Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (4/130)

and the West (1), even though not one of them had a school. Among the Mālikīs in the West (2), the descendants of al-ʿAbbās are not even mentioned.

Moreover, the Sunnah was more prominent and stronger before the Abbasid state than it was under Abbasid rule, for many (3) Shiʿis and other proponents of religious innovation became part of their state. Furthermore (4), Ahl al-Sunnah agree that the caliphate is not restricted to the Abbasids and that, if an Alid, an Umayyad, or a member of another clan of Quraysh assumed it, this would be valid. It is also well known that Sunni scholars such as Mālik, Ahmad, and others were among those most averse to flattering rulers or drawing close to them. Furthermore (5), Ahl al-Sunnah honor only the Rightly Guided Caliphs, none of whom was an Abbasid.

It is also known to every rational person that not a single (6) well-known Muslim scholar is a Rāfidī. Rather, they all concur in declaring the Rāfidīs ignorant and misguided, and all their books

(1) N, M, S, R, and H read: “the East and the West.” (2) “Fī al-gharb” (“in the West”): thus in A and B. All other manuscripts read: “bi-l-gharb.” (3) A and B read: “For indeed, many entered the Abbasid state…” (4) The word “inna” (“indeed”) appears only in N. (5) The word “inna” (“indeed”) appears only in N. (6) N, M, and W read: “one.”

وَالْمَغْرِبَ (١) وَلَيْسَ لِأَحَدٍ مِنْهُمْ مَدْرَسَةٌ، وَالْمَالِكِيَّةُ فِي الْغَرْبِ (٢) لَا يُذْكَرُ عِنْدَهُمْ وَلَدُ الْعَبَّاسِ. ثُمَّ السُّنَّةُ كَانَتْ قَبْلَ دَوْلَةِ بَنِي الْعَبَّاسِ أَظْهَرَ مِنْهَا وَأَقْوَى فِي دَوْلَةِ بَنِي الْعَبَّاسِ، فَإِنَّ بَنِي الْعَبَّاسِ دَخَلَ فِي دَوْلَتِهِمْ كَثِيرٌ (٣) مِنَ الشِّيعَةِ وَغَيْرِهِمْ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْبِدَعِ. ثُمَّ إِنَّ (٤) أَهْلُ السُّنَّةِ مُتَّفِقُونَ عَلَى أَنَّ الْخِلَافَةَ لَا تَخْتَصُّ بِبَنِي الْعَبَّاسِ، وَإِنَّهُ لَوْ تَوَلَّاهَا بَعْضُ الْعَلَوِيِّينَ أَوِ الْأُمَوِيِّينَ أَوْ غَيْرُهُمْ مِنْ بُطُونِ قُرَيْشٍ جَازَ، ثُمَّ مِنَ الْمَعْلُومِ أَنَّ عُلَمَاءَ السُّنَّةِ كَمَالِكٍ وَأَحْمَدَ وَغَيْرِهِمَا مِنْ أَبْعَدِ النَّاسِ عَنْ مُدَاهَنَةِ الْمُلُوكِ أَوْ مُقَارَبَتِهِمْ، ثُمَّ إِنَّ (٥) أَهْلَ السُّنَّةِ إِنَّمَا يُعَظِّمُونَ الْخُلَفَاءَ الرَّاشِدِينَ، وَلَيْسَ فِيهِمْ أَحَدٌ مِنْ بَنِي الْعَبَّاسِ. ثُمَّ مِنَ الْمَعْلُومِ لِكُلِّ عَاقِلٍ أَنَّهُ لَيْسَ فِي عُلَمَاءِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ الْمَشْهُورِينَ أَحَدٌ (٦) رَافِضِيٌّ، بَلْ كُلُّهُمْ مُتَّفِقُونَ عَلَى تَجْهِيلِ الرَّافِضَةِ وَتَضْلِيلِهِمْ، وَكُتُبُهُمْ كُلُّهَا

(١) ن، م، ص، ر، هـ: الشَّرْقَ وَالْغَرْبَ. (٢) فِي الْغَرْبِ: كَذَا فِي (أ) ، (ب) . وَفِي سَائِرِ النُّسَخِ: بِالْغَرْبِ. (٣) أ، ب: فَإِنَّ دَوْلَةَ بَنِي الْعَبَّاسِ دَخَلَ فِيهَا كَثِيرٌ. . . (٤) إِنَّ: فِي (ن) فَقَطْ. (٥) إِنَّ: فِي (ن) فَقَطْ. (٦) ن، م، و: وَاحِدٌ.