Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (5/112)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

or to observe all the ordinances (1) of Islam, because he is prevented from migrating and from openly practicing his religion, and has no one to teach him all the ordinances of Islam. Such a person is a believer and one of the people of Paradise, just as the believer from Pharaoh’s household was among Pharaoh’s people, as was Pharaoh’s wife, and indeed as was Joseph the truthful, peace be upon him, among the people of Egypt. They were unbelievers, and he was unable to practice among them everything he knew of the religion of Islam. He called them to the oneness of Allah and to faith, but they did not respond to him.

Allah Most High says, relating the words of the believer from Pharaoh’s household:

“Joseph had already come to you with clear proofs, yet you continued to doubt what he brought you. Then, when he died, you said, ‘Allah will never send a messenger after him.’”

[Surah Ghāfir: 34]

Likewise, although the Negus was king of the Christians, his people did not obey him by entering Islam; only a small group of them entered it with him. Thus, when he died, there was no one (2) there to perform the funeral prayer over him, so the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—performed it for him in Medina: he went out with the Muslims to the prayer ground, arranged them in rows, and performed the funeral prayer over him. He informed them of his death on the very day he died and said:

“A righteous brother of yours from Abyssinia has died.” (3)

(1) (N): “rites.” (2) (B) alone: “anyone.” (3) The hadith concerning the Prophet’s announcement to the Muslims of the Negus’s death and his funeral prayer over him, after arranging the Muslims in rows, was narrated by several Companions. It was narrated by Abū Hurayra, Jābir ibn Abd Allāh, and Imrān ibn Husayn—may Allah be pleased with them—in *Sahīh al-Bukhārī*, 5/51, “The Virtues of the Ansār,” chapter “The Death of the Negus.” It also appears at several places in al-Bukhārī’s “Book of Funerals”; in *Sahīh Muslim*, 2/656–658, “The Book of Funerals,” chapter “Pronouncing the Takbīr over the Deceased”; and in the *Sunans* of Abū Dāwūd, al-Tirmidhī, al-Nasāʾī, and Ibn Māja, as well as the *Musnad* of Imam Ahmad. See also *Miftāh Kunūz al-Sunna*, s.v. “al-Najāshī.”

وَلَا الْتِزَامُ جَمِيعِ شَرَائِعِ (١) الْإِسْلَامِ، لِكَوْنِهِ مَمْنُوعًا مِنَ الْهِجْرَةِ، وَمَمْنُوعًا مِنْ إِظْهَارِ دِينِهِ، وَلَيْسَ عِنْدَهُ مَنْ يُعَلِّمُهُ جَمِيعَ شَرَائِعِ الْإِسْلَامِ؛ فَهَذَا مُؤْمِنٌ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ، كَمَا كَانَ مُؤْمِنُ آلِ فِرْعَوْنَ مَعَ قَوْمِ فِرْعَوْنَ، وَكَمَا كَانَتِ امْرَأَةُ فِرْعَوْنَ، بَلْ وَكَمَا كَانَ يُوسُفُ الصِّدِّيقُ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ مَعَ أَهْلِ مِصْرَ ; فَإِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا كُفَّارًا، وَلَمْ يَكُنْ يُمْكِنُهُ أَنْ يَفْعَلَ مَعَهُمْ كُلَّ مَا يَعْرِفُهُ مِنْ دِينِ الْإِسْلَامِ، فَإِنَّهُ دَعَاهُمْ إِلَى التَّوْحِيدِ وَالْإِيمَانِ فَلَمْ يُجِيبُوهُ. قَالَ تَعَالَى عَنْ مُؤْمِنِ آلِ فِرْعَوْنَ: {وَلَقَدْ جَاءَكُمْ يُوسُفُ مِنْ قَبْلُ بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ فَمَا زِلْتُمْ فِي شَكٍّ مِمَّا جَاءَكُمْ بِهِ حَتَّى إِذَا هَلَكَ قُلْتُمْ لَنْ يَبْعَثَ اللَّهُ مِنْ بَعْدِهِ رَسُولًا} [سُورَةُ غَافِرٍ: ٣٤] . وَكَذَلِكَ النَّجَاشِيُّ هُوَ وَإِنْ كَانَ مَلِكَ النَّصَارَى فَلَمْ يُطِعْهُ قَوْمُهُ فِي الدُّخُولِ فِي الْإِسْلَامِ، بَلْ إِنَّمَا دَخَلَ مَعَهُ نَفَرٌ مِنْهُمْ. وَلِهَذَا لَمَّا مَاتَ لَمْ يَكُنْ هُنَاكَ مَنْ (٢) يُصَلِّي عَلَيْهِ فَصَلَّى عَلَيْهِ النَّبِيُّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - بِالْمَدِينَةِ: خَرَجَ بِالْمُسْلِمِينَ إِلَى الْمُصَلَّى فَصَفَّهُمْ صُفُوفًا وَصَلَّى عَلَيْهِ، وَأَخْبَرَهُمْ بِمَوْتِهِ يَوْمَ مَاتَ، وَقَالَ: " «إِنَّ أَخًا لَكُمْ صَالِحًا مِنْ أَهْلِ الْحَبَشَةِ مَاتَ» " (٣) .

(١) ن: شَعَائِرِ. (٢) ب فَقَطْ: أَحَدٌ. (٣) حَدِيثُ نَعْيِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ النَّجَاشِيَّ إِلَى الْمُسْلِمِينَ وَصَلَاتُهُ عَلَيْهِ بَعْدَ أَنْ صَفَّ الْمُسْلِمِينَ صُفُوفًا رُوِيَ مِنْ عِدَّةٍ مِنَ الصَّحَابَةِ، فَرَوَاهُ أَبُو هُرَيْرَةَ وَجَابِرُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ وَعِمْرَانُ بْنُ حُصَيْنٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ فِي: الْبُخَارِيِّ ٥/٥١ كِتَابُ مَنَاقِبِ الْأَنْصَارِ، بَابُ مَوْتِ النَّجَاشِيِّ. وَجَاءَ الْحَدِيثُ فِي الْبُخَارِيِّ فِي عِدَّةِ مَوَاضِعَ مِنْ كِتَابِ الْجَنَائِزِ. وَهُوَ فِي مُسْلِمٍ ٢/٦٥٦ - ٦٥٨ كِتَابُ الْجَنَائِزِ، بَابٌ فِي التَّكْبِيرِ عَلَى الْجِنَازَةِ، وَالْحَدِيثُ فِي سُنَنِ أَبِي دَاوُدَ وَالتِّرْمِذِيِّ وَالنَّسَائِيِّ وَابْنِ مَاجَهْ وَمُسْنَدِ الْإِمَامِ أَحْمَدَ، وَانْظُرْ: مِفْتَاحَ كُنُوزِ السُّنَّةِ، (النَّجَاشِيُّ) .