Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (5/117)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

It has also been said:

Rather, this refers to someone who embraced Islam but did not emigrate, as Abū Hanīfa holds. Yet this does require expiation in his case.

It has also been said:

If he belonged to an enemy people, he had no heir, and so his blood money was not to be paid to the enemy people (1); rather, expiation alone was required. This applies whether he was known to be a believer and was killed accidentally, or was presumed to be an unbeliever. This is the apparent meaning of the verse.

Some exegetes have said that this verse was revealed concerning Abdullah ibn Salām and his companions, as has been related from Ibn Jurayj, Muqātil, and Ibn Zayd—meaning His words, “Indeed, among the People of the Book…” Others said that it concerns the believers among the People of the Book, both Jews and Christians (2).

If what is meant by this is someone who was outwardly counted among the People of the Book, it is equivalent to the first view; but if it is intended generally, it is equivalent to the second. This is the view of Mujāhid, and Abū Sālih related it from Ibn Abbās. The view of those who included Ibn Salām and others like him within the scope of the verse is weak, for these men were believers outwardly and inwardly, in every respect. It cannot properly be said of them:

“Indeed, among the People of the Book are those who believe in Allah and what has been revealed to you and what was revealed to them, humbling themselves before Allah. They do not sell Allah’s revelations for a paltry price. They will have their reward with their Lord. Indeed, Allah is swift in reckoning.”

[Surah Āl Imrān: 199]

The first reason is that Ibn Salām embraced Islam when the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—first arrived in Medina. He said:

“When I saw his face, I knew (3) that it was not the face of a liar.” (4)

(1) In (H): “blood money”; in (Y): “the blood money.” (2) See my discussion of the interpretation of this verse a few pages earlier, p. 114. (3) In (A) and (B): “I realized.” (4) The hadith is narrated from Abdullah ibn Salām—may Allah be pleased with him—in Sunan al-Tirmidhī, 4/65, Book of the Description of the Resurrection, chapter 15. Its wording is: “When the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—came to Medina, the people rushed to him, and it was announced, ‘The Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—has arrived!’ I joined the people to look at him. When I saw the Messenger of Allah’s face clearly, I knew that it was not the face of a liar. The first thing he said was: ‘O people, spread greetings of peace, feed others, and pray while people are asleep; you will enter Paradise in peace.’” Al-Tirmidhī said: “This is an authentic hadith.” The hadith, with some variation in wording, is also found in Sunan Ibn Mājah, 1/423, Book of Establishing Prayer, chapter on what has been related concerning night prayer; 2/1083, Book of Food, chapter on feeding others; Sunan al-Dārimī, 1/340–341, Book of Prayer, chapter on the merit of night prayer; 2/275, Book of Seeking Permission, chapter on spreading greetings of peace; and al-Musnad (al-Halabī ed., 5/451).

وَقِيلَ: بَلْ هُوَ مَنْ أَسْلَمَ وَلَمْ يُهَاجِرْ، كَمَا يَقُولُهُ أَبُو حَنِيفَةَ. لَكِنَّ هَذَا قَدْ أَوْجَبَ فِيهِ الْكَفَّارَةَ. وَقِيلَ: إِذَا كَانَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْحَرْبِ لَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ وَارِثٌ، فَلَا يُعْطَى أَهْلُ الْحَرْبِ دِيَتُهُ (١) ، بَلْ تَجِبُ الْكَفَّارَةُ فَقَطْ. وَسَوَاءٌ عُرِفَ أَنَّهُ مُؤْمِنٌ وَقُتِلَ خَطَأً، أَوْ ظُنَّ أَنَّهُ كَافِرٌ. وَهَذَا ظَاهِرُ الْآيَةِ. وَقَدْ قَالَ بَعْضُ الْمُفَسِّرِينَ: إِنَّ هَذِهِ الْآيَةَ نَزَلَتْ فِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ سَلَامٍ وَأَصْحَابِهِ، كَمَا نُقِلَ عَنِ ابْنِ جُرَيْجٍ وَمُقَاتِلٍ وَابْنِ زَيْدٍ؛ يَعْنِي قَوْلَهُ: وَإِنَّ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ وَبَعْضُهُمْ قَالَ: إِنَّهَا فِي مُؤْمِنِي أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ مِنَ الْيَهُودِ وَالنَّصَارَى (٢) . فَهَذَا إِنْ أَرَادَ بِهِ مَنْ كَانَ فِي الظَّاهِرِ مَعْدُودًا مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ، فَهُوَ كَالْقَوْلِ الْأَوَّلِ. وَإِنْ أَرَادَ الْعُمُومَ، فَهُوَ كَالثَّانِي. وَهَذَا قَوْلُ مُجَاهِدٍ، وَرَوَاهُ أَبُو صَالِحٍ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، وَقَوْلُ مَنْ أَدْخَلَ فِيهَا مِثْلَ ابْنِ سَلَامٍ وَأَمْثَالِهِ ضَعِيفٌ ; فَإِنَّ هَؤُلَاءِ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ ظَاهِرًا وَبَاطِنًا مِنْ كُلِّ وَجْهٍ، لَا يَجُوزُ أَنْ يُقَالَ فِيهِمْ: {وَإِنَّ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ لَمَنْ يُؤْمِنُ بِاللَّهِ وَمَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْكُمْ وَمَا أُنْزِلَ إِلَيْهِمْ خَاشِعِينَ لِلَّهِ لَا يَشْتَرُونَ بِآيَاتِ اللَّهِ ثَمَنًا قَلِيلًا أُولَئِكَ لَهُمْ أَجْرُهُمْ عِنْدَ رَبِّهِمْ إِنَّ اللَّهَ سَرِيعُ الْحِسَابِ} [سُورَةُ آلِ عِمْرَانَ: ١٩٩] . أَمَّا أَوَّلًا: فَلِأَنَّ ابْنَ سَلَامٍ أَسْلَمَ فِي أَوَّلِ مَا قَدِمَ النَّبِيُّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - الْمَدِينَةَ، وَقَالَ: " «فَلَمَّا رَأَيْتُ وَجْهَهُ عَلِمْتُ (٣) أَنَّ وَجْهَهُ لَيْسَ بِوَجْهِ كَذَّابٍ» " (٤) .

(١) ح: دِيَةٌ، ي: الدِّيَةُ. (٢) انْظُرْ مَا ذَكَرْتُهُ عَنْ تَفْسِيرِ هَذِهِ الْآيَةِ قَبْلَ صَفَحَاتٍ ص ١١٤ (٣) أ، ب: عَرَفْتُ. (٤) الْحَدِيثُ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ سَلَامٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فِي: سُنَنِ التِّرْمِذِيِّ ٤/٦٥ كِتَابُ صِفَةِ الْقِيَامَةِ بَابُ ١٥ وَنَصُّهُ: (لَمَّا قَدِمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، يَعْنِي الْمَدِينَةَ، انْجَفَلَ النَّاسُ إِلَيْهِ، وَقِيلَ: قَدِمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، فَجِئْتُ فِي النَّاسِ لِأَنْظُرَ إِلَيْهِ فَلَمَّا اسْتَبَنْتُ وَجْهَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ عَرَفْتُ أَنَّ وَجْهَهُ لَيْسَ بِوَجْهِ كَذَّابٍ، وَكَانَ أَوَّلَ شَيْءٍ تَكَلَّمَ بِهِ أَنْ قَالَ: (يَا أَيُّهَا النَّاسُ، أَفْشُوا السَّلَامَ وَأَطْعِمُوا الطَّعَامَ، وَصَلُّوا وَالنَّاسُ نِيَامٌ تَدْخُلُوا الْجَنَّةَ بِسَلَامٍ) قَالَ التِّرْمِذِيُّ: (هَذَا حَدِيثٌ صَحِيحٌ) وَالْحَدِيثُ مَعَ اخْتِلَافٍ فِي الْأَلْفَاظِ فِي: سُنَنِ ابْنِ مَاجَهْ ١/٤٢٣ كِتَابُ إِقَامَةِ الصَّلَاةِ، بَابُ مَا جَاءَ فِي قِيَامِ اللَّيْلِ، ٢/١٠٨٣ كِتَابُ الْأَطْعِمَةِ، بَابُ إِطْعَامِ الطَّعَامِ، سُنَنِ الدَّارِمِيِّ ١/٣٤٠ - ٣٤١ كِتَابُ الصَّلَاةِ، بَابُ فَضْلِ صَلَاةِ اللَّيْلِ، ٢/٢٧٥، كِتَابُ الِاسْتِئْذَانِ بَابٌ فِي إِفْشَاءِ السَّلَامِ، الْمُسْنَدُ (ط. الْحَلَبِيِّ ٥/٤٥١) .