Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (5/166)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

devoted themselves to gaining a deep understanding of it and grasped its meaning; whatever they disagreed about, they referred to Allah and the Messenger.

[Truth Never Lies Outside Ahl al-Sunnah]

For this reason, the hadith scholars have never unanimously agreed upon so much as a single statement contrary to his teaching. The truth never lies outside them, and everything upon which they agree is part of what the Messenger brought. Anyone who opposes them—whether a Kharijite, Rāfidī, Muʿtazilī, Jahmī, or any other religious innovator—thereby opposes the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him. Indeed, whoever opposes their positions concerning practical religious rulings opposes the established Sunnah. Each of these groups agrees with them on the very point on which another group opposes them. Thus, the followers of caprice stand in relation to them as adherents of other religions stand in relation to the Muslims. Ahl al-Sunnah occupy within Islam the same position that the Muslims occupy among the various religions, as has been explained at length elsewhere.

[The Companions’ Consensus Obviates the Need to Claim Any Other Consensus]

If it is said:

“If truth proceeds from the hadith scholars, why do works on legal theory not state that their consensus constitutes authoritative proof? Why, instead, is disagreement over this mentioned, just as scholars have discussed the consensus of the people of Medina and the consensus of the Prophet’s family?”

The response is:

Because the hadith scholars agree only upon what has come from Allah and His Messenger (1) and what has been transmitted from the Companions. Thus, adducing the Book, the Sunnah, and the consensus of the Companions makes it unnecessary (2) to invoke a consensus whose status as authoritative proof is disputed by some. This differs from those who claim that the consensus of the later scholars of Medina constitutes consensus, for they invoke it in matters for which there is no revealed text; indeed, the revealed text supports the opposite.

[Likewise, those who claim a consensus of the Prophet’s family make that claim in matters for which they possess no revealed text

(1) H, B: “what has been transmitted from the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him, and what the Messenger brought.” (2) N, M, A: *muʿīnan* (“an assistant”), which is a textual corruption.

تَفَقَّهُوا فِي ذَلِكَ عَرَفُوا مَعْنَاهُ، وَمَا تَنَازَعُوا فِيهِ رَدُّوهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَالرَّسُولِ. [الحق لا يخرج عن أهل السنة] فَلِهَذَا لَمْ يَجْتَمِعْ قَطُّ أَهْلُ الْحَدِيثِ عَلَى خِلَافِ قَوْلِهِ فِي كَلِمَةٍ وَاحِدَةٍ، وَالْحَقُّ لَا يَخْرُجُ عَنْهُمْ قَطُّ، وَكُلُّ مَا اجْتَمَعُوا عَلَيْهِ فَهُوَ مِمَّا جَاءَ بِهِ الرَّسُولُ، وَكُلُّ مَنْ خَالَفَهُمْ مِنْ خَارِجِيٍّ وَرَافِضِيٍّ وَمُعْتَزِلِيٍّ وَجَهْمِيٍّ وَغَيْرِهِمْ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْبِدَعِ، فَإِنَّمَا يُخَالِفُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - بَلْ مَنْ خَالَفَ مَذَاهِبَهُمْ فِي الشَّرَائِعِ الْعَمَلِيَّةِ كَانَ مُخَالِفًا لِلسُّنَّةِ الثَّابِتَةِ، وَكُلٌّ مِنْ هَؤُلَاءِ يُوَافِقُهُمْ فِيمَا خَالَفَ فِيهِ الْآخَرَ، فَأَهْلُ الْأَهْوَاءِ مَعَهُمْ بِمَنْزِلَةِ أَهْلِ الْمِلَلِ مَعَ الْمُسْلِمِينَ ; فَإِنَّ أَهْلَ السُّنَّةِ فِي الْإِسْلَامِ كَأَهْلِ الْإِسْلَامِ فِي الْمِلَلِ، كَمَا قَدْ بُسِطَ فِي مَوْضِعِهِ. [إجماع الصحابة يغني عن دعوى أي إجماع آخر] فَإِنْ قِيلَ: فَإِذَا كَانَ الْحَقُّ يَخْرُجُ عَنْ أَهْلِ الْحَدِيثِ، فَلِمَ لَمْ يُذْكَرْ فِي أُصُولِ الْفِقْهِ أَنَّ إِجْمَاعَهُمْ حُجَّةٌ، وَذُكِرَ الْخِلَافُ فِي ذَلِكَ، كَمَا تَكَلَّمَ عَلَى إِجْمَاعِ أَهْلِ الْمَدِينَةِ وَإِجْمَاعِ الْعِتْرَةِ؟ . قِيلَ: لِأَنَّ أَهْلَ الْحَدِيثِ لَا يَتَّفِقُونَ إِلَّا عَلَى مَا جَاءَ عَنِ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ (١) وَمَا هُوَ مَنْقُولٌ عَنِ الصَّحَابَةِ، فَيَكُونُ الِاسْتِدْلَالُ بِالْكِتَابِ وَالسُّنَّةِ وَبِإِجْمَاعِ الصَّحَابَةِ مُغْنِيًا (٢) عَنْ دَعْوَى إِجْمَاعٍ يُنَازِعُ فِي كَوْنِهِ حُجَّةَ بَعْضِ النَّاسِ، وَهَذَا بِخِلَافِ مَنْ يَدَّعِي إِجْمَاعَ الْمُتَأَخِّرِينَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْمَدِينَةِ إِجْمَاعًا ; فَإِنَّهُمْ يَذْكُرُونَ ذَلِكَ فِي مَسَائِلَ لَا نَصَّ فِيهَا، بَلِ النَّصُّ عَلَى خِلَافِهَا. [وَكَذَلِكَ الْمُدَّعُونَ إِجْمَاعَ الْعِتْرَةِ يَدَّعُونَ ذَلِكَ فِي مَسَائِلَ لَا نَصَّ مَعَهُمْ

(١) ح، ب: مَا جَاءَ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَمَا جَاءَ بِهِ الرَّسُولُ. (٢) ن، م، أ: مُعِينًا، وَهُوَ تَحْرِيفٌ.