Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (4/410)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

—gray-haired, her complexion repellent,(1) utterly changed,(2)
Loathsome to smell and to kiss.(3)

Those on both sides who became involved in the civil strife did not know the evil inherent in the fighting, nor did they know the bitterness of civil strife until it occurred and became(4) a lesson for them and for others.

Anyone who surveys the civil conflicts that have occurred among the Muslims will realize that no one has ever become involved in them and then praised the outcome of his involvement, because of the harm that befalls him in his religion and his worldly life.(5) This is why such conflict falls within what is forbidden, while refraining from it falls within what is commanded, concerning which Allah said:

“So let those who oppose the Messenger’s command beware lest a trial afflict them or a painful punishment befall them.”

As for the assertion, “ʿAlī was the one who initiated the fighting against them,” the reply is given to him(6): They were the first to refuse(7) to obey him and pledge allegiance to him. They portrayed him as a wrongdoer complicit(8) in ʿUthmān’s bloodshed,(9) accepted false testimony against him, and attributed to him that of which he was innocent.

If it is said(10), “That alone did not make it lawful for him(11) to fight them,”

(1) B alone reads: “she is unrecognizable.” (2) N reads: “her complexion and speech are unrecognizable, and she has changed”; M, R, and H read: “her complexion and speech are unrecognizable.” (3) These verses are by ʿAmr ibn Maʿdīkarib al-Zubaydī and appear, with some differences in wording, in his Dīwān, pp. 156–157, prepared by Hāshim al-Taʿʿān (Baghdad ed., 1390/1970). (4) R, S, H, and W read: “and became.” (5) R, S, H, and W read: “or his worldly life.” (6) N, M, H, and A read: “it was said to them”; B reads: “it was indeed said to him.” (7) N, M, and W read: “they initially refused.” (8) S reads: “implicated.” (9) N, M, W, H, and S read: “in the killing of.” (10) N and M read: “and if they say.” (11) B alone reads: “does not make it lawful for him.”

شَمْطَاءَ يُنْكَرُ (١) . لَوْنُهَا وَتَغَيَّرَتْ (٢) . مَكْرُوهَةً لِلشَّمِّ وَالتَّقْبِيلِ (٣) .. وَالَّذِينَ دَخَلُوا فِي الْفِتْنَةِ مِنَ الطَّائِفَتَيْنِ لَمْ يَعْرِفُوا مَا فِي الْقِتَالِ مِنَ الشَّرِّ، وَلَا عَرَفُوا مَرَارَةَ الْفِتْنَةِ حَتَّى وَقَعَتْ، وَصَارَتْ (٤) . عِبْرَةً لَهُمْ وَلِغَيْرِهِمْ. وَمَنِ اسْتَقْرَأَ أَحْوَالَ الْفِتَنِ الَّتِي تَجْرِي بَيْنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ، تَبَيَّنَ لَهُ أَنَّهُ مَا دَخَلَ فِيهَا أَحَدٌ فَحَمِدَ عَاقِبَةَ دُخُولِهِ، لِمَا يَحْصُلُ لَهُ مِنَ الضَّرَرِ فِي دِينِهِ، وَدُنْيَاهُ (٥) . . وَلِهَذَا كَانَتْ مِنْ بَابِ الْمَنْهِيِّ عَنْهُ، وَالْإِمْسَاكُ عَنْهَا مِنَ الْمَأْمُورِ بِهِ، الَّذِي قَالَ اللَّهُ فِيهِ: {فَلْيَحْذَرِ الَّذِينَ يُخَالِفُونَ عَنْ أَمْرِهِ أَنْ تُصِيبَهُمْ فِتْنَةٌ أَوْ يُصِيبَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ} . وَأَمَّا قَوْلُ الْقَائِلِ: " إِنَّ عَلِيًّا بَدَأَهُمْ بِالْقِتَالِ " . قِيلَ لَهُ (٦) . : وَهُمْ أَوَّلًا امْتَنَعُوا (٧) . مِنْ طَاعَتِهِ وَمُبَايَعَتِهِ، وَجَعَلُوهُ ظَالِمًا مُشَارِكًا (٨) . فِي دَمِ (٩) . عُثْمَانَ، وَقَبِلُوا عَلَيْهِ شَهَادَةَ الزُّورِ، وَنَسَبُوهُ إِلَى مَا هُوَ بَرِيءٌ مِنْهُ. وَإِذَا قِيلَ (١٠) . : هَذَا وَحْدَهُ لَمْ يُبِحْ لَهُ (١١) . قِتَالَهُمْ.

(١) ب (فَقَطْ) : تُنْكَرُ (٢) ن: يُنْكَرُ لَوْنُهَا وَحَدِيثُهَا وَتَغَيَّرَتْ ; م، ر، هـ: يُنْكَرُ لَوْنُهَا وَحَدِيثُهَا (٣) هَذِهِ الْأَبْيَاتُ لِعَمْرِو بْنِ مَعْدِ يكَرِبَ الزُّبَيْدِيِّ، وَجَاءَتْ فِي دِيوَانِهِ ص ١٥٦ ١٥٧، صَنَعَهُ هَاشِمٌ الطَّعَّانُ، (ط. بَغْدَادَ) ١٣٩٠/١٩٧٠ مَعَ اخْتِلَافٍ فِي بَعْضِ أَلْفَاظِ الْأَبْيَاتِ (٤) ر، ص، هـ، و: فَصَارَتْ (٥) ر، ص، هـ، و: أَوْ دُنْيَاهُ (٦) ن، م، هـ، أ: قِيلَ لَهُمْ ; ب: فَقَدْ قِيلَ لَهُ (٧) ن، م، و: امْتَنَعُوا أَوَّلًا (٨) ص: مُشْرَكًا (٩) ن، م، و، هـ، ص: فِي قَتْلِ (١٠) ن، م: وَإِنْ قَالُوا (١١) ب (فَقَطْ) : لَا يُبِيحُ لَهُ