Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (4/162)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

because the Muslims were preoccupied with one another(1). This amounts to omitting mention of the leaders(2) of the complete and perfect caliphate and restricting mention to the caliphate that was never completed and whose purpose was not fulfilled.

This was [among](3) the arguments of those who named Muʿāwiyah [—may Allah be pleased with him—](4) as the fourth while not mentioning Ali, may Allah be pleased with him, as was the practice of those who [used to](5) do so in al-Andalus and elsewhere. They said(6): “This is because the Muslims agreed upon Muʿāwiyah [—may Allah be pleased with him—](7), unlike Ali [—may Allah be pleased with him—](8).” There is no doubt that, although their position was mistaken, the position of those who mention Ali alone is an even greater error than theirs.

More serious than all of that(9) is mentioning the Twelve in his sermons or elsewhere, inscribing their names upon a wall, or reciting their names as a prompt to a deceased person. This is the reprehensible innovation which is necessarily known(10) from the religion of Islam to be(11) among the gravest matters ever introduced into Islam. If the preacher were to omit mention of all four altogether(12), no objection would be raised against him. What is objectionable is restricting mention

(1) N, M, and W read: “because they were preoccupied with one another.” (2) A reads: “the leaders.” The word is omitted from B. (3) “Among” is added in R, H, and S. 1 (4) N, M, and W read: “elevates Muʿāwiyah.” (5) “Used to” is omitted from N, M, W, and H. (6) A and B read: “And they said.” (7) “May Allah be pleased with him” is added in A and B. (8) “May Allah be pleased with him” is added in A and B. (9) A and B read: “than this.” (10) A, B, and N use the feminine form “is known.” (11) A and B read: “because it is.” (12) “All” is omitted from A and B.

لِاشْتِغَالِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ بَعْضِهِمْ (١) بِبَعْضٍ، وَهُوَ تَرْكٌ لِذِكْرِ أَئِمَّةِ (٢) الْخِلَافَةِ التَّامَّةِ الْكَامِلَةِ، وَاقْتِصَارٌ عَلَى ذِكْرِ الْخِلَافَةِ الَّتِي لَمْ تَتِمَّ وَلَمْ يَحْصُلْ مَقْصُودُهَا. وَهَذَا كَانَ [مِنْ] (٣) حُجَّةِ مَنْ كَانَ يُرَبِّعُ بِذِكْرِ مُعَاوِيَةَ [- رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ -] (٤) وَلَا يَذْكُرُ عَلِيًّا رَضِيَ عَنْهُ، كَمَا كَانَ يَفْعَلُ ذَلِكَ مَنْ [كَانَ] (٥) يَفْعَلُهُ بِالْأَنْدَلُسِ وَغَيْرِهَا. قَالُوا (٦) : لِأَنَّ مُعَاوِيَةَ [- رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ -] (٧) اتَّفَقَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ عَلَيْهِ بِخِلَافِ عَلِيٍّ [- رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ -] (٨) . وَلَا رَيْبَ أَنَّ قَوْلَ هَؤُلَاءِ، وَإِنْ كَانَ خَطَأً، فَقَوْلُ الَّذِينَ يَذْكُرُونَ عَلِيًّا وَحْدَهُ أَعْظَمُ خَطَأً مِنْ هَؤُلَاءِ. وَأَعْظَمُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ (٩) كُلِّهِ ذِكْرُ الِاثْنَى عَشَرَ فِي خُطَبِهِ أَوْ غَيْرِهَا، أَوْ نَقْشُهُمْ عَلَى حَائِطٍ، أَوْ تَلْقِينُهُمْ لِمَيِّتٍ، فَهَذَا هُوَ الْبِدْعَةُ الْمُنْكَرَةُ الَّتِي يُعْلَمُ (١٠) بِالِاضْطِرَارِ مِنْ دِينِ الْإِسْلَامِ أَنَّهَا (١١) مِنْ أَعْظَمِ الْأُمُورِ الْمُبْتَدَعَةِ فِي دِينِ الْإِسْلَامِ. وَلَوْ تَرَكَ الْخَطِيبُ ذِكْرَ الْأَرْبَعَةِ جَمِيعًا (١٢) لَمْ يُنْكَرْ عَلَيْهِ، وَإِنَّمَا الْمُنْكَرُ الِاقْتِصَارُ

(١) ن، م، و: لِاشْتِغَالِهِمْ بَعْضِهِمْ. . (٢) أ: الْأَئِمَّةِ. وَسَقَطَتِ الْكَلِمَةُ مِنْ (ب) . (٣) مِنْ: زِيَادَةٌ فِي (ر) ، (هـ) ، (ص) . ١ (٤) ن، م، و: يَرْفَعُ بِمُعَاوِيَةَ. (٥) كَانَ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) ، (و) ، (هـ) . (٦) أ، ب: وَقَالُوا. (٧) رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ: زِيَادَةٌ فِي (أ) ، (ب) . (٨) - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ -: زِيَادَةٌ فِي (أ) ، (ب) . (٩) أ، ب: مِنْ هَذَا. (١٠) أ، ب، ن: تُعْلَمُ. (١١) أ، ب: لِأَنَّهَا. (١٢) جَمِيعًا: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (أ) ، (ب) .