Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (4/522)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

As for the scholars of Ahl(1) al-Sunnah whose views [are reported](2), none of them believes that Yazīd and those like him rank among the Rightly Guided Caliphs and rightly guided imams(3), such as Abū Bakr, Umar, Uthmān, and Alī—may Allah be pleased with them. Rather, Ahl al-Sunnah uphold the hadith recorded in the Sunan:

“The caliphate of Prophethood(4) lasts thirty years; thereafter it becomes kingship.”(5)

If, by their belief(6) in Yazīd’s imamate, he means that they believe he was(7) the ruler of most Muslims and their caliph in his time(8), wielding the sword, just as his counterparts among the Umayyad and Abbasid caliphs were, then this is a fact known to everyone, and whoever disputes it is obstinately denying the obvious. Yazīd received the pledge of allegiance after the death of his father, Muāwiya, and became ruler over the people of Syria, Egypt, Iraq, Khurasān, and other Muslim lands.

Al-Husayn—may Allah be pleased with him—was martyred on the day of Āshūrā in 61 AH, the first year of Yazīd’s reign. Al-Husayn was martyred before assuming authority over any territory. Then, when(9) civil strife unfolded between Ibn al-Zubayr and Yazīd, and those who followed him from Mecca, the Hijaz, and elsewhere did so, he openly sought authority for himself(10) after

(1) The word *ahl* (“adherents”) is added in R, S, and H. (2) “Is reported” is omitted from N, M, and W. (3) S and B: *al-muhtadīn* (“the rightly guided”). (4) B alone reads *bi-l-nubuwwa* (“through prophethood”), which is a corruption. (5) This hadith was cited previously at 1/515. (6) B alone: “their belief.” (7) “Was” is omitted from S and B. (8) S and B: “their time.” (9) “When” is omitted from B alone. (10) S: *wa-kāna min izhārihi talaba imrihi li-nafsihi* (“And among the things he made public was his pursuit of authority for himself”); R: *wa-kāna izhāruhu talaba imrihi li-nafsihi* (“And what he made public was his pursuit of authority for himself”).

وَأَمَّا عُلَمَاءُ أَهْلِ (١) السُّنَّةِ الَّذِينَ لَهُمْ قَوْلٌ [يُحْكَى] (٢) فَلَيْسَ فِيهِمْ مَنْ يَعْتَقِدُ أَنَّ يَزِيدَ وَأَمْثَالَهُ مِنَ الْخُلَفَاءِ الرَّاشِدِينَ وَالْأَئِمَّةِ الْمَهْدِيِّينَ (٣) ، كَأَبِي بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ وَعُثْمَانَ وَعَلِيٍّ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ - بَلْ أَهْلُ السُّنَّةِ يَقُولُونَ بِالْحَدِيثِ الَّذِي فِي السُّنَنِ: " «خِلَافَةُ النُّبُوَّةِ (٤) ثَلَاثُونَ سَنَةً ثُمَّ تَصِيرُ مُلْكًا» " (٥) . وَإِنْ أَرَادَ بِاعْتِقَادِهِمْ (٦) إِمَامَةَ يَزِيدَ، أَنَّهُمْ يَعْتَقِدُونَ أَنَّهُ كَانَ (٧) مَلِكَ جُمْهُورِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَخَلِيفَتَهُمْ فِي زَمَانِهِ (٨) صَاحِبَ السَّيْفِ، كَمَا كَانَ أَمْثَالُهُ مِنْ خُلَفَاءِ بَنِي أُمَيَّةَ وَبَنِي الْعَبَّاسِ، فَهَذَا أَمْرٌ مَعْلُومٌ لِكُلِّ أَحَدٍ، وَمَنْ نَازَعَ فِي هَذَا كَانَ مُكَابِرًا ; فَإِنَّ يَزِيدَ بُويِعَ بَعْدَ مَوْتِ أَبِيهِ مُعَاوِيَةَ، وَصَارَ مُتَوَلِّيًا عَلَى أَهْلِ الشَّامِ وَمِصْرَ وَالْعِرَاقِ وَخُرَاسَانَ وَغَيْرِ ذَلِكَ مِنْ بِلَادِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ. وَالْحُسَيْنُ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ - اسْتُشْهِدَ يَوْمَ عَاشُورَاءَ سَنَةَ إِحْدَى وَسِتِّينَ، وَهِيَ أَوَّلُ سَنَةٍ فِي مُلْكِ يَزِيدَ. وَالْحُسَيْنُ اسْتُشْهِدَ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَتَوَلَّى عَلَى شَيْءٍ مِنَ الْبِلَادِ. ثُمَّ إِنَّ ابْنَ الزُّبَيْرِ لَمَّا (٩) جَرَى بَيْنَهُ وَبَيْنَ يَزِيدَ مَا جَرَى مِنَ الْفِتْنَةِ، وَاتَّبَعَهُ مَنِ اتَّبَعَهُ مِنْ أَهْلِ مَكَّةَ وَالْحِجَازِ وَغَيْرِهِمَا، وَكَانَ إِظْهَارُهُ طَلَبَ الْأَمْرِ لِنَفْسِهِ (١٠) بَعْدَ

(١) أَهْلِ: زِيَادَةٌ فِي (ر) ، (ص) ، (هـ) . (٢) يُحْكَى: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) ، (و) . (٣) ص، ب: الْمُهْتَدِينَ. (٤) ب (فَقَطْ) : بِالنُّبُوَّةِ، وَهُوَ تَحْرِيفٌ. (٥) مَضَى هَذَا الْحَدِيثُ مِنْ قَبْلُ ١/٥١٥. (٦) ب (فَقَطْ) : اعْتِقَادَهُمْ. (٧) كَانَ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ص) ، (ب) . (٨) ص، ب: زَمَانِهِمْ. (٩) لَمَّا: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ب) فَقَطْ. (١٠) ص: وَكَانَ مِنْ إِظْهَارِهِ طَلَبَ إِمْرِهِ لِنَفْسِهِ ; ر: وَكَانَ إِظْهَارُهُ طَلَبَ إِمْرِهِ لِنَفْسِهِ.