Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (4/127)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

Moreover, whoever suspects these masters of concealing their knowledge (1) from men such as these and reserving it for obscure people who have no honorable reputation within the Ummah has thought ill of them. These men possess a degree of love for Allah and His Messenger, obedience to Him, eagerness to preserve and convey His religion, loyalty to those loyal to Him, enmity toward those hostile to Him, and protection of the religion from addition and omission that is not even remotely matched by any of the Shi'ite shaykhs.

This is self-evident to anyone familiar with both groups. Judge this by what you find in every age among the shaykhs of the Sunnah and the Rāfidī shaykhs. Take, for example, the author of this book: the Imāmiyya regard him as the foremost among them in his time. Indeed, some people say, “In all the eastern lands, no one surpasses him in the sciences as a whole.” Yet his words show that he is among the most ignorant of Allah’s creation concerning the Prophet’s life, sayings, and deeds—may Allah bless him and grant him peace. He relates falsehoods (2) whose falsity is evident in numerous respects.

If he knows that they are false, it is authentically established that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said:

“Whoever relates a hadith from me while he (3) believes it to be false is himself one of the liars.” (4)

If he is unaware of this, it shows that he is among the people most ignorant of the Prophet’s life—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—as has been said:

(1) (A) and (B) read: “knowledge.” (2) (R), (H), and (S) read: “and so he relates the hadith.” (3) “While he” is omitted from (S). (4) (A), (B), and (M) read: *al-kadhdhābīn* (“habitual liars”). The hadith is narrated from Samura ibn Jundub, al-Mughīra ibn Shu'ba, and Ali—may Allah be pleased with them—in *Sahīh Muslim*, 1/9 (Introduction, chapter: “The Obligation to Narrate from Trustworthy Transmitters and Refrain from Narrating from Liars”); *Sunan al-Tirmidhī*, 4/143 (Book of Knowledge, chapter: “One Who Relates a Hadith While Believing It to Be False”); *Sunan Ibn Mājah*, 1/14 (Introduction, chapter: “One Who Relates a Hadith from the Messenger of Allah While Believing It to Be False”); and *al-Musnad* (al-Halabī ed.), 5/20. See also al-Nawawī’s commentary on *Sahīh Muslim*, 1/62–64.

ثُمَّ مَنْ ظَنِّ بِهَؤُلَاءِ السَّادَةِ أَنَّهُمْ يَكْتُمُونَ عِلْمَهُمْ (١) عَنْ مِثْلِ هَؤُلَاءِ، وَيَخُصُّونَ بِهِ قَوْمًا مَجْهُولِينَ لَيْسَ لَهُمْ فِي الْأُمَّةِ لِسَانُ صِدْقٍ، فَقَدْ أَسَاءَ الظَّنَّ بِهِمْ، فَإِنَّ فِي هَؤُلَاءِ مِنَ الْمَحَبَّةِ لِلَّهِ وَلِرَسُولِهِ، وَالطَّاعَةِ لَهُ وَالرَّغْبَةِ فِي حِفْظِ دِينِهِ وَتَبْلِيغِهِ وَمُوَالَاةِ مَنْ وَالَاهُ وَمُعَادَاةِ مَنْ عَادَاهُ وَصِيَانَتِهِ عَنِ الزِّيَادَةِ وَالنُّقْصَانِ مَا لَا يُوجَدُ قَرِيبٌ مِنْهُ لِأَحَدٍ مِنْ شُيُوخِ الشِّيعَةِ. وَهَذَا أَمْرٌ مَعْلُومٌ بِالضَّرُورَةِ لِمَنْ عَرَفَ هَؤُلَاءِ وَهَؤُلَاءِ. وَاعْتَبِرْ هَذَا مِمَّا تَجِدُهُ فِي كُلِّ زَمَانٍ مِنْ شُيُوخِ السُّنَّةِ وَشُيُوخِ الرَّافِضَةِ، كَمُصَنِّفِ هَذَا الْكِتَابِ، فَإِنَّهُ عِنْدَ الْإِمَامِيَّةِ أَفْضَلُهُمْ فِي زَمَانِهِ، بَلْ يَقُولُ بَعْضُ النَّاسِ: لَيْسَ فِي بِلَادِ الْمَشْرِقِ أَفْضَلُ مِنْهُ فِي جِنْسِ الْعُلُومِ مُطْلَقًا. وَمَعَ هَذَا فَكَلَامُهُ يَدُلُّ عَلَى أَنَّهُ مِنْ أَجْهَلِ خَلْقِ اللَّهِ بِحَالِ النَّبِيِّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - وَأَقْوَالِهِ وَأَعْمَالِهِ، فَيَرْوِي الْكَذِبَ (٢) الَّذِي يَظْهَرُ أَنَّهُ كَذِبٌ مِنْ وُجُوهٍ كَثِيرَةٍ، فَإِنْ كَانَ عَالِمًا بِأَنَّهُ كَذِبٌ فَقَدْ ثَبَتَ عَنْهُ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: " «مَنْ حَدَّثَ عَنِّي بِحَدِيثٍ وَهُوَ (٣) يَرَى أَنَّهُ كَذِبٌ فَهُوَ أَحَدُ الْكَاذِبِينَ» (٤) " وَإِنْ كَانَ جَاهِلًا بِذَلِكَ دَلَّ عَلَى أَنَّهُ مِنْ أَجْهَلِ النَّاسِ بِأَحْوَالِ النَّبِيِّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - كَمَا قِيلَ:

(١) أ، ب: الْعِلْمَ. (٢) ر، هـ، ص: فَيَرْوِي الْحَدِيثَ. (٣) وَهُوَ: لَيْسَتْ فِي (ص) . (٤) أ، ب، م: الْكَذَّابِينَ. وَالْحَدِيثُ عَنْ سَمُرَةَ بْنِ جُنْدُبٍ وَالْمُغِيرَةِ بْنِ شُعْبَةَ، وَعَلِيٍّ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ - فِي: مُسْلِمٍ ١/٩ (الْمُقَدِّمَةُ، بَابُ وُجُوبِ الرِّوَايَةِ عَنِ الثِّقَاتِ وَتَرْكِ الْكَذَّابِينَ) ، سُنَنِ التِّرْمِذِيِّ ٤/١٤٣ (كِتَابُ الْعِلْمِ، بَابُ مَنْ رَوَى حَدِيثًا وَهُوَ يَرَى أَنَّهُ كَذِبٌ) ، سُنَنِ ابْنِ مَاجَهْ ١/١٤ (الْمُقَدِّمَةُ، بَابُ مَنْ حَدَّثَ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ حَدِيثًا وَهُوَ يَرَى أَنَّهُ كَذِبٌ) ، الْمُسْنَدِ (ط. الْحَلَبِيِّ) ٥/٢٠، وَانْظُرْ شَرْحَ النَّوَوِيِّ عَلَى صَحِيحِ مُسْلِمٍ ١/٦٢ - ٦٤.