Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (4/116)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

and Sālim ibn ʿAbd Allāh, and whomever Allah willed among the Followers and their successors: these are the imams (1) in those religious matters in which it is possible to follow them, together with following the rulers in those religious matters in which their leadership is needed (2).

ʿAlī ibn al-Husayn and his son—as well as Jaʿfar ibn Muhammad and others—are also [among the imams] (3) of Ahl al-Sunnah [wa-l-Jamāʿah] (4) in this respect. The Shiʿah have never followed an imam possessed of knowledge and asceticism without Ahl al-Sunnah also following him (5), along with groups of others (6) who share their knowledge and asceticism; indeed, those others are more knowledgeable and more ascetic than he. Whenever Ahl al-Sunnah have taken a person of sinful conduct as an imam (7), the Shiʿah have taken as an imam someone of sinful conduct who was worse than he. Thus, Ahl al-Sunnah [are more entitled to follow just imams wherever it is possible to follow them, and are further removed from following (8) unjust imams in matters other than those in which those imams act unjustly; they are] (9) better than the Shiʿah in both respects.

The Eleventh Point (10): His statement: “The Imāmiyyah said: Allah will judge between us and these people, and He is the best of judges.”

(1) (A) and (B) read: “These are imams.” (2) This is omitted from (A) and (B). (3) “Among the imams” is omitted from (N); “the imams” is omitted from (M); “among” is omitted from (A) and (B). (4) “Wa-l-Jamāʿah” is omitted from (N) and (M). (5) “Also” is omitted from (A) and (B). (6) (A), (B), and (S) read: “and with a group.” (7) (A), (M), (R), and (H) read: “an imam in acts of disobedience”; (N) reads: “either in acts of disobedience.” (8) The text between markers (8–8) is omitted from (A) and (B). (9) The text between square brackets is omitted from (N) and (M). (10) (N), (M), and (W) read: “The Tenth Point.”

وَسَالِمِ بْنِ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ، وَمَنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ مِنَ التَّابِعِينَ وَتَابِعِيهِمْ، هَؤُلَاءِ هُمُ الْأَئِمَّةُ (١) فِيمَا يُمْكِنُ الِائْتِمَامُ بِهِمْ فِيهِ مِنَ الدِّينِ مَعَ الِائْتِمَامِ بِالْمُلُوكِ فِيمَا يُحْتَاجُ فِيهِ إِلَى الِائْتِمَامِ بِهِمْ فِيهِ مِنَ الدِّينِ (٢) . وَعَلِيُّ بْنُ الْحُسَيْنِ وَابْنُهُ وَجَعْفَرُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ وَغَيْرُهُمْ هُمْ أَيْضًا [مِنْ أَئِمَّةِ] (٣) أَهْلِ السُّنَّةِ [وَالْجَمَاعَةِ] (٤) بِهَذَا الِاعْتِبَارِ، فَلَمْ تَأْتَمَّ الشِّيعَةُ بِإِمَامٍ ذِي عِلْمٍ وَزُهْدٍ إِلَّا وَأَهْلُ السُّنَّةِ يَأْتَمُّونَ بِهِ أَيْضًا (٥) وَبِجَمَاعَاتٍ (٦) آخَرِينَ يُشَارِكُونَهُمْ فِي الْعِلْمِ وَالزُّهْدِ، بَلْ هُمْ أَعْلَمُ مِنْهُ وَأَزْهَدُ. وَمَا اتَّخَذَ أَهْلُ السُّنَّةِ إِمَامًا مِنْ أَهْلِ الْمَعَاصِي (٧) إِلَّا وَقَدِ اتَّخَذَتِ الشِّيعَةُ إِمَامًا مِنْ أَهْلِ الْمَعَاصِي شَرًّا مِنْهُ، فَأَهْلُ السُّنَّةِ [أَوْلَى بِالِائْتِمَامِ بِأَئِمَّةِ الْعَدْلِ فِيمَا يُمْكِنُ الِائْتِمَامُ بِهِمْ فِيهِ، وَأَبْعَدُ عَنِ الِائْتِمَامِ (٨) بِأَئِمَّةِ الظُّلْمِ فِي غَيْرِ مَا هُمْ ظَالِمُونَ فِيهِ، فَهُمْ] (٩) خَيْرٌ مِنَ الشِّيعَةِ فِي الطَّرَفَيْنِ. الْوَجْهُ الْحَادِي عَشَرَ (١٠) : قَوْلُهُ: " قَالَتِ الْإِمَامِيَّةُ فَاللَّهُ يَحْكُمُ بَيْنَنَا وَبَيْنَ هَؤُلَاءِ وَهُوَ خَيْرُ الْحَاكِمِينَ " .

(١) أ، ب: هَؤُلَاءِ أَئِمَّةٌ. (٢) سَاقِطٌ مِنْ (أ) ، (ب) . (٣) مِنْ أَئِمَّةِ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) ، أَئِمَّةِ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (م) ، مِنْ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (أ) ، (ب) . (٤) وَالْجَمَاعَةِ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) . (٥) أَيْضًا: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (أ) ، (ب) . (٦) أ، ب، ص: وَبِجَمَاعَةٍ. (٧) أ، م، ر، هـ: إِمَامًا فِي الْمَعَاصِي، ن: إِمَّا فِي الْمَعَاصِي. (٨) (٨ - ٨) : سَاقِطٌ مِنْ (أ) ، (ب) . (٩) مَا بَيْنَ الْمَعْقُوفَتَيْنِ سَاقِطٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) . (١٠) ن، م، و: الْوَجْهُ الْعَاشِرُ.