Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (5/176)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

Many of their common folk say (1), “Divorce can take place only with the woman’s consent,” though their scholars deny this. No one apart from them has ever held this view (2).

They affirm the existence of an awaited Imam who is absent: neither his person nor any trace of him is known, and his existence cannot be established (3) through either sensory perception or report, yet faith is incomplete without him.

They say, “The foundations of religion are four: the affirmation of Allah’s oneness, justice, prophethood, and the Imamate.”

Their doctrine concerning the Imam ultimately amounts to this: believing that he is infallible, hidden from sight, and present (4) somewhere among the cities; that he will bring forth (5) a dinar from the depths of the seas, stamp pebbles, and make a staff sprout leaves. He entered the cellar at Sāmarrā in the year 260 AH, and his age (6) was either two, three, or five years, or thereabouts—for they disagree about how old he was. Yet to this day, nothing has been heard of him. The religion of mankind is entrusted to him: whatever he declares lawful is lawful, whatever he declares forbidden is forbidden, and religion is whatever he prescribes—though not one of Allah’s servants has derived any benefit from him.

Likewise, they dislike names resembling those of the people they hate (7), and love names resembling those of the people they love, irrespective of the person so named. They also dislike saying or doing anything (8) whose number is ten because they hate ten men, and they seek revenge (9) upon those whom

(1) H and B read: “say.” (2) H, A, B, Y, R, and W read: “anyone from outside their community.” (3) W reads: “nor is he known.” (4) A and B read: “present.” (5) W reads: “will extract.” (6) The words “of age” are omitted in N, M, W, and A. (7) A reads: “the people they hate.” (8) N, R, W, and Y read *shay’in*; H and A read *shay’an*. (9) B reads *wa-ishtifā’uhum* (“and their seeking revenge”), which is correct; all other manuscripts read *wa-ishtifā’ihim*.

وَكَثِيرٌ مِنْ عَوَامِّهِمْ يَقُولُ (١) : إِنَّ الطَّلَاقَ لَا يَكُونُ إِلَّا بِرِضَا الْمَرْأَةِ، وَعُلَمَاؤُهُمْ يُنْكِرُونَ هَذَا. وَهَذَا لَمْ يَقُلْهُ أَحَدٌ غَيْرُهُمْ (٢) . وَهُمْ يَقُولُونَ بِإِمَامٍ مُنْتَظَرٍ مَوْجُودٍ غَائِبٍ لَا يُعْرَفُ لَهُ عَيْنٌ وَلَا أَثَرٌ، وَلَا يُعْلَمُ (٣) بِحِسٍّ وَلَا خَبَرٍ، لَا يَتِمُّ الْإِيمَانُ إِلَّا بِهِ. وَيَقُولُونَ: أُصُولُ الدِّينِ أَرْبَعَةٌ: التَّوْحِيدُ، وَالْعَدْلُ، وَالنُّبُوَّةُ، وَالْإِمَامَةُ. وَهَذَا مُنْتَهَى الْإِمَامِ عِنْدَهُمُ: الْإِيمَانُ بِأَنَّهُ مَعْصُومٌ غَائِبٌ عَنِ الْأَبْصَارِ كَائِنٌ (٤) فِي الْأَمْصَارِ، سَيُخْرِجُ (٥) الدِّينَارَ مِنْ قَعْرِ الْبِحَارِ، يَطْبَعُ الْحَصَى، وَيُورِقُ الْعَصَا. دَخَلَ سِرْدَابَ سَامِرَا سَنَةَ سِتِّينَ، وَمِائَتَيْنِ وَلَهُ مِنَ الْعُمُرِ (٦) إِمَّا سَنَتَانِ، وَإِمَّا ثَلَاثٌ وَإِمَّا خَمْسٌ، أَوْ نَحْوُ ذَلِكَ ; فَإِنَّهُمْ مُخْتَلِفُونَ فِي قَدْرِ عُمُرِهِ، ثُمَّ إِلَى الْآنِ لَمْ يُعْرَفْ لَهُ خَبَرٌ. وَدِينُ الْخَلْقِ مُسَلَّمٌ إِلَيْهِ ; فَالْحَلَالُ مَا حَلَّلَهُ، وَالْحَرَامُ مَا حَرَّمَهُ، وَالدِّينُ مَا شَرَعَهُ، وَلَمْ يَنْتَفِعْ بِهِ أَحَدٌ مِنْ عِبَادِ اللَّهِ. وَكَذَلِكَ كَرَاهَتُهُمْ لِأَسْمَاءٍ نَظِيرِ أَسْمَاءِ مَنْ يُبْغِضُونَهُ (٧) ، وَمَحَبَّتُهُمْ لِأَسْمَاءٍ نَظِيرِ أَسْمَاءِ مَنْ يُحِبُّونَهُ، مِنْ غَيْرِ نَظَرٍ إِلَى الْمُسَمَّى، وَكَرَاهَتُهُمْ لِأَنَّ يُتَكَلَّمَ أَوْ يُعْمَلَ بِشَيْءٍ (٨) عَدَدُهُ عَشَرَةٌ لِكَرَاهَتِهِمْ نَفَرًا عَشَرَةً، وَاشْتِفَاؤُهُمْ (٩) مِمَّنْ

(١) ح، ب: يَقُولُونَ. (٢) ح، أ، ب، ي، ر، و: أَحَدٌ مِنْ غَيْرِهِمْ. (٣) و: وَلَا يُعْرَفُ. (٤) أ، ب: حَاضِرٌ. (٥) و: يَسْتَخْرِجُ.، (٦) مِنَ الْعُمُرِ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) ، (و) (أ) . (٧) أ: يُبْغِضُونَهُمْ. (٨) ن، ر، و، ي: شَيْءٍ، ح، أ: شَيْئًا. (٩) وَاشْتِفَاؤُهُمْ: كَذَا فِي (ب) وَهُوَ الصَّوَابُ، وَفِي سَائِرِ النُّسَخِ: وَاشْتِفَائِهِمْ.