Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (4/515)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

Allah concerning the appointment (1) of the Commander of the Faithful may be asked: Why do you say that he knew ʿAlī’s authority to be legitimate and obedience to him to be obligatory? The evidence establishing his authority and the obligation to obey him involves disputed matters that become clear only after investigation and reflection, unlike the case of one whom the people unanimously agreed to obey. Even assuming that he knew this, not everyone who disobeys is too proud to obey Allah. Disobedience sometimes arises from desire and sometimes from pride. Is every sinner to be judged too proud to obey Allah, just as Iblīs was?

It may also be said, ninth: His statement, “Everyone pledged allegiance to him after ʿUthmān.”

If this is not evidence, there is no benefit in mentioning it. If it is evidence, then there was far greater unanimity in their pledge of allegiance to ʿUthmān. Yet you do not regard one who refused to obey ʿUthmān as a disbeliever, but rather as a devout believer.

It may also be said, tenth: The people’s unanimity in pledging allegiance to Abū Bakr was [according to you] (2) more complete, yet you and others say that ʿAlī withheld his pledge for a time. It therefore follows [according to you] (3) that ʿAlī was too proud to obey Allah in the appointment of Abū Bakr as imam over him. According to your argument, it would then follow either that ʿAlī was a disbeliever or that the argument itself is invalid. Since ʿAlī’s disbelief is false, its invalidity necessarily follows (4).

It may also be said, eleventh: Your statement, “Everyone pledged allegiance to him after ʿUthmān,” is one of the most blatant lies, for many of the Muslims—either half of them or fewer—

(1) “The appointment”: thus in S and B. All other manuscripts read: “the support.” (2) “According to you” is absent from N, M, W, H, and R. (3) “According to you” is absent from N, M, W, H, and R. (4) N, M: “It therefore follows that it must be.”

اللَّهِ فِي نَصْبِ (١) أَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، وَلِمَ قُلْتَ: إِنَّهُ عَلِمَ أَنَّ وِلَايَتَهُ صَحِيحَةٌ، وَأَنَّ طَاعَتَهُ وَاجِبَةٌ عَلَيْهِ؟ . فَإِنَّ الدَّلِيلَ عَلَى ثُبُوتِ وِلَايَتِهِ وَوُجُوبِ طَاعَتِهِ مِنَ الْمَسَائِلِ الْمُشْتَبِهَةِ الَّتِي لَا تَظْهَرُ إِلَّا بَعْدَ بَحْثٍ وَنَظَرٍ، بِخِلَافٍ مَنْ أَجْمَعَ النَّاسُ عَلَى طَاعَتِهِ. وَبِتَقْدِيرِ أَنْ يَكُونَ عَلِمَ ذَلِكَ، فَلَيْسَ كُلُّ مَنْ عَصَى يَكُونُ مُسْتَكْبِرًا عَنْ طَاعَةِ اللَّهِ. وَالْمَعْصِيَةُ تَصْدُرُ تَارَةً عَنْ شَهْوَةٍ، وَتَارَةً عَنْ كِبْرٍ، وَهَلْ يُحْكَمُ عَلَى كُلِّ عَاصٍ بِأَنَّهُ مُسْتَكْبِرٌ عَنْ طَاعَةِ اللَّهِ كَاسْتِكْبَارِ إِبْلِيسَ؟ ! . وَيُقَالُ تَاسِعًا: قَوْلُهُ: " وَبَايَعَهُ الْكُلُّ بَعْدَ عُثْمَانَ " . إِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ هَذَا حُجَّةً فَلَا فَائِدَةَ فِيهِ، وَإِنْ كَانَ حُجَّةً فَمُبَايَعَتُهُمْ لِعُثْمَانَ كَانَ اجْتِمَاعُهُمْ عَلَيْهَا أَعْظَمَ. وَأَنْتُمْ لَا تَرَوْنَ الْمُمْتَنِعَ عَنْ طَاعَةِ عُثْمَانَ كَافِرًا، بَلْ مُؤْمِنًا تَقِيًّا. وَيُقَالُ عَاشِرًا: اجْتِمَاعُ النَّاسِ عَلَى مُبَايَعَةِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ كَانَتْ [عَلَى قَوْلِكُمْ] (٢) أَكْمَلَ، وَأَنْتُمْ وَغَيْرُكُمْ تَقُولُونَ: إِنَّ عَلِيًّا تَخَلَّفَ عَنْهَا مُدَّةً. فَيَلْزَمُ [عَلَى قَوْلِكُمْ] (٣) أَنْ يَكُونَ عَلِيٌّ مُسْتَكْبِرًا عَنْ طَاعَةِ اللَّهِ فِي نَصْبِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ عَلَيْهِ إِمَامًا، فَيَلْزَمُ حِينَئِذٍ كُفْرُ عَلِيٍّ بِمُقْتَضَى حُجَّتِكُمْ، أَوْ بُطْلَانُهَا فِي نَفْسِهَا. وَكُفْرُ عَلِيٍّ بَاطِلٌ، فَلَزِمَ (٤) بُطْلَانُهَا. وَيُقَالُ: حَادِي عَشَرَ قَوْلُكُمْ: " بَايَعَهُ الْكُلُّ بَعْدَ عُثْمَانَ " . مِنْ أَظْهَرِ الْكَذِبِ، فَإِنَّ كَثِيرًا مِنَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ: إِمَّا النِّصْفُ، وَإِمَّا أَقَلُّ

(١) نَصْبِ: كَذَا فِي (ص) ، (ب) . وَفِي سَائِرِ النُّسَخِ: نَصْرِ. (٢) عَلَى قَوْلِكُمْ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) ، (و) ، (هـ) ، (ر) . (٣) عَلَى قَوْلِكُمْ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) ، (و) ، (هـ) ، (ر) . (٤) ن، م: فَيَلْزَمُ أَنْ يَكُونَ. .