Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (4/126)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

this, his books are replete with the knowledge (1) of men such as Mālik, al-Thawrī, al-Awzā'ī, al-Layth ibn Sa'd, Wakī' ibn al-Jarrāh, Yahyā ibn Sa'īd al-Qattān, Hushaym ibn Bashīr, Abd al-Rahmān ibn Mahdī, and their peers, rather than that of Mūsā ibn Ja'far, Ali ibn Mūsā, Muhammad ibn Ali, and their peers. Had he found what he sought among men such as the latter, he would have been more eager than anyone to pursue it.

If anyone claims that they possessed a store of knowledge unavailable to those other scholars but concealed it, what benefit could people derive from knowledge that they conceal? (2) Knowledge that is not communicated is like a treasure from which nothing is spent. How (3) can people follow as their imam someone who does not disclose hidden knowledge to them? Such knowledge is like a nonexistent imam: neither is of any benefit, nor does either bring about any grace or serve any beneficial purpose.

If they say instead that they disclosed (4) it to their select circle but not to these imams, the answer is:

First, this is a lie about them. No one comparable to Ja'far ibn Muhammad came after him, and these imams received knowledge from him (5)—including Mālik, Ibn Uyayna, Shu'ba, al-Thawrī, Ibn Jurayj, Yahyā ibn Sa'īd, and their peers among the well-known (6), eminent scholars.

(1) “With the knowledge of” is omitted from (W) and (A). (B) reads: “replete with material from men such as Mālik…” etc. (2) (A) and (B) read: “in concealed knowledge.” (3) (A), (B), and (R) read: “Then how.” (4) (A) reads: *yuthbitū* (“they establish”); (B) reads: *yuthbitūna* (“they establish”). This is a textual corruption. (5) (A), (B), (H), (R), and (S) read: “from,” omitting “him”; this is an error. (6) (N) and (M) read: “the well-known.”

هَذَا فَكُتُبُهُ مَمْلُوءَةٌ بِعِلْمِ (١) مِثْلِ مَالِكٍ، وَالثَّوْرِيِّ، وَالْأَوْزَاعِيِّ، وَاللَّيْثِ بْنِ سَعْدٍ، وَوَكِيعِ بْنِ الْجَرَّاجِ، وَيَحْيَى بْنِ سَعِيدٍ الْقَطَّانِ، وَهُشَيْمِ بْنِ بَشِيرٍ، وَعَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ مَهْدِيٍّ وَأَمْثَالِهِمْ، دُونَ مُوسَى بْنِ جَعْفَرٍ، وَعَلِيِّ بْنِ مُوسَى، وَمُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ وَأَمْثَالِهِمْ. فَلَوْ وَجَدَ مَطْلُوبَهُ عَنْ مِثْلِ هَؤُلَاءِ لَكَانَ أَشَدَّ النَّاسِ رَغْبَةً فِي ذَلِكَ. فَإِنْ زَعَمَ زَاعِمٌ أَنَّهُ كَانَ عِنْدَهُمْ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ الْمَخْزُونِ مَا لَيْسَ عِنْدَ أُولَئِكَ لَكِنْ كَانُوا يَكْتُمُونَهُ، فَأَيُّ فَائِدَةٍ لِلنَّاسِ فِي عِلْمٍ يَكْتُمُونَهُ؟ (٢) فَعِلْمٌ لَا يُقَالُ بِهِ كَكَنْزٍ لَا يُنْفَقُ مِنْهُ، وَكَيْفَ (٣) يَأْتَمُّ النَّاسُ بِمَنْ لَا يُبَيِّنُ لَهُمُ الْعِلْمَ الْمَكْتُومَ، كَالْإِمَامِ الْمَعْدُومِ، وَكَلَاهُمَا لَا يُنْتَفَعُ بِهِ، وَلَا يَحْصُلُ بِهِ لُطْفٌ وَلَا مَصْلَحَةٌ. وَإِنْ قَالُوا: بَلْ كَانُوا يُبَيِّنُونَ (٤) ذَلِكَ لِخَوَاصِّهِمْ دُونَ هَؤُلَاءِ الْأَئِمَّةِ. قِيلَ: أَوَّلًا: هَذَا كَذِبٌ عَلَيْهِمْ، فَإِنَّ جَعْفَرَ بْنَ مُحَمَّدٍ لَمْ يَجِئْ بَعْدَهُ مِثْلُهُ. وَقَدْ أَخَذَ الْعِلْمَ عَنْهُ (٥) هَؤُلَاءِ الْأَئِمَّةُ، كَمَالِكٍ، وَابْنِ عُيَيْنَةَ، وَشُعْبَةَ، وَالثَّوْرِيِّ، وَابْنِ جُرَيْجٍ، وَيَحْيَى بْنِ سَعِيدٍ، وَأَمْثَالِهِمْ مِنَ الْعُلَمَاءِ الْمَشَاهِيرِ (٦) الْأَعْيَانِ.

(١) بِعِلْمِ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (و) ، (أ) . وَفِي (ب) : مَمْلُوءَةٌ عَنْ مِثْلِ مَالِكٍ. . . إِلَخْ. (٢) أ، ب: فِي عِلْمٍ مَكْتُومٍ. (٣) أ، ب، ر: فَكَيْفَ. (٤) أ: يُثْبِتُوا، ب: يُثْبِتُونَ، وَهُوَ تَحْرِيفٌ. (٥) أ، ب، هـ، ر، ص: عَنْ، وَهُوَ خَطَأٌ. (٦) ن، م: الْمَشْهُورِينَ.