Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (5/143)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

Allah and His Messenger commanded, regardless of who he may be (1).

Thus, whoever says that a calamity befell them (2) because the Prophet gave precedence to Abū Bakr and Umar, appointed Abū Bakr to lead the prayer in his stead, or because of their rule, is told: “Your calamity came about because of your sins.”

“Whoever fears Allah, He will make a way out for him and provide for him from where he does not expect.”

[Surah al-Talāq 2–3]

Rather, all of this amounts to harming believers for no wrong they committed. Allah Most High has said:

“Do not backbite one another.”

[Surah al-Hujurāt: 12]

It is authentically established (3) from the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—that he said:

“Backbiting is speaking of your brother in a manner he dislikes.”

He was asked, “What if what I say is true of my brother?”

He replied, “If what you say is true of him, you have backbitten him; if it is not true of him, you have slandered him.” (4)

Whoever accuses someone of something that is not true of him has slandered him. How much worse is it, then, when such a charge is levelled against the Companions?

Whoever says of a scholar exercising independent judgment that he deliberately committed injustice, deliberately (5) disobeyed Allah and His Messenger, and contravened the Book and the sunnah, when this was not so, has slandered him. If such conduct was indeed true of him, he has backbitten him. Yet only as much of this as has been permitted (6) by Allah and His Messenger is lawful—namely, what is done (7)

(1) ن reads: “whatever it may have been.” (2) ن، م read: “for him.” (3) ن، م read: “And in the Sahīh.” (4) The hadith narrated by Abū Hurayra—may Allah be pleased with him—is found in Muslim, 4/2001, Book of Virtue, Maintaining Ties, and Etiquette, chapter “The Prohibition of Backbiting.” It begins: “Do you know what backbiting is?” It is also recorded, with differences in wording, in Sunan Abī Dāwūd, 4/370–371, Book of Etiquette, chapter “On Backbiting”; Sunan al-Tirmidhī, 3/220–221, Book of Virtue and Maintaining Ties, chapter “What Has Been Related concerning Backbiting”; Sunan al-Dārimī, 2/299, Book of Heart-Softening Reports, chapter “What Has Been Related concerning Backbiting”; and al-Musnad, al-Ma‘ārif ed., 12/132–133; 17/95, 105; 19/70. (5) ح، ب read: “or deliberately [disobeyed].” (6) ن reads: “what [Allah and His Messenger] permitted.” (7) ن reads: “what would occur.”

أَمَرَ اللَّهُ بِهِ وَرَسُولَهُ كَائِنًا مَنْ كَانَ (١) . فَمَنْ قَالَ: إِنَّهُ بِسَبَبِ تَقْدِيمِهِ لِأَبِي بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ، وَاسْتِخْلَافِهِ فِي الصَّلَاةِ، أَوْ بِسَبَبِ وِلَايَتِهِمَا، حَصَلَ لَهُمْ (٢) مُصِيبَةٌ. قِيلَ: مُصِيبَتُكُمْ بِسَبَبِ ذُنُوبِكُمْ: {وَمَنْ يَتَّقِ اللَّهَ يَجْعَلْ لَهُ مَخْرَجًا - وَيَرْزُقْهُ مِنْ حَيْثُ لَا يَحْتَسِبُ} [سُورَةُ الطَّلَاقِ ٢ - ٣] ، بَلْ هَذَا كُلُّهُ مِنْ أَذَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ بِغَيْرِ مَا اكْتَسَبُوا وَقَدْ قَالَ تَعَالَى: {وَلَا يَغْتَبْ بَعْضُكُمْ بَعْضًا} [سُورَةُ الْحُجُرَاتِ: ١٢] . وَثَبَتَ فِي الصَّحِيحِ (٣) عَنِ النَّبِيِّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - أَنَّهُ قَالَ: " «الْغَيْبَةُ ذِكْرُكَ أَخَاكَ بِمَا يَكْرَهُ " . قِيلَ: أَرَأَيْتَ إِنْ كَانَ فِي أَخِي مَا أَقُولُ؟ قَالَ: " إِنْ كَانَ فِيهِ مَا تَقُولُ فَقَدِ اغْتَبْتَهُ، وَإِنْ لَمْ يَكُنْ فِيهِ فَقَدْ بَهَتَّهُ» (٤) " . فَمَنْ رَمَى أَحَدًا بِمَا لَيْسَ فِيهِ فَقَدْ بَهَتَهُ، فَكَيْفَ إِذَا كَانَ ذَلِكَ فِي الصَّحَابَةِ؟ . وَمَنْ قَالَ عَنْ مُجْتَهِدٍ: إِنَّهُ تَعَمَّدَ الظُّلْمَ وَتَعَمَّدَ (٥) مَعْصِيَةَ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ وَمُخَالَفَةَ الْكِتَابِ وَالسُّنَّةِ، وَلَمْ يَكُنْ كَذَلِكَ فَقَدْ بَهَتَهُ، وَإِذَا كَانَ فِيهِ ذَلِكَ فَقَدِ اغْتَابَهُ، لَكِنْ يُبَاحُ مِنْ ذَلِكَ مَا أَبَاحَهُ (٦) اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ، وَهُوَ مَا يَكُونُ (٧)

(١) ن: مَا كَانَ. (٢) ن، م: لَهُ. (٣) ن، م: وَفِي الصَّحِيحِ. (٤) الْحَدِيثُ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فِي: مُسْلِمٍ ٤/٢٠٠١ كِتَابُ الْبِرِّ وَالصِّلَةِ وَالْآدَابِ، بَابُ تَحْرِيمِ الْغَيْبَةِ، وَأَوَّلُهُ: أَتَدْرُونَ مَا الْغَيْبَةُ، الْحَدِيثَ وَهُوَ مَعَ اخْتِلَافٍ فِي اللَّفْظِ فِي: سُنَنِ أَبِي دَاوُدَ ٤/٣٧٠ - ٣٧١ كِتَابُ الْأَدَبِ، بَابٌ فِي الْغَيْبَةِ، سُنَنَ التِّرْمِذِيِّ ٣/٢٢٠ - ٢٢١ كِتَابُ الْبَرِّ وَالصِّلَةِ، بَابُ مَا جَاءَ فِي الْغَيْبَةِ، سُنَنَ الدَّارِمِيِّ ٢/٢٩٩ كِتَابُ الرُّقَاقِ، بَابُ مَا جَاءَ فِي الْغَيْبَةِ، الْمُسْنَدَ ط. الْمَعَارِفِ ١٢/١٣٢ - ١٣٣. ١٧/٩٥، ١٠٥، ١٩/٧٠. (٥) ح، ب: أَوْ تَعَمَّدَ. (٦) ن: مَا أَبَاحَ. (٧) ن: مَا كَانَ يَكُونُ.