Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (5/153)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

That is why Abū Barza al-Aslamī said regarding the civil strife involving Ibn al-Zubayr, the civil strife involving the Quran reciters and al-Hajjāj, and the civil strife involving Marwān in Syria: “These people, those people, and those people fight only for worldly ends. As for the people of innovation, such as the Kharijites, they seek to corrupt people’s religion; fighting them is therefore fighting in defense (1) of religion.”

The aim in fighting them is that Allah’s word be supreme and that religion, all of it, be for Allah. This is why the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—commanded this type of fighting and forbade the other.

For this reason, Alī’s fighting against the Kharijites (2)—may Allah be pleased with him—is firmly established by explicit texts and by the consensus of the Companions, those who followed them faithfully, and all other Muslim scholars. As for the fighting at the Battle of the Camel and the Battle of Siffīn, it was fighting born of civil strife. The eminent Companions, those who followed them faithfully, and all other scholars disapproved of it, as the texts indicate. Even those who took part in it disliked it. Thus, within the Muslim community, those who disapproved of it were more numerous and more eminent than those who praised it.

It is established in both Sahih collections through several chains: “The Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—was distributing some wealth when Dhū al-Khuwaysira al-Tamīmī came to him. His head was shaven, his beard was thick, his forehead protruded, and between his eyes was a mark of prostration. He said, ‘Muhammad, act justly, for you have not been just.’

“He replied, ‘Woe to you! Who (3) would act justly if I were not just?’ Then he said, ‘Am I trusted (4) by the One in heaven, while you do not trust me (5)?’ One of the Companions said to him, ‘Let me

(1) The preposition *ʿalā* (“for”) is omitted from (ن) and (م); (و), (ر), and (ي) read *ʿan* (“in defense of”). (2) (م) and (ب) read *al-Khawārija* (“the Kharijites”) as the direct object. (3) (ن) and (م) read *fa-man* (“then who”). (4) (ب) alone reads: “Woe to you! Am I trusted…” (5) (م) reads: “while those on earth do not trust me.”

وَلِهَذَا قَالَ أَبُو بَرْزَةَ الْأَسْلَمِيُّ عَنْ فِتْنَةِ ابْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ، وَفِتْنَةِ الْقُرَّاءِ مَعَ الْحَجَّاجِ، وَفِتْنَةِ مَرْوَانَ بِالشَّامِ: هَؤُلَاءِ وَهَؤُلَاءِ وَهَؤُلَاءِ إِنَّمَا يُقَاتِلُونَ عَلَى الدُّنْيَا، وَأَمَّا أَهْلُ الْبِدَعِ كَالْخَوَارِجِ فَهُمْ يُرِيدُونَ إِفْسَادَ دِينِ النَّاسِ، فَقِتَالُهُمْ قِتَالٌ عَلَى (١) الدِّينِ. وَالْمَقْصُودُ بِقِتَالِهِمْ أَنْ تَكُونَ كَلِمَةُ اللَّهِ هِيَ الْعُلْيَا، وَيَكُونُ الدِّينُ كُلُّهُ لِلَّهِ. فَلِهَذَا أَمَرَ النَّبِيُّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - بِهَذَا، وَنَهَى عَنْ ذَلِكَ. وَلِهَذَا كَانَ قِتَالُ عَلِيٍّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ لِلْخَوَارِجِ (٢) ثَابِتًا بِالنُّصُوصِ الصَّرِيحَةِ، وَبِإِجْمَاعِ الصَّحَابَةِ وَالتَّابِعِينَ لَهُمْ بِإِحْسَانٍ، وَسَائِرِ عُلَمَاءِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ. وَأَمَّا قِتَالُ الْجَمَلِ وَصِفِّينَ فَكَانَ قِتَالَ فِتْنَةٍ، كَرِهَهُ فُضَلَاءُ الصَّحَابَةِ وَالتَّابِعِينَ لَهُمْ بِإِحْسَانٍ وَسَائِرُ الْعُلَمَاءِ، كَمَا دَلَّتْ عَلَيْهِ النُّصُوصُ. حَتَّى الَّذِينَ حَضَرُوهُ كَانُوا كَارِهِينَ لَهُ، فَكَانَ كَارِهُهُ فِي الْأُمَّةِ أَكْثَرَ وَأَفْضَلَ مِنْ حَامِدِهِ. وَقَدْ ثَبَتَ فِي الصَّحِيحَيْنِ مِنْ غَيْرِ وَجْهٍ «أَنَّهُ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - كَانَ يُقَسِّمُ مَالًا فَجَاءَ ذُو الْخُوَيْصِرَةَ التَّمِيمِيُّ، وَهُوَ مَحْلُوقُ الرَّأْسِ، كَثُّ اللِّحْيَةِ، نَاتِئِ الْجَبِينِ، بَيْنَ عَيْنَيْهِ أَثَرُ السُّجُودِ، فَقَالَ: يَا مُحَمَّدُ اعْدِلْ فَإِنَّكَ لَمْ تَعْدِلْ. فَقَالَ: " وَيْحَكَ وَمَنْ (٣) يَعْدِلُ إِذَا لَمْ أَعْدِلْ؟ " ثُمَّ قَالَ: أَيَأْمَنُنِي (٤) مَنْ فِي السَّمَاءِ وَلَا تَأْمَنُونِي (٥) ؟ " فَقَالَ لَهُ: بَعْضُ الصَّحَابَةِ: دَعْنِي

(١) عَلَى: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) ، وَفِي (و) (ر) (ي) : عَنْ. (٢) م، ب: الْخَوَارِجَ. (٣) ن، م: فَمَنْ. (٤) ب فَقَطْ: وَيْحَكَ أَيَأْمَنُنِي. (٥) م: وَلَا تَأْمَنُونِي فِي الْأَرْضِ.