Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (4/40)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

This indicates that what al-Hasan did by refraining from fighting [for the imamate and seeking reconciliation among the Muslims (1) was beloved—Allah and His Messenger loved it. It was not a calamity; rather,] (2) it was dearer to Allah and His Messenger than Muslims fighting one another. For this reason, he loved him and loved Usāmah [ibn Zayd] (3), and prayed for them both, for both of them (4) disliked fighting amid civil strife (5). As for Usāmah, he did not (6) fight alongside either Alī or Muāwiyah, while al-Hasan continually advised Alī to refrain from fighting.] (7)

This is the very opposite of the Rāfidah’s position that this reconciliation was a calamity and a humiliation. Had there been an infallible imam whom everyone was obliged to obey, such that anyone else who assumed authority held invalid authority and it was impermissible to fight alongside him or pray behind him, then this reconciliation would have been one of the greatest calamities to befall the nation of Muhammad—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—and would have corrupted its religion. [What virtue, then, would al-Hasan have possessed because of it (8), such that he should be praised for it? His utmost claim (9) would merely be that he was excused because his weakness prevented him from engaging in the obligatory fighting (10).] (11) Yet the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—made al-Hasan, through the reconciliation, a leader

(1) A, B, and R read: “among the people.” (2) The passage in square brackets is omitted from N and M. (3) “Ibn Zayd” is added in A and B. (4) A and B read: “for each of them was.” (5) N and M read: “he disliked fighting and civil strife.” (6) S, R, H, and W read: “and Usāmah did not.” (7) The passage in square brackets is omitted from N and M. (8) A and B read: “in that.” (9) “Merely” is added in A and B. (10) W and R read: “that he should be excused because of his inability to engage in the obligatory fighting”; H reads: “that he should be excused from fighting because of the incapacity of the obligatory [fighting]”; S reads: “that he should be excused from fighting because of an inability to engage in the obligatory fighting.” (11) The passage in square brackets is omitted from N and M.

وَهَذَا يَدُلُّ عَلَى أَنَّ مَا فَعَلَهُ الْحَسَنُ مِنْ تَرْكِ الْقِتَالِ عَلَى [الْإِمَامَةِ، وَقَصْدِ الْإِصْلَاحِ بَيْنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ (١) كَانَ مَحْبُوبًا يُحِبُّهُ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ، وَلَمْ يَكُنْ ذَلِكَ مُصِيبَةً، بَلْ كَانَ] (٢) ذَلِكَ أَحَبَّ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ مِنِ اقْتِتَالِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ، وَلِهَذَا أَحَبَّهُ وَأَحَبَّ أُسَامَةَ [بْنَ زَيْدٍ] (٣) وَدَعَا لَهُمَا، فَإِنَّ كِلَاهُمَا كَانَ (٤) يَكْرَهُ الْقِتَالَ فِي الْفِتْنَةِ (٥) ، فَأَمَّا أُسَامَةُ فَلَمْ (٦) يُقَاتِلْ لَا مَعَ عَلِيٍّ وَلَا مَعَ مُعَاوِيَةَ، وَالْحَسَنُ كَانَ دَائِمًا يُشِيرُ عَلَى عَلِيٍّ بِتَرْكِ الْقِتَالِ] (٧) وَهَذَا نَقِيضُ مَا عَلَيْهِ الرَّافِضَةُ مِنْ أَنَّ ذَلِكَ الصُّلْحَ كَانَ مُصِيبَةً وَكَانَ ذُلًّا، وَلَوْ كَانَ هُنَاكَ إِمَامٌ مَعْصُومٌ يَجِبُ عَلَى كُلِّ أَحَدٍ طَاعَتُهُ، وَمَنْ تَوَلَّى غَيْرَهُ كَانَتْ وِلَايَتُهُ بَاطِلَةً لَا يَجُوزُ أَنْ يُجَاهَدَ مَعَهُ وَلَا يُصَلَّى خَلْفَهُ، لَكَانَ ذَلِكَ الصُّلْحُ مِنْ أَعْظَمِ الْمَصَائِبِ عَلَى أُمَّةِ مُحَمَّدٍ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - وَفِيهِ فَسَادُ دِينِهَا، [فَأَيُّ فَضِيلَةٍ كَانَتْ تَكُونُ لِلْحَسَنِ بِذَلِكَ (٨) حَتَّى يُثْنَى عَلَيْهِ بِهِ؟ وَإِنَّمَا (٩) غَايَتُهُ أَنْ يُعْذَرَ لِضَعْفِهِ عَنِ الْقِتَالِ الْوَاجِبِ (١٠) ] (١١) وَالنَّبِيُّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - جَعَلَ الْحَسَنَ فِي الصُّلْحِ سَيِّدًا

(١) أ، ب، ر: بَيْنَ النَّاسِ. (٢) مَا بَيْنَ الْمَعْقُوفَتَيْنِ سَاقِطٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) . (٣) ابْنَ زَيْدٍ: زِيَادَةٌ فِي (أ) ، (ب) . (٤) أ، ب: فَإِنَّ كُلَّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمَا كَانَ. . (٥) ن، م: كَانَ يَكْرَهُ الْقِتَالَ وَالْفِتْنَةَ. (٦) ص، ر، هـ، و: وَأُسَامَةُ لَمْ. (٧) مَا بَيْنَ الْمَعْقُوفَتَيْنِ سَاقِطٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) . (٨) أ، ب: فِي ذَلِكَ. (٩) وَإِنَّمَا: زِيَادَةٌ فِي (أ) ، (ب) . (١٠) و، ر: أَنْ يُعْذَرَ لِعَجْزِهِ عَنِ الْقِتَالِ الْوَاجِبِ، هـ: أَنْ يُعْذَرَ عَنِ الْقِتَالِ لِعَجْزِ الْوَاجِبِ، ص: أَنْ يُعْذَرَ عَنِ الْقِتَالِ لِعَجْزٍ عَنِ الْقِتَالِ الْوَاجِبِ. (١١) مَا بَيْنَ الْمَعْقُوفَتَيْنِ سَاقِطٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) .