Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (5/130)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

and grant him peace—the law and the way contained in the Quran (1). He commanded him to judge according to what Allah had revealed, warned him lest they turn him away from some of what Allah had revealed, and informed him that this is Allah’s judgment and that whoever seeks any other judgment has sought the judgment of the Age of Ignorance. He said:

“Those who do not judge according to what Allah has revealed are indeed the disbelievers.”

[Surah al-Mā’idah: 44].

There is no doubt that whoever does not believe it obligatory to judge according to what Allah revealed to His Messenger (2) is a disbeliever. Thus, whoever deems it lawful to judge among people according to what he himself considers just, without following what Allah has revealed (3), is a disbeliever. Every nation enjoins judgment with justice, though justice in its religion may be whatever its leading figures deem to be just. Indeed, many who affiliate themselves with Islam judge according to customs that Allah—Glorified and Exalted—never revealed, such as the ancestral customs of the Bedouins and the commands of those obeyed among them (4). They believe that judgment should be based on these rather than on the Book and the Sunnah.

This is disbelief. Many people have embraced Islam, yet they still judge solely according to their prevailing customs, as commanded by those whom they obey. If such people know that judgment is permissible only according to what Allah has revealed but do not adhere to it and instead deem it lawful to judge contrary to what Allah has revealed, they are disbelievers. Otherwise, they are ignorant, like those whose case was discussed earlier (5).

Allah commanded all Muslims, whenever they dispute over anything, to refer it to Allah

(1) H, R: “and the ways.” (2) R: “to His messengers.” (3) W: “what He revealed.” (4) “Among them”: an addition in (A) and (B). (5) “Their case”: thus in (N) and (M); all other copies read: “his case.”

وَسَلَّمَ - مَا فِي الْقُرْآنِ مِنَ الشِّرْعَةِ وَالْمِنْهَاجِ (١) ، وَأَمَرَهُ أَنْ يَحْكُمَ بِمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ، وَحَذَّرَهُ أَنْ يَفْتِنُوهُ عَنْ بَعْضِ مَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ، وَأَخْبَرَهُ أَنَّ ذَلِكَ هُوَ حُكْمُ اللَّهِ، وَمَنِ ابْتَغَى غَيْرَهُ فَقَدِ ابْتَغَى حُكْمَ الْجَاهِلِيَّةِ، وَقَالَ: {وَمَنْ لَمْ يَحْكُمْ بِمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ فَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْكَافِرُونَ} [سُورَةُ الْمَائِدَةِ ٤٤] . وَلَا رَيْبَ أَنَّ مَنْ لَمْ يَعْتَقِدْ وُجُوبَ الْحُكْمِ بِمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ عَلَى رَسُولِهِ (٢) فَهُوَ كَافِرٌ، فَمَنِ اسْتَحَلَّ أَنْ يَحْكُمَ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ بِمَا يَرَاهُ هُوَ عَدْلًا مِنْ غَيْرِ اتِّبَاعٍ لِمَا أَنْزَلَ (٣) اللَّهُ فَهُوَ كَافِرٌ ; فَإِنَّهُ مَا مِنْ أُمَّةٍ إِلَّا وَهِيَ تَأْمُرُ بِالْحُكْمِ بِالْعَدْلِ، وَقَدْ يَكُونُ الْعَدْلُ فِي دِينِهَا مَا رَآهُ أَكَابِرُهُمْ، بَلْ كَثِيرٌ مِنَ الْمُنْتَسِبِينَ إِلَى الْإِسْلَامِ يَحْكُمُونَ بِعَادَاتِهِمُ الَّتِي لَمْ يُنْزِلْهَا اللَّهُ سُبْحَانَهُ وَتَعَالَى، كَسَوَالِفِ الْبَادِيَةِ، وَكَأَوَامِرِ الْمُطَاعِينَ فِيهِمْ (٤) ، وَيَرَوْنَ أَنَّ هَذَا هُوَ الَّذِي يَنْبَغِي الْحُكْمُ بِهِ دُونَ الْكِتَابِ وَالسُّنَّةِ. وَهَذَا هُوَ الْكُفْرُ، فَإِنَّ كَثِيرًا مِنَ النَّاسِ أَسْلَمُوا، وَلَكِنْ مَعَ هَذَا لَا يَحْكُمُونَ إِلَّا بِالْعَادَاتِ الْجَارِيَةِ لَهُمُ الَّتِي يَأْمُرُ بِهَا الْمُطَاعُونَ، فَهَؤُلَاءِ إِذَا عَرَفُوا أَنَّهُ لَا يَجُوزُ الْحُكْمُ إِلَّا بِمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ فَلَمْ يَلْتَزِمُوا ذَلِكَ، بَلِ اسْتَحَلُّوا أَنْ يَحْكُمُوا بِخِلَافِ مَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ فَهُمْ كُفَّارٌ، وَإِلَّا كَانُوا جُهَّالًا، كَمَنْ تَقَدَّمَ أَمْرُهُمْ (٥) . وَقَدْ أَمَرَ اللَّهُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ كُلَّهُمْ إِذَا تَنَازَعُوا فِي شَيْءٍ أَنْ يَرُدُّوهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ

(١) ح، ر: وَالْمَنَاهِجِ. (٢) ر: عَلَى رُسُلِهِ. (٣) و: لِمَا أَنْزَلَهُ. (٤) فِيهِمْ: زِيَادَةٌ فِي (أ) ، (ب) . (٥) أَمْرُهُمْ: كَذَا فِي (ن) ، (م) ، وَفِي سَائِرِ النُّسَخِ: أَمْرُهُ.