Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (5/120)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

[Surah Āl Imrān: 110–114].

It has been said that this verse (1) was revealed concerning Abd Allah ibn Salām and his companions. It has also been said that His words, “Some of them are believers, but most of them are defiantly disobedient,” refer to Abd Allah ibn Salām and his companions (2). Allah knows best, but this appears to be of the same kind as the preceding case, for these men did not remain among the People of the Book.

Rather, what is meant is someone who outwardly belongs to them but is a believer, though unable to do what the believers who emigrated and fought in Allah’s cause were able to do. An example is the believing man from Pharaoh’s people: he belonged to Pharaoh’s people, yet he was a believer.

For this reason, Allah Most High said:

“A believing man from Pharaoh’s people, who concealed his faith, said, ‘Would you kill a man merely for saying, “My Lord is Allah,” although he has brought you clear proofs from your Lord?’”

[Surah Ghāfir: 28]

Thus, he belonged to Pharaoh’s people, yet he was a believer.

(1) The verse does not appear in (M) or (W). (2) Al-Tabarī says in his Tafsīr: “Among them are believers”—that is, among the Jews and Christians of the People of the Scripture are believers who affirm the truthfulness of the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, regarding what he brought them from Allah. They include Abd Allah ibn Salām and his brother, Thalaba ibn Saya and his brother, and others like them who believed in Allah, affirmed His Messenger Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and followed what he brought them from Allah. “But most of them are fāsiqūn (transgressors),” meaning that they have departed from their religion. This is because the religion of the Jews requires following what is in the Torah and believing in Muhammad, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, while the religion of the Christians requires following what is in the Gospel and believing in him and in what is in the Torah. Yet both groups—the Jews and the Christians—reject the truth. This is their transgression and their departure from the religion they claim to profess, as indicated by the words of Allah, exalted is His praise: “But most of them are fāsiqūn.” Ibn al-Jawzī says in Zād al-Masīr: “Among them are believers” refers to those who embraced Islam, such as Abd Allah ibn Salām and his companions; “but most of them are fāsiqūn” means the disbelievers, namely those who did not embrace Islam.

[سُورَةُ آلِ عِمْرَانَ: ١١٠ - ١١٤] . وَهَذِهِ الْآيَةُ (١) قِيلَ: إِنَّهَا نَزَلَتْ فِي عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ سَلَامٍ وَأَصْحَابِهِ، وَقِيلَ: إِنَّ قَوْلَهُ: {مِنْهُمُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ وَأَكْثَرُهُمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ} هُوَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ سَلَامٍ وَأَصْحَابُهُ (٢) . وَهَذَا وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ مِنْ نَمَطِ الَّذِي قَبْلَهُ ; فَإِنَّ هَؤُلَاءِ مَا بَقُوا مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ. وَإِنَّمَا الْمَقْصُودُ مَنْ هُوَ مِنْهُمْ فِي الظَّاهِرِ، وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ لَكِنْ لَا يَقْدِرُ عَلَى مَا يَقْدِرُ عَلَيْهِ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الْمُهَاجِرُونَ الْمُجَاهِدُونَ، كَمُؤْمِنِ آلِ فِرْعَوْنَ: هُوَ مِنْ آلِ فِرْعَوْنَ وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ. وَلِهَذَا قَالَ تَعَالَى: {وَقَالَ رَجُلٌ مُؤْمِنٌ مِنْ آلِ فِرْعَوْنَ يَكْتُمُ إِيمَانَهُ أَتَقْتُلُونَ رَجُلًا أَنْ يَقُولَ رَبِّيَ اللَّهُ وَقَدْ جَاءَكُمْ بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ مِنْ رَبِّكُمْ} [سُورَةُ غَافِرٍ: ٢٨] فَهُوَ مِنْ آلِ فِرْعَوْنَ وَهُوَ مُؤْمِنٌ.

(١) الْآيَةُ: لَيْسَتْ فِي (م) ، (و) . (٢) يَقُولُ الطَّبَرِيُّ فِي تَفْسِيرِهِ: مِنْهُمُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ، يَعْنِي: مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ مِنَ الْيَهُودِ وَالنَّصَارَى، الْمُؤْمِنُونَ الْمُصَدِّقُونَ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِيمَا جَاءَهُمْ بِهِ مِنْ عِنْدِ اللَّهِ، وَهُمْ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ سَلَامٍ وَأَخُوهُ، وَثَعْلَبَةُ بْنُ سَعْيَهْ وَأَخُوهُ، وَأَشْبَاهُهُمْ مِمَّنْ آمَنُوا بِاللَّهِ وَصَدَّقُوا بِرَسُولِهِ مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَاتَّبَعُوا مَا جَاءَهُمْ بِهِ مِنْ عِنْدِ اللَّهِ، وَأَكْثَرُهُمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ: يَعْنِي الْخَارِجُونَ عَنْ دِينِهِمْ، وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ مِنْ دِينِ الْيَهُودِ اتِّبَاعَ مَا فِي التَّوْرَاةِ وَالتَّصْدِيقَ بِمُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَمِنْ دِينِ النَّصَارَى اتِّبَاعَ مَا فِي الْإِنْجِيلِ وَالتَّصْدِيقَ بِهِ وَبِمَا فِي التَّوْرَاةِ؛ وَكِلَا الْفِرْقَتَيْنِ أَعْنِي الْيَهُودَ وَالنَّصَارَى مُكَذِّبَةٌ، فَذَلِكَ فِسْقُهُمْ وَخُرُوجُهُمْ عَنْ دِينِهِمُ الَّذِي يَدَّعُونَ أَنَّهُمْ يَدِينُونَ بِهِ، الَّذِي قَالَ جَلَّ ثَنَاؤُهُ وَأَكْثَرُهُمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ. وَيَقُولُ ابْنُ الْجَوْزِيِّ فِي زَادِ الْمَسِيرِ: مِنْهُمُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ: مَنْ أَسْلَمَ كَعَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ سَلَامٍ وَأَصْحَابِهِ وَأَكْثَرُهُمُ الْفَاسِقُونَ، يَعْنِي: الْكَافِرِينَ وَهُمُ الَّذِينَ لَمْ يُسْلِمُوا.