Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (4/117)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

The Imāmiyyah are therefore told: Allah has already judged between the two sides [in this world] (1) through the proofs and clear signs He has made manifest, and through the aid by which He granted the people of truth (2) victory over you. Thus, they prevail over you through proof and clear exposition, and through force and spear (3), just as He made His Prophet’s religion prevail over all other religions.

Allah Most High says:

“It is He who sent His Messenger with guidance and the religion of truth, to make it prevail over every religion, even though the polytheists detest it.”

[Surah al-Tawbah: 33]

Part of his religion (4) was the doctrine of Ahl al-Sunnah, concerning which (5) you opposed them [in that regard] (6). That doctrine prevails over you through proof and spear (7), just as the religion of Muhammad—may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him—prevailed over all other religions. The religion of Muhammad—may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him—never prevailed over any other religion except through Ahl al-Sunnah, as it did during the caliphates of Abū Bakr, ʿUmar, and ʿUthmān—may Allah be pleased with them—with an ascendancy attained by no other religion.

As for ʿAlī—may Allah be pleased with him—although he was one of the Rightly Guided Caliphs and one of the leading members of the foremost early believers, Islam did not (8) gain ascendancy during his caliphate. Rather, civil strife erupted among its adherents, and their enemies among [the disbelievers and] the Christians (9) and the Magians grew bold against them

(1) “In this world” is omitted from (N), (M), and (W). (2) (A) and (B) read: “and through that by which He makes the people of truth prevail…” (3) (A) and (B) read: “and the tongue.” (4) (A) and (B) read: “and whoever had as part of his religion…” (5) (N), (M), and (S) read: “whom.” (6) “In that regard” is omitted from (N) and (M). (7) (A) and (B) read: “and the tongue.” (8) (B) alone reads: “did not.” (9) (N) and (M) read: “among the Christians.”

فَيُقَالُ لِلْإِمَامِيَّةِ: إِنَّ اللَّهَ قَدْ حَكَمَ بَيْنَهُمْ [فِي الدُّنْيَا] (١) بِمَا أَظْهَرَهُ مِنَ الدَّلَائِلِ وَالْبَيِّنَاتِ، وَبِمَا نَصَرَ بِهِ أَهْلَ الْحَقِّ (٢) عَلَيْكُمْ، فَهُمْ ظَاهِرُونَ عَلَيْكُمْ بِالْحُجَّةِ وَالْبَيَانِ، وَبِالْيَدِ وَالسِّنَانِ (٣) ، كَمَا أَظْهَرَ دِينَ نَبِيِّهِ عَلَى سَائِرِ الْأَدْيَانِ. قَالَ تَعَالَى: {هُوَ الَّذِي أَرْسَلَ رَسُولَهُ بِالْهُدَى وَدِينِ الْحَقِّ لِيُظْهِرَهُ عَلَى الدِّينِ كُلِّهِ وَلَوْ كَرِهَ الْمُشْرِكُونَ} [سُورَةُ التَّوْبَةِ: ٣٣] وَكَانَ مِنْ دِينِهِ (٤) قَوْلُ أَهْلِ السُّنَّةِ الَّذِي (٥) خَالَفْتُمُوهُمْ [فِيهِ] (٦) ، فَإِنَّهُ ظَاهِرٌ عَلَيْكُمْ بِالْحُجَّةِ وَالسِّنَانِ (٧) ، كَظُهُورِ دِينِ مُحَمَّدٍ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - عَلَى سَائِرِ الْأَدْيَانِ، وَلَمْ يَظْهَرْ دِينُ مُحَمَّدٍ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - قَطُّ عَلَى غَيْرِهِ مِنَ الْأَدْيَانِ إِلَّا بِأَهْلِ السُّنَّةِ، كَمَا ظَهَرَ فِي خِلَافَةِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ، وَعُمَرَ، وَعُثْمَانَ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ - ظُهُورًا لَمْ يَحْصُلْ لِشَيْءٍ مِنَ الْأَدْيَانِ. وَعَلِيٌّ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ - مَعَ أَنَّهُ مِنَ الْخُلَفَاءِ الرَّاشِدِينَ، وَمِنْ سَادَاتِ السَّابِقِينَ الْأَوَّلِينَ، فَلَمْ (٨) يَظْهَرْ فِي خِلَافَتِهِ دِينُ الْإِسْلَامِ، بَلْ وَقَعَتِ الْفِتْنَةُ بَيْنَ أَهْلِهِ، وَطَمِعَ فِيهِمْ عَدُوُّهُمْ مِنَ [الْكُفَّارِ وَ] النَّصَارَى (٩) وَالْمَجُوسِ

(١) فِي الدُّنْيَا: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) ، (و) . (٢) أ، ب: وَبِمَا يُظْهِرُ أَهْلَ الْحَقِّ. . . (٣) أ، ب: وَاللِّسَانِ. (٤) أ، ب: وَمَنْ كَانَ مِنْ دِينِهِ. . . (٥) ن، م، ص: الَّذِينَ. (٦) فِيهِ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) . (٧) أ، ب: وَاللِّسَانِ. (٨) ب (فَقَطْ) : لَمْ. (٩) ن، م: مِنَ النَّصَارَى.