steeped in unbelief (5). The extremists are unbelievers by scholarly consensus. As for the Kharijites, only those who also declare the Imāmiyyah unbelievers declare them unbelievers, for they are better than the Imāmiyyah. Alī—may Allah be pleased with him—did not declare them unbelievers, nor did he order the killing of any one of them who had fallen into his power, although he ordered the extremists to be burned. Indeed, he did not fight them until they killed Abd Allāh ibn Khabbāb (6) and raided the people’s grazing livestock.

It was thus established by the consensus of Alī, all the other Companions, and the scholars that the Kharijites are better than the extremists. Therefore, if his followers (7) may treat (8) the extremists’ claim of divinity concerning him as evidence

(1) “And more devout” is omitted from A and B. (2) A, B, W, and H read: “and it was deemed.” (3) N, M, and W read: “argument.” (4) “And recitation of the Quran” is omitted from N and M. S, R, W, and H read: “and recitation.” (5) N, S, R, H, and W read: “among the most unbelieving of them.” (6) A and B read: “ibn al-Hubāb.” (7) A reads: “the Shia”; B and M read: “for the Shia.” (8) A and B read: “that they should treat.”

وَالْخَوَارِجُ أَكْثَرُ وَأَعْقَلُ وَأَدْيَنُ (١) مِنَ الَّذِينَ ادَّعَوْا فِيهِ الْإِلَهِيَّةَ، فَإِنْ جَازَ الِاحْتِجَاجُ بِمِثْلِ هَذَا، وَجُعِلَتْ (٢) هَذِهِ الدَّعْوَى مَنْقَبَةً، كَانَ دَعْوَى (٣) الْمُبْغِضِينَ لَهُ وَدَعْوَى الْخَوَارِجِ مَثْلَبَةً أَقْوَى وَأَقْوَى، وَأَيْنَ الْخَوَارِجُ مِنَ الرَّافِضَةِ الْغَالِيَةِ؟ ! . فَالْخَوَارِجُ مِنْ أَعْظَمِ النَّاسِ صَلَاةً وَصِيَامًا [وَقِرَاءَةً لِلْقِرَانِ] (٤) ، وَلَهُمْ جُيُوشٌ وَعَسَاكِرُ، وَهُمْ مُتَدَيِّنُونَ بِدِينِ الْإِسْلَامِ بَاطِنًا وَظَاهِرًا. وَالْغَالِيَةُ الْمُدَّعُونَ لِلْإِلَهِيَّةَ إِمَّا أَنْ يَكُونُوا مِنْ أَجْهَلِ النَّاسِ وَإِمَّا أَنْ يَكُونُوا مِنْ أَكْفَرِ النَّاسِ (٥) ، وَالْغَالِيَةُ كُفَّارٌ بِإِجْمَاعِ الْعُلَمَاءِ، وَأَمَّا الْخَوَارِجُ فَلَا يُكَفِّرُهُمْ إِلَّا مَنْ يُكَفِّرُ الْإِمَامِيَّةَ، فَإِنَّهُمْ خَيْرٌ مِنِ الْإِمَامِيَّةِ، وَعَلِيٌّ رِضَى اللَّهُ عَنْهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ يُكَفِّرُهُمْ، وَلَا أَمَرَ بِقَتْلِ الْوَاحِدِ الْمَقْدُورِ عَلَيْهِ مِنْهُمْ، كَمَا أَمَرَ بِتَحْرِيقِ الْغَالِيَةِ، بَلْ لَمْ يُقَاتِلْهُمْ حَتَّى قَتَلُوا عَبْدَ اللَّهِ بْنَ خَبَّابٍ (٦) وَأَغَارُوا عَلَى سَرْحِ النَّاسِ. فَثَبَتَ بِالْإِجْمَاعِ مِنْ عَلِيٍّ وَمِنْ سَائِرِ الصَّحَابَةِ وَالْعُلَمَاءِ أَنَّ الْخَوَارِجَ خَيْرٌ مِنَ الْغَالِيَةِ، فَإِنْ جَازَ لِشِيعَتِهِ (٧) أَنْ تَجْعَلَ (٨) دَعْوَى الْغَالِيَةِ الْإِلَهِيَّةَ فِيهِ حُجَّةً

(١) وَأَدْيَنُ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (أ) ، (ب) . (٢) أ، ب، و، هـ: وَجُعِلَ. (٣) ن، م، و: احْتِجَاجِ. (٤) وَقِرَاءَةً لِلْقُرْآنِ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) . وَفِي (ص) ، (ر) ، (و) ، (هـ) : وَقِرَاءَةً. (٥) ن، ص، ر، هـ، و: مِنْ أَكْفَرِهِمْ. (٦) أ، ب: بْنَ الْحُبَابِ. (٧) أ: الشِّيعَةَ، ب، م: لِلشِّيعَةِ. (٨) أ، ب: أَنْ يَجْعَلُوا.