Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (5/9)

[in Allah and His Messenger](1) is manifest and evident to anyone knowledgeable about Islam. Whoever believes that a human being is divine, that there was a prophet after Muhammad—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—or that he was not a prophet but that Alī was the prophet instead of him and Gabriel simply erred: these and similar doctrines plainly reveal the unbelief of those who hold them to anyone with even the slightest knowledge of Islam.

This is unlike the Khawārij who declare Alī an unbeliever and curse him, and unlike those(2) among the followers of Muāwiya, the Banū Marwān, and others who fought and cursed him. They professed Islam and its laws: they established prayer, gave zakāt, fasted Ramadan, performed pilgrimage to the Ancient House, and regarded as forbidden whatever Allah and His Messenger had forbidden. No manifest unbelief was found among them; rather, the rites and laws of Islam were manifest among them and held in reverence by them. This is known to everyone acquainted with the history of Islam. How, then, can it be claimed that all his opponents declared him above reproach, unlike the three caliphs?

Indeed, if those who hated him and were loyal to Uthmān are compared with those who hated Uthmān and loved Alī, the former will be found better(3) than the latter in several respects. Those who declare Uthmān above reproach while criticizing Alī are greater and more religious

(1) The text in square brackets is omitted from MSS N and M. (2) MSS N and M read: “from the Khārijites, from among those who,” which is erroneous. (3) “Khayran”: this is the reading in MSS W and B; all other manuscripts read: “khayrun.”

[بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ] (١) ظَاهِرٌ لَا يَخْفَى عَلَى عَالِمٍ بِدِينِ الْإِسْلَامِ، فَمَنِ اعْتَقَدَ فِي بَشَرٍ الْإِلَهِيَّةَ، أَوِ اعْتَقَدَ بَعْدَ مُحَمَّدٍ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - نَبِيًّا، أَوْ أَنَّهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ نَبِيًّا، بَلْ كَانَ عَلِيٌّ هُوَ النَّبِيَّ دُونَهُ وَإِنَّمَا غَلَطَ جِبْرِيلُ ; فَهَذِهِ الْمَقَالَاتُ وَنَحْوُهَا مِمَّا يَظْهَرُ كُفْرُ أَهْلِهَا لِمَنْ يَعْرِفُ الْإِسْلَامَ أَدْنَى مَعْرِفَةٍ. بِخِلَافِ مَنْ يُكَفِّرُ عَلِيًّا وَيَلْعَنُهُ مِنَ الْخَوَارِجِ، وَمِمَّنْ (٢) قَاتَلَهُ وَلَعَنَهُ مِنْ أَصْحَابِ مُعَاوِيَةَ وَبَنِي مَرْوَانَ وَغَيْرِهِمْ ; فَإِنَّ هَؤُلَاءِ كَانُوا مُقِرِّينَ بِالْإِسْلَامِ وَشَرَائِعِهِ: يُقِيمُونَ الصَّلَاةَ، وَيُؤْتُونَ الزَّكَاةَ، وَيَصُومُونَ رَمَضَانَ، وَيَحُجُّونَ الْبَيْتَ الْعَتِيقَ، وَيُحَرِّمُونَ مَا حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ، وَلَيْسَ فِيهِمْ كُفْرٌ ظَاهِرٌ؛ بَلْ شَعَائِرُ الْإِسْلَامِ وَشَرَائِعُهُ ظَاهِرَةٌ فِيهِمْ مُعَظَّمَةٌ عِنْدَهُمْ. وَهَذَا أَمْرٌ يَعْرِفُهُ كُلُّ مَنْ عَرَفَ أَحْوَالَ الْإِسْلَامِ، فَكَيْفَ يُدَّعَى مَعَ هَذَا أَنَّ جَمِيعَ الْمُخَالِفِينَ نَزَّهُوهُ دُونَ الثَّلَاثَةِ؟ . بَلْ إِذَا اعْتُبِرَ الَّذِينَ كَانُوا يُبْغِضُونَهُ وَيُوَالُونَ عُثْمَانَ وَالَّذِينَ كَانُوا يُبْغِضُونَ عُثْمَانَ وَيُحِبُّونَ عَلِيًّا، وُجِدَ هَؤُلَاءِ خَيْرًا (٣) مِنْ أُولَئِكَ مِنْ وُجُوهٍ مُتَعَدِّدَةٍ؛ فَالْمُنَزِّهُونَ لِعُثْمَانَ الْقَادِحُونَ فِي عَلِيٍّ أَعْظَمُ وَأَدْيَنُ

(١) مَا بَيْنَ الْمَعْقُوفَتَيْنِ سَاقِطٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) (٢) ن، م: مِنَ الْخَوَارِجِ مِمَّنْ، وَهُوَ خَطَأٌ. (٣) خَيْرًا: كَذَا فِي (و) ، (ب) ، وَفِي سَائِرِ النُّسَخِ: خَيْرٌ.