Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (4/312)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

and grant him peace—said:

“The judges are of three kinds: two are in the Fire and one is in Paradise. A man who knows the truth and judges accordingly is in Paradise; a man who knows the truth but rules contrary to it is in the Fire; and a man who judges between people in ignorance is in the Fire.” (1)

If this applies to adjudicating between two people over a small or large amount of wealth, what then of passing judgment (2) between the Companions concerning numerous matters?

Whoever speaks on this subject out of ignorance, or contrary to what he knows of the truth (3), incurs the threatened punishment. Even if he were to speak the truth, but did so with the aim of [following] (4) caprice rather than seeking the pleasure of Allah Most High, or used it to oppose another truth, he would [also] (5) deserve censure and punishment.

Whoever knows what the Quran and sunnah establish concerning the praise of the Companions, Allah’s pleasure with them, their deserving Paradise, and their being the best of this community—which is the best community ever raised up for humanity—will not challenge this certain and established truth on the basis of ambiguous matters: some are of unknown (6) authenticity; some are demonstrably false; some are matters whose circumstances are unknown (7); and some are known

(1) The hadith—with some variation in wording—is narrated from Burayda, may Allah be pleased with him, in *Sunan Abī Dāwūd*, 3:406–407 (Book of Judicial Decisions, chapter “A Judge Who Errs”). Abū Dāwūd said: “This is the soundest report on the subject,” meaning the hadith of Ibn Burayda from his father: “Judges are of three kinds.” The hadith also appears in *Sunan Ibn Mājah*, 2:776 (Book of Legal Rulings, chapter “The Judge Who Exercises Independent Judgment and Arrives at the Truth”). Al-Albānī authenticated it in *Sahīh al-Jāmi al-Saghīr*, 4:151. Al-Suyūtī stated that another hadith with the same meaning was reported by al-Tabarī from Ibn Umar; al-Albānī also authenticated it. (2) N, A, and B read: “adjudication”; S reads: “in adjudication.” (3) “Of the truth” is omitted in A and B. (4) “Following” appears only in R, H, and S. (5) “Also” is omitted in N and M. (6) N and M read: “what is known,” which is an error. (7) N and M read: “what is known,” which is an error.

وَسَلَّمَ -: " «الْقُضَاةُ ثَلَاثَةٌ: قَاضِيَانِ فِي النَّارِ وَقَاضٍ فِي الْجَنَّةِ: رَجُلٌ عَلِمَ الْحَقَّ وَقَضَى بِهِ فَهُوَ فِي الْجَنَّةِ، وَرَجُلٌ عَلِمَ الْحَقَّ وَقَضَى بِخِلَافِهِ فَهُوَ فِي النَّارِ، وَرَجُلٌ قَضَى لِلنَّاسِ عَلَى جَهْلٍ فَهُوَ فِي النَّارِ» " (١) . فَإِذَا كَانَ هَذَا فِي قَضَاءٍ بَيْنَ اثْنَيْنِ فِي قَلِيلِ الْمَالِ أَوْ كَثِيرِهِ، فَكَيْفَ بِالْقَضَاءِ (٢) بَيْنَ الصَّحَابَةِ فِي أُمُورٍ كَثِيرَةٍ؟ . فَمَنْ تَكَلَّمَ فِي هَذَا الْبَابِ بِجَهْلٍ أَوْ بِخِلَافِ مَا يَعْلَمُ مِنَ الْحَقِّ (٣) كَانَ مُسْتَوْجِبًا لِلْوَعِيدِ، وَلَوْ تَكَلَّمَ بِحَقٍّ لِقَصْدِ [اتِّبَاعِ] (٤) الْهَوَى لَا لِوَجْهِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى، أَوْ يُعَارِضُ بِهِ حَقًّا آخَرَ، لَكَانَ [أَيْضًا] (٥) مُسْتَوْجِبًا لِلذَّمِّ وَالْعِقَابِ. وَمَنْ عَلِمَ مَا دَلَّ عَلَيْهِ الْقُرْآنُ وَالسُّنَّةُ مِنَ الثَّنَاءِ عَلَى الْقَوْمِ، وَرِضَا اللَّهِ عَنْهُمْ، وَاسْتِحْقَاقِهِمُ الْجَنَّةَ، وَأَنَّهُمْ خَيْرُ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ الَّتِي هِيَ خَيْرُ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ - لَمْ يُعَارِضْ هَذَا الْمُتَيَقَّنُ الْمَعْلُومُ بِأُمُورٍ مُشْتَبِهَةٍ: مِنْهَا مَا لَا يُعْلَمُ (٦) صِحَّتُهُ، وَمِنْهَا مَا يَتَبَيَّنُ كَذِبُهُ، وَمِنْهَا مَا لَا يُعْلَمُ (٧) كَيْفَ وَقَعَ، وَمِنْهَا مَا يُعْلَمُ

(١) الْحَدِيثَ - مَعَ اخْتِلَافٍ فِي اللَّفْظِ - عَنْ بُرَيْدَةَ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ - فِي: سُنَنِ أَبِي دَاوُدَ ٣/٤٠٦ - ٤٠٧ (كِتَابُ الْأَقْضِيَةِ، بَابٌ فِي الْقَاضِي يُخْطِئُ) وَقَالَ أَبُو دَاوُدَ: " وَهَذَا أَصَحُّ شَيْءٍ فِيهِ، يَعْنِي حَدِيثَ ابْنِ بُرَيْدَةَ (عَنْ أَبِيهِ) الْقُضَاةُ ثَلَاثَةٌ ". وَالْحَدِيثُ أَيْضًا فِي: سُنَنِ ابْنِ مَاجَهْ ٢/٧٧٦ (كِتَابُ الْأَحْكَامِ، بَابُ الْحَاكِمِ يَجْتَهِدُ فَيُصِيبُ الْحَقَّ) وَصَحَّحَ الْأَلْبَانِيُّ الْحَدِيثَ فِي " صَحِيحِ الْجَامِعِ الصَّغِيرِ " ٤/١٥١، حَدِيثًا آخَرَ بِنَفْسِ الْمَعْنَى قَالَ السُّيُوطِيُّ إِنَّهُ فِي الطَّبَرِيِّ عَنِ ابْنِ عُمَرَ وَصَحَّحَهُ الْأَلْبَانِيُّ. (٢) ن، أ، ب: الْقَضَاءُ ; ص: فِي الْقَضَاءِ. (٣) مِنَ الْحَقِّ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (أ) ، (ب) . (٤) اتِّبَاعِ: فِي (ر) ، (هـ) ، (ص) فَقَطْ. (٥) أَيْضًا: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) . (٦) ن، م: مَا يُعْلَمُ، وَهُوَ خَطَأٌ. (٧) ن، م: مَا يُعْلَمُ، وَهُوَ خَطَأٌ.