Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (5/168)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

“When it is said to them, ‘Believe in what Allah has revealed,’ they say, ‘We believe in what was revealed to us,’ yet they disbelieve in what came after it, even though it is the truth confirming what they have.”

[Surah al-Baqarah: 91]

This is because they introduced innovations and mixed them with what the messengers had brought. They divided their religion and were(1) split into sects. Thus, there came to be(2) both truth and falsehood within each group. They deny the truth possessed by the other group while affirming the falsehood they themselves possess.

[The same is true of all religious innovators, for they possess](3) both truth and falsehood(4). They have divided their religion and become sects: each group denies the truth possessed by the other while affirming the falsehood it possesses. The Khawārij and the Shīʿa are examples. The former deny the established virtues of the Commander of the Faithful, Ali ibn Abi Talib—may Allah be pleased with him—while affirming what has been narrated concerning the virtues of Abu Bakr and Umar—may Allah be pleased with them both. They also affirm their own innovation of declaring Ali, and anyone loyal to and loving him, unbelievers. The latter affirm what has been narrated concerning the virtues of Ali ibn Abi Talib, deny what has been narrated concerning the virtues of Abu Bakr and Umar, and affirm their own innovation of declaring Abu Bakr, Umar, and Uthman unbelievers and maligning them.

The religion of Islam is a middle way between opposing extremes. Thus, in matters of monotheism, the Muslims take a middle course between the Jews and the Christians. The Jews(5) attribute to the Lord the imperfect qualities peculiar to created beings, thereby likening the Creator to His creation. They say, for example, that He is miserly, that He is poor, and that He grew weary when He created the heavens and the earth. Yet He—glory be to Him—is

(1) A, Y, R, and W read: “and they became.” (2) H and B read: “thus, there was.” (3) The text in square brackets is absent from N and M. (4) B alone reads: *haqqan wa-bātilan* (“truth and falsehood”), which is correct. The other manuscripts read: *haqqun wa-bātilun*. (5) N alone reads: “the Christians”; this is an error.

{وَإِذَا قِيلَ لَهُمْ آمِنُوا بِمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ قَالُوا نُؤْمِنُ بِمَا أُنْزِلَ عَلَيْنَا وَيَكْفُرُونَ بِمَا وَرَاءَهُ وَهُوَ الْحَقُّ مُصَدِّقًا لِمَا مَعَهُمْ} [سُورَةُ الْبَقَرَةِ: ٩١] . وَذَلِكَ لِأَنَّهُمُ ابْتَدَعُوا بِدَعًا خَلَطُوهَا بِمَا جَاءَتْ بِهِ الرُّسُلُ، وَفَرَّقُوا دَيْنَهُمْ وَكَانُوا (١) شِيَعًا، فَصَارَ (٢) فِي كُلِّ فَرِيقٍ مِنْهُمْ حَقٌّ وَبَاطِلٌ، وَهُمْ يُكَذِّبُونَ بِالْحَقِّ الَّذِي مَعَ الْفَرِيقِ الْآخَرِ، وَيُصَدِّقُونَ بِالْبَاطِلِ الَّذِي مَعَهُمْ. [وَهَذَا حَالُ أَهْلِ الْبِدَعِ كُلِّهِمْ ; فَإِنَّ مَعَهُمْ] (٣) حَقًّا وَبَاطِلًا (٤) ، فَهُمْ فَرَّقُوا دِينَهُمْ وَكَانُوا شِيَعًا، كُلُّ فَرِيقٍ يُكَذِّبُ بِمَا مَعَ الْآخَرِ مِنَ الْحَقِّ وَيُصَدِّقُ بِمَا مَعَهُ مِنَ الْبَاطِلِ، كَالْخَوَارِجِ وَالشِّيعَةِ ; فَهَؤُلَاءِ يُكَذِّبُونَ بِمَا ثَبَتَ مِنْ فَضَائِلِ أَمِيرِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ، وَيُصَدِّقُونَ بِمَا رُوِيَ فِي فَضَائِلِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا، وَيُصَدِّقُونَ بِمَا ابْتَدَعُوهُ مِنْ تَكْفِيرِهِ وَتَكْفِيرِ مَنْ يَتَوَلَّاهُ وَيُحِبُّهُ. وَهَؤُلَاءِ يُصَدِّقُونَ بِمَا رُوِيَ فِي فَضَائِلِ عَلِيِّ بْنِ أَبِي طَالِبٍ، وَيُكَذِّبُونَ بِمَا رُوِيَ فِي فَضَائِلِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ، وَيُصَدِّقُونَ بِمَا ابْتَدَعُوهُ مِنَ التَّكْفِيرِ وَالطَّعْنِ فِي أَبِي بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ وَعُثْمَانَ. وَدِينُ الْإِسْلَامِ وَسَطٌ بَيْنِ الْأَطْرَافِ الْمُتَجَاذِبَةِ. فَالْمُسْلِمُونَ وَسَطٌ فِي التَّوْحِيدِ بَيْنَ الْيَهُودِ وَالنَّصَارَى، فَالْيَهُودُ (٥) تَصِفُ الرَّبَّ بِصِفَاتِ النَّقْصِ الَّتِي يَخْتَصُّ بِهَا الْمَخْلُوقُ، وَيُشَبِّهُونَ الْخَالِقَ بِالْمَخْلُوقِ. كَمَا قَالُوا: إِنَّهُ بَخِيلٌ، وَإِنَّهُ فَقِيرٌ، وَإِنَّهُ لَمَّا خَلَقَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ تَعِبَ. وَهُوَ سُبْحَانُهُ

(١) أ، ي، ر، و: وَصَارُوا. (٢) ح، ب: فَكَانَ. (٣) مَا بَيْنَ الْمَعْقُوفَتَيْنِ سَاقِطٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) . (٤) حَقًّا وَبَاطِلًا: كَذَا فِي (ب) ، فَقَطْ وَهُوَ الصَّوَابُ، وَفِي سَائِرِ النُّسَخِ: حَقٌّ وَبَاطِلٌ. (٥) ن فَقَطْ: فَالنَّصَارَى، وَهُوَ خَطَأٌ.