Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (4/514)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

greater than His granting ʿAlī victory. Allah—Glorified and Exalted—is just and does not wrong either of them. The victory deserved by Khālid would therefore have been greater than that deserved by ʿAlī, and Khālid would thus have been better than him in the sight of Allah.

[Indeed,] (1) the same was true of the armies of Abū Bakr, ʿUmar, ʿUthmān, and their deputies; [for they] (2) were granted victory over the disbelievers, whereas ʿAlī was unable to withstand the apostates, who were likewise disbelievers.

Allah—Glorified and Exalted—says:

“Do not falter or grieve, for you will have the upper hand, if you are believers.”

[Āl ʿImrān: 139]

And the Exalted says:

“Do not falter and call for peace while you have the upper hand. Allah is with you and will never diminish the reward of your deeds.”

[Surah Muhammad: 35]

Yet ʿAlī—may Allah be pleased with him—called Muʿāwiyah to peace toward the end (3) of the conflict, when he was unable to dislodge him from his territory, and asked him that each [of them] (4) remain in his existing position.

The Exalted has said:

“Do not falter or grieve, for you will have the upper hand, if you are believers.”

[Surah Āl ʿImrān: 139]

If (5) his companions were believers and those others were apostates, they would necessarily have had the upper hand—but that is contrary to fact.

[It may also be said, eighth:] (6) Whoever says that Muʿāwiyah—may Allah be pleased with him—was too proud to obey

(1) “Rather” is absent from N and M. (2) “For they” is an addition in A and B. (3) N, M: “the latter parts.” (4) “Of the two” is an addition in A and B. (5) N, M, W: “Then, when.” (6) “An eighth response is given” is absent from N.

أَعْظَمَ مِنْ نَصْرِهِ لِعَلِيٍّ. وَاللَّهُ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى عَدْلٌ لَا يَظْلِمُ وَاحِدًا مِنْهُمَا، فَيَكُونُ مَا اسْتَحَقَّهُ خَالِدٌ مِنَ النَّصْرِ أَعْظَمَ مِمَّا اسْتَحَقَّهُ عَلِيٌّ، فَيَكُونُ أَفْضَلَ عِنْدَ اللَّهِ مِنْهُ. [بَلْ] (١) وَكَذَلِكَ جُيُوشُ أَبِي بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ وَعُثْمَانَ وَنُوَّابِهِمْ ; [فَإِنَّهُمْ] (٢) كَانُوا مَنْصُورِينَ عَلَى الْكُفَّارِ، وَعَلِيٌّ عَاجِزٌ عَنْ مُقَاوَمَةِ الْمُرْتَدِّينَ الَّذِينَ هُمْ مِنَ الْكُفَّارِ أَيْضًا. فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى يَقُولُ: {وَلَا تَهِنُوا وَلَا تَحْزَنُوا وَأَنْتُمُ الْأَعْلَوْنَ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ} [آلِ عِمْرَانَ: ١٣٩] وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: {فَلَا تَهِنُوا وَتَدْعُوا إِلَى السَّلْمِ وَأَنْتُمُ الْأَعْلَوْنَ وَاللَّهُ مَعَكُمْ وَلَنْ يَتِرَكُمْ أَعْمَالَكُمْ} [سُورَةُ مُحَمَّدٍ: ٣٥] . وَعَلِيٌّ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ - دَعَا مُعَاوِيَةَ إِلَى السَّلْمِ فِي آخِرِ (٣) الْأَمْرِ، لَمَّا عَجَزَ عَنْ دَفْعِهِ عَنْ بِلَادِهِ، وَطَلَبَ مِنْهُ أَنْ يَبْقَى كُلُّ وَاحِدٍ [مِنْهُمَا] (٤) عَلَى مَا هُوَ عَلَيْهِ. وَقَدْ قَالَ تَعَالَى: {وَلَا تَهِنُوا وَلَا تَحْزَنُوا وَأَنْتُمُ الْأَعْلَوْنَ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ مُؤْمِنِينَ} [سُورَةُ آلِ عِمْرَانَ: ١٣٩] فَإِنْ (٥) كَانَ أَصْحَابُهُ مُؤْمِنِينَ وَأُولَئِكَ مُرْتَدِّينَ وَجَبَ أَنْ يَكُونُوا الْأَعْلَيْنَ، وَهُوَ خِلَافُ الْوَاقِعِ. [وَيُقَالُ ثَامِنًا] (٦) مَنْ قَالَ: إِنَّ مُعَاوِيَةَ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ - اسْتَكْبَرَ عَنْ طَاعَةِ

(١) بَلْ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) . (٢) فَإِنَّهُمْ: زِيَادَةٌ فِي (أ) ، (ب) . (٣) ن، م: أَوَاخِرِ. (٤) مِنْهُمَا: زِيَادَةٌ فِي (أ) ، (ب) . (٥) ن، م، و: فَإِذَا. (٦) وَيُقَالُ ثَامِنًا: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) .