Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (4/362)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

more beloved to them than Uthmān—namely, the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and his household?! How could they fight alongside Muāwiyah (1) until their blood was shed with him, although Banū Abd Manāf were divided over him, yet not fight alongside Alī when Banū Abd Manāf stood with him?

Al-Abbās ibn Abd al-Muttalib was the senior member of Banū Hāshim, and Abū Sufyān ibn Harb was the senior member of Banū Umayyah, and both inclined toward Alī. Why, then, did the people not fight alongside him at that time, while the matter was still at its outset? And fighting (2) at that time—had it been justified—would have been more fitting alongside Alī (3), and Alī’s accession would have been easier. If a small group had come forward and said:

“Authority belongs to Alī. He is the caliph and the designated successor. We will pledge allegiance to none but him; we will neither disobey the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, nor wrong his designated successor and household; and we will not prefer the wrongdoers or hypocrites of the clan of Taym over Banū Hāshim, who are the best among us both in the Age of Ignorance and in Islam,”

then the majority of the people would have answered whoever made this declaration; indeed, all but a few would have answered him—particularly since Abū Bakr had neither inducements to offer nor power to inspire fear.

Suppose, then, that Umar and a group with him remained isolated in supporting Abū Bakr (4). They were neither more numerous nor mightier than those who stood with Muāwiyah—may Allah be pleased with him—or with Talhah and al-Zubayr—may Allah be pleased with them both. Yet Alī’s supporters fought them, even though those supporters ranked below the earliest forerunners in knowledge and religion, and only a few of the [earliest] forerunners (5) were among them. Why, then, did not

(1) “Alongside Muāwiyah”: thus in B alone, and this is the correct reading. The remaining manuscripts read: “alongside Alī.” (2) “And fighting”: thus in B. The remaining manuscripts read: “And the fighting was.” (3) “Would have been more fitting alongside Alī”: thus in B. A reads: “would have been more fitting.” The remaining manuscripts read: “would have been possible.” (4) N, A, R, W, and H read: “from him.” (5) “The earliest” is omitted from N and A.

أَحَبُّ إِلَيْهِمْ مِنْ عُثْمَانَ، وَهُوَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - وَأَهْلُ بَيْتِهِ؟ ! وَكَيْفَ يُقَاتِلُونَ مَعَ مُعَاوِيَةَ (١) حَتَّى سُفِكَتْ دِمَاؤُهُمْ مَعَهُ، وَقَدِ اخْتَلَفَ عَلَيْهِ بَنُو عَبْدِ مَنَافٍ، وَلَا يُقَاتِلُونَ مَعَ عَلِيٍّ وَبَنُو عَبْدِ مَنَافٍ مَعَهُ؟ فَالْعَبَّاسُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الْمُطَّلِبِ أَكْبَرُ بَنِي هَاشِمٍ، وَأَبُو سُفْيَانَ بْنُ حَرْبٍ أَكْبَرُ بَنِي أُمَيَّةَ، وَكِلَاهُمَا كَانَا يَمِيلَانِ إِلَى عَلِيٍّ، فَلِمَ لَا قَاتَلَ النَّاسَ مَعَهُ إِذْ ذَاكَ، وَالْأَمْرُ فِي أَوَّلِهِ؟ وَالْقِتَالُ (٢) إِذْ ذَاكَ لَوْ كَانَ حَقًّا كَانَ مَعَ عَلِيٍّ أَولَى (٣) ، وَوِلَايَةُ عَلِيٍّ أَسْهَلَ ; فَإِنَّهُ لَوْ عَرَضَ نَفَرٌ قَلِيلٌ فَقَالُوا: الْأَمْرُ لِعَلِيٍّ، وَهُوَ الْخَلِيفَةُ وَالْوَصِيُّ، وَنَحْنُ لَا نُبَايِعُ إِلَّا لَهُ، وَلَا نَعْصِي رَسُولَ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - وَلَا نَظْلِمُ وَصِيَّهُ وَأَهْلَ بَيْتِهِ، وَلَا نُقَدِّمُ الظَّالِمِينَ أَوِ الْمُنَافِقِينَ مِنْ آلِ تَيْمٍ عَلَى بَنِي هَاشِمٍ، الَّذِينَ هُمْ خَيْرُنَا فِي الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ وَالْإِسْلَامِ - لَكَانَ الْقَائِلُ لِهَذَا يَسْتَجِيبُ لَهُ جُمْهُورُ النَّاسِ، بَلْ يَسْتَجِيبُونَ لَهُ إِلَّا الْقَلِيلَ، لَا سِيَّمَا وَأَبُو بَكْرٍ لَيْسَ عِنْدَهُ رَغْبَةٌ وَلَا رَهْبَةٌ. وَهَبْ أَنَّ عُمَرَ وَطَائِفَةً مَعَهُ كَانُوا يَشِذُّونَ مَعَهُ (٤) ، فَلَيْسَ هَؤُلَاءِ أَكْثَرَ وَلَا أَعَزَّ مِنَ الَّذِينَ كَانُوا مَعَ مُعَاوِيَةَ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ - وَمَعَ طَلْحَةَ وَالزُّبَيْرِ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا - وَمَعَ هَذَا فَقَدَ قَاتَلَهُمْ أَعْوَانُ عَلِيٍّ، مَعَ كَوْنِهِمْ دُونَ السَّابِقِينَ الْأَوَّلِينَ فِي الْعِلْمِ وَالدِّينِ، وَفِيهِمْ قَلِيلٌ مِنَ السَّابِقَيْنِ [الْأَوَّلِينَ] (٥) ، فَهَلَّا

(١) مَعَ مُعَاوِيَةَ كَذَا فِي (ب) فَقَطْ، وَهُوَ الصَّوَابُ. وَفِي سَائِرِ النُّسَخِ: مَعَ عَلِيٍّ. (٢) وَالْقِتَالُ: كَذَا فِي (ب) . وَفِي سَائِرِ النُّسَخِ: وَكَانَ الْقِتَالُ. (٣) كَانَ مَعَ عَلِيٍّ أَولَى: كَذَا فِي (ب) ، وَفِي (أ) : كَانَ أَولَى. وَفِي سَائِرِ النُّسَخِ: أَمْكَنَ. (٤) ن، أ، ر، و، هـ: مِنْهُ. (٥) الْأَوَّلِينَ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (أ) .