Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (4/413)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

It is also established in the Sahih that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said:

“Listen and obey, even if an Abyssinian slave whose head is like a raisin is placed in authority over you.”(1) \ 382..

The people of Kufa had pledged allegiance to Alī—may Allah be pleased with him—(2). At that time, no one had a stronger claim to the caliphate than he did. He was a rightly guided caliph to whom obedience was obligatory.

[It is well known that putting a killer to death was prescribed only to safeguard life. If killing a small group would lead to the killing of many times their number, that would constitute neither obedience nor any benefit. Indeed, the number slain at Siffīn was many times greater than the number of Uthmān’s killers](3)..

Moreover, the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said in the hadith whose authenticity is agreed upon:

“A seceding faction will emerge at a time of division among the Muslims, and the nearer of the two groups to the truth will kill them.”(4) \ 306.

This indicates that Alī and those with him were closer to the truth than Muāwiya and those with him [and that Muāwiya and those with him, in fighting Alī, were therefore not closer to the truth](5)..

Likewise, the hadith of Ammār [ibn Yāsir](6). T:

“You will be killed by the rebellious faction,”

was narrated by

(1) This hadith was cited previously at 3. (2) A, B, R, S, and H read: “the people of Kufa in Medina”; W reads: “the people of power in Medina.” The adopted reading is from N and M. (3) The words in square brackets are absent from N, M, and W. (4) This hadith was cited previously at 1. (5) The words in square brackets are absent from N, M, and W. (6) The words “ibn Yāsir” are an addition found in M.

وَفِي الصَّحِيحِ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - أَنَّهُ قَالَ: " «اسْمَعُوا وَأَطِيعُوا وَإِنِ اسْتُعْمِلَ عَلَيْكُمْ عَبْدٌ حَبَشِيٌّ كَأَنَّ رَأْسَهُ زَبِيبَةٌ» " (١) \ ٣٨٢.. وَعَلِيٌّ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ - كَانَ قَدْ بَايَعَهُ أَهْلُ الْكُوفَةِ (٢) . ، وَلَمْ يَكُنْ فِي وَقْتِهِ أَحَقُّ مِنْهُ بِالْخِلَافَةِ، وَهُوَ خَلِيفَةٌ رَاشِدٌ تَجِبُ طَاعَتُهُ. [وَمَعْلُومٌ أَنَّ قَتْلَ الْقَاتِلِ إِنَّمَا شُرِعَ عِصْمَةً لِلدِّمَاءِ، فَإِذَا أَفْضَى قَتْلُ الطَّائِفَةِ الْقَلِيلَةِ إِلَى قَتْلِ أَضْعَافِهَا، لَمْ يَكُنْ هَذَا طَاعَةً وَلَا مَصْلَحَةً، وَقَدْ قُتِلَ بِصِفِّينَ أَضْعَافُ أَضْعَافِ قَتَلَةِ عُثْمَانَ] (٣) .. وَأَيْضًا فَقَوْلُ النَّبِيِّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - فِي الْحَدِيثِ الْمُتَّفَقِ عَلَى صِحَّتِهِ: " «تَمْرُقُ مَارِقَةٌ عَلَى حِينِ فُرْقَةٍ مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ، تَقْتُلُهُمْ أَدْنَى الطَّائِفَتَيْنِ إِلَى الْحَقِّ» " (٤) \ ٣٠٦. يَدُلُّ عَلَى أَنَّ عَلِيًّا وَأَصْحَابَهُ أَدْنَى إِلَى الْحَقِّ مِنْ مُعَاوِيَةَ وَأَصْحَابِهِ، [فَلَا يَكُونُ مُعَاوِيَةُ وَأَصْحَابُهُ فِي قِتَالِهِمْ لِعَلِيٍّ أَدْنَى إِلَى الْحَقِّ] (٥) .. وَكَذَلِكَ حَدِيثُ عَمَّارِ [بْنِ يَاسِرٍ] (٦) . ت: " «تَقْتُلُكَ الْفِئَةُ الْبَاغِيَةُ» " قَدْ رَوَاهُ

(١) مَضَى هَذَا الْحَدِيثُ مِنْ قَبْلُ ٣ (٢) أ، ب، ر، ص، هـ: أَهْلُ الْكُوفَةِ بِالْمَدِينَةِ ; و: أَهْلُ الشَّوْكَةِ بِالْمَدِينَةِ. وَالْمُثْبَتُ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) (٣) مَا بَيْنَ الْمَعْقُوفَتَيْنِ سَاقِطٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) ، (و) (٤) سَبَقَ هَذَا الْحَدِيثُ مِنْ قَبْلُ ١ (٥) مَا بَيْنَ الْمَعْقُوفَتَيْنِ سَاقِطٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) ، (و) (٦) بْنِ يَاسِرٍ: زِيَادَةٌ فِي (م)