Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (4/54)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

the true knowledge and beliefs founded on certainty with the utmost clarity, and that his Companions received this from him (1) and conveyed it to the Muslims?

This necessarily entails impugning either him or them. Rather, lies were fabricated (2) against Ja'far al-Sādiq more extensively than against those before him. The fault lay with (3) those who fabricated lies against him, not with him. For this reason, various (4) fabrications were attributed to him, including “Kitāb al-Bitāqa” (The Book of the Card), “al-Jafr,” “al-Haft,” discourse on (5) astrology, and foreknowledge (6) obtained through thunder, lightning, the twitching of bodily parts, and other such things (7).

Abū 'Abd al-Rahmān even related from him, in “Haqā'iq al-Tafsīr” (The Realities of Quranic Exegesis) (8), lies from which Allah has kept Ja'far entirely free. Indeed, anyone (9) who wished to secure acceptance for his lies (10) attributed them to Ja'far. Some people even believe that the “Rasā'il Ikhwān al-Safā” (Epistles of the Brethren of Purity) were derived from him. This is a manifest falsehood, for Ja'far died in 148 AH, whereas these epistles were composed (11) approximately two hundred years later. They were composed (12) when the state of

(1) A and B read: “from him that.” (2) A and B read: “Rather, it is a lie.” (3) A and B read: “in.” (4) A reads: “attributed various kinds to him”; B reads: “various kinds were attributed to him.” (5) A and B read: “on.” (6) A and B read: “introduction.” (7) These books attributed to Jafar al-Sādiq were discussed previously, 2/464–465. (8) He is Abū Abd al-Rahmān al-Sulamī, in his book *Haqā’iq al-Tafsīr*. (9) “Every” is omitted from A and B. (10) A reads: “to have his lies confirmed”; B reads: “to confirm his lies.” (11) A and B read: “were compiled.” (12) A reads: “and were compiled”; B reads: “were compiled.”

الْمَعَارِفَ الْحَقِيقِيَّةَ وَالْعَقَائِدَ الْيَقِينِيَّةَ أَكْمَلَ بَيَانٍ؟ وَأَنَّ أَصْحَابَهُ تَلَقَّوْا ذَلِكَ عَنْهُ (١) وَبَلَّغُوهُ إِلَى الْمُسْلِمِينَ؟ . وَهَذَا يَقْتَضِي الْقَدْحَ: إِمَّا فِيهِ، وَإِمَّا فِيهِمْ. بَلْ كُذِبَ (٢) عَلَى جَعْفَرٍ الصَّادِقِ أَكْثَرَ مِمَّا كُذِبَ عَلَى مَنْ قَبْلَهُ، فَالْآفَةُ وَقَعَتَ مِنَ (٣) الْكَذَّابِينَ عَلَيْهِ لَا مِنْهُ. وَلِهَذَا نُسِبَ إِلَيْهِ أَنْوَاعٌ (٤) مِنَ الْأَكَاذِيبِ، مِثْلَ كِتَابِ " الْبِطَاقَةِ " وَ " الْجَفْرِ " وَ " الْهَفْتِ " وَالْكَلَامِ فِي (٥) النُّجُومِ، وَفِي تَقْدِمَةِ (٦) الْمَعْرِفَةِ مِنْ جِهَةِ الرُّعُودِ وَالْبَرْوَقِ وَاخْتِلَاجِ الْأَعْضَاءِ وَغَيْرِ ذَلِكَ (٧) . حَتَّى نَقَلَ عَنْهُ أَبُو عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ فِي " حَقَائِقِ التَّفْسِيرِ " (٨) مِنَ الْأَكَاذِيبِ مَا نَزَّهَ اللَّهُ جَعْفَرًا عَنْهُ، وَحَتَّى إِنَّ كُلَّ (٩) مَنْ أَرَادَ أَنْ يُنَفِّقَ أَكَاذِيبَهُ (١٠) نَسَبَهَا إِلَى جَعْفَرٍ، حَتَّى إِنَّ طَائِفَةً مِنَ النَّاسِ يَظُنُّونَ أَنَّ " رَسَائِلَ إِخْوَانِ الصَّفَا " مَأْخُوذَةٌ عَنْهُ، وَهَذَا مِنَ الْكَذِبِ الْمَعْلُومِ، فَإِنَّ جَعْفَرًا تُوُفِّيَ سَنَةَ ثَمَانٍ وَأَرْبَعِينَ وَمِائَةٍ، وَهَذِهِ الرَّسَائِلُ وُضِعَتْ (١١) بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ بِنَحْوِ مِائَتَيْ سَنَةٍ: وُضِعَتْ (١٢) لَمَّا ظَهَرَتْ دَوْلَةُ

(١) أ، ب: عَنْهُ ذَلِكَ. (٢) أ، ب: بَلْ هُوَ كَذِبٌ. (٣) أ، ب: فِي. (٤) أ: نَسَبَتْ إِلَيْهِ أَنْوَاعًا، ب: نُسِبَتْ إِلَيْهِ أَنْوَاعٌ. (٥) أ، ب: عَلَى. (٦) أ، ب: مُقَدِّمَةِ. (٧) سَبَقَ الْكَلَامُ عَنْ هَذِهِ الْكُتُبِ الْمَنْسُوبَةِ إِلَى جَعْفَرٍ الصَّادِقِ فِيمَا مَضَى ٢/٤٦٤ ٤٦٥. (٨) وَهُوَ أَبُو عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ السُّلَمِيُّ فِي كِتَابِهِ " حَقَائِقِ التَّفْسِيرِ ". (٩) كُلَّ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (أ) ، (ب) . (١٠) أ: يَتَحَقَّقَ أَكَاذِيبَهُ، ب: يُحَقِّقَ أَكَاذِيبَهُ. (١١) أ، ب: صُنِّفَتْ. (١٢) أ: وَصُنِّفَتْ، ب: صُنِّفَتْ.