Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (5/34)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

The response is as follows:

This (1) is not a report supported by an unbroken chain to the Prophet. Rather, even if it were established from Amr ibn Maymūn, it would be (2) a report in which a Successor directly attributes words to the Prophet. It also contains phrases falsely ascribed to the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—such as:

[“Are you not content to hold the same position in relation to me as Aaron held in relation to Moses? Except that you are not a prophet.”] (3) “It is not fitting for me to leave unless you are my deputy.”

The Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—departed on more than one occasion while someone other than Alī was his deputy over Medina. He undertook the Umrah of al-Hudaybiyya with Alī accompanying him, while someone else was his deputy. He later conducted the campaign of Khaybar with Alī accompanying him, while someone else was his deputy in Medina. He conducted the campaign of the Conquest of Mecca with Alī accompanying him, while someone else was his deputy in Medina (4). He campaigned at Hunayn and Taif with Alī accompanying him, while someone else was his deputy in Medina. [He performed the Farewell Pilgrimage with Alī accompanying him, while someone else was his deputy in Medina] (5). He also fought the Battle of Badr with Alī accompanying him, while someone else was his deputy in Medina.

All of this is established through sound chains of transmission and by agreement among the scholars of hadith. Alī accompanied him on most of his campaigns, even those in which no fighting occurred.

If it is argued, “His appointment of Alī as deputy indicates that he appoints only the best person as deputy,” then it would follow that, during most of the campaigns and during his Umrah and Hajj, Alī was less excellent than the person appointed as deputy. This is especially so because on every such occasion the deputy was placed in charge of believing men, whereas in the year of Tabuk the deputy was placed in charge only of the women, the children, those whom Allah had excused, and the three who

(1) Manuscript (و) reads: “Thus it is said: This…” (2) The word “it” is absent from manuscripts (ن), (م), and (و). (3) The passage in square brackets appears only in manuscript (و). (4) Manuscripts (ح), (ب), (ي), (م), and (ر) read: “in Medina.” (5) The passage in square brackets is absent from manuscripts (ن) and (م).

وَالْجَوَابُ: أَنَّ هَذَا (١) لَيْسَ مُسْنَدًا، بَلْ هُوَ (٢) مُرْسَلٌ لَوْ ثَبَتَ عَنْ عَمْرِو بْنِ مَيْمُونٍ، وَفِيهِ أَلْفَاظٌ هِيَ كَذِبٌ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - كَقَوْلِهِ: [ «أَمَا تَرْضَى أَنْ تَكُونَ مِنِّي بِمَنْزِلَةِ هَارُونَ مِنْ مُوسَى، غَيْرَ أَنَّكَ لَسْتَ بِنَبِيٍّ» ] (٣) ، لَا يَنْبَغِي أَنْ أَذْهَبَ إِلَّا وَأَنْتَ خَلِيفَتِي. فَإِنَّ النَّبِيَّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - ذَهَبَ غَيْرَ مَرَّةٍ وَخَلِيفَتُهُ عَلَى الْمَدِينَةِ غَيْرُ عَلِيٍّ، كَمَا اعْتَمَرَ عُمْرَةَ الْحُدَيْبِيَةِ وَعَلِيٌّ مَعَهُ وَخَلِيفَتُهُ غَيْرُهُ، وَغَزَا بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ خَيْبَرَ وَمَعَهُ عَلِيٌّ وَخَلِيفَتُهُ بِالْمَدِينَةِ غَيْرُهُ، وَغَزَا غَزْوَةَ الْفَتْحِ وَعَلِيٌّ مَعَهُ وَخَلِيفَتُهُ فِي الْمَدِينَةِ (٤) غَيْرُهُ، وَغَزَا حُنَيْنًا وَالطَّائِفَ وَعَلِيٌّ مَعَهُ وَخَلِيفَتُهُ بِالْمَدِينَةِ غَيْرُهُ، [وَحَجَّ حَجَّةَ الْوَدَاعِ وَعَلِيٌّ مَعَهُ وَخَلِيفَتُهُ بِالْمَدِينَةِ غَيْرُهُ] (٥) ، وَغَزَا غَزْوَةَ بَدْرٍ وَمَعَهُ عَلِيٌّ وَخَلِيفَتُهُ بِالْمَدِينَةِ غَيْرُهُ. وَكُلُّ هَذَا مَعْلُومٌ بِالْأَسَانِيدِ الصَّحِيحَةِ وَبِاتِّفَاقِ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ بِالْحَدِيثِ، وَكَانَ عَلِيٌّ مَعَهُ فِي غَالِبِ الْغَزَوَاتِ وَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ فِيهَا قِتَالٌ. فَإِنْ قِيلَ: اسْتِخْلَافُهُ يَدُلُّ عَلَى أَنَّهُ لَا يَسْتَخْلِفُ إِلَّا الْأَفْضَلَ، لَزِمَ أَنْ يَكُونَ عَلِيٌّ مَفْضُولًا فِي عَامَّةِ الْغَزَوَاتِ، وَفِي عُمْرَتِهِ وَحَجَّتِهِ، لَا سِيَّمَا وَكُلُّ مَرَّةٍ كَانَ يَكُونُ الِاسْتِخْلَافُ عَلَى رِجَالٍ مُؤْمِنِينَ، وَعَامَ تَبُوكَ مَا كَانَ الِاسْتِخْلَافُ إِلَّا عَلَى النِّسَاءِ وَالصِّبْيَانِ وَمَنْ عَذَرَ اللَّهُ، وَعَلَى الثَّلَاثَةِ الَّذِينَ

(١) و: فَيُقَالُ هَذَا. (٢) هُوَ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) ، (و) . (٣) مَا بَيْنَ الْمَعْقُوفَتَيْنِ فِي (و) فَقَطْ. (٤) ح، ب، ي، م، ر: بِالْمَدِينَةِ. (٥) مَا بَيْنَ الْمَعْقُوفَتَيْنِ سَاقِطٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) .