Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (5/182)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

[Truth Is Always with the Sunnah and Authentic Reports]

In sum, the merits and virtues peculiar to each imam are numerous, and this is not the place to enumerate them exhaustively. The point is that truth always lies with the Sunnah of Allah’s Messenger—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—and the authentic reports transmitted from him. Although every (1) group affiliated with someone other than him, whenever it alone adopts a position apart from the rest of the Ummah, can only be mistaken in the position it alone adopts (2), this is not so with those affiliated with him—the people of the Sunnah and hadith. The correct position is always with them. Whoever agrees with them is correct insofar as he agrees with them, while whoever differs from them finds that they, rather than he, are correct in every matter of religion. For the truth is with the Messenger; thus, whoever knows his Sunnah best and follows it most faithfully is correct.

These are the people who champion none but his words and affiliate themselves with none but him. They know his Sunnah better than anyone else and follow it most faithfully. Most of the Ummah’s early generations were likewise, but division and disagreement are widespread among later generations. Those whose standing Allah has raised within the Ummah attained that rank because they revived his Sunnah and championed him. The same applies to all the other groups within the Ummah—indeed, to every group among humankind: whatever good they possess comes from what the messengers brought from Allah, while whatever error or sin they possess does not come from the messengers.

For this reason, when the Companions addressed a matter on the basis of their own independent reasoning, one of them would say:

“I state my own opinion concerning it. If it is correct, it is from Allah; but if it is mistaken, it is from me and Satan. Allah and His Messenger are entirely free of it.”

Thus spoke Abū Bakr, may Allah be pleased with him, concerning kalāla (collateral inheritance), and Ibn Masʿūd concerning a woman whose marriage contract specified no dower when her husband died. Both of them (3) proved correct in the opinions they expressed; nevertheless, they spoke the truth, for if a statement is

(1) A, B, H, R, and Y read: “and that every.” (2) H and B read: “which it alone adopted.” (3) W reads: “and each of them.”

[الحق دائما مع السنة والآثار الصحيحة] وَبِالْجُمْلَةِ فَمَا اخْتَصَّ بِهِ كُلُّ إِمَامٍ مِنَ الْمَحَاسِنِ وَالْفَضَائِلِ كَثِيرٌ لَيْسَ هَذَا مَوْضِعَ اسْتِقْصَائِهِ ; فَإِنَّ الْمَقْصُودَ أَنَّ الْحَقَّ دَائِمًا مَعَ سُنَّةِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - وَآثَارِهِ الصَّحِيحَةِ، وَإِنْ كَانَ كُلُّ (١) طَائِفَةٍ تُضَافُ إِلَى غَيْرِهِ إِذَا انْفَرَدَتْ بِقَوْلٍ عَنْ سَائِرِ الْأُمَّةِ، لَمْ يَكُنِ الْقَوْلُ الَّذِي انْفَرَدُوا بِهِ (٢) إِلَّا خَطَأً، بِخِلَافِ الْمُضَافَيْنِ إِلَيْهِ أَهْلُ السُّنَّةِ وَالْحَدِيثِ ; فَإِنَّ الصَّوَابَ مَعَهُمْ دَائِمًا، وَمَنْ وَافَقَهُمْ كَانَ الصَّوَابُ مَعَهُ دَائِمًا لِمُوَافَقَتِهِ إِيَّاهُمْ، وَمَنْ خَالَفَهُمْ فَإِنَّ الصَّوَابَ مَعَهُمْ دُونَهُ فِي جَمِيعِ أُمُورِ الدِّينِ ; فَإِنَّ الْحَقَّ مَعَ الرَّسُولِ، فَمَنْ كَانَ أَعْلَمَ بِسَنَتِهِ وَأَتْبَعَ لَهَا كَانَ الصَّوَابُ مَعَهُ. وَهَؤُلَاءِ هُمُ الَّذِينَ لَا يَنْتَصِرُونَ إِلَّا لِقَوْلِهِ، وَلَا يُضَافُونَ إِلَّا إِلَيْهِ، وَهُمْ أَعْلَمُ النَّاسِ بِسُنَّتِهِ وَأَتْبَعُ لَهَا. وَأَكْثَرُ سَلَفِ الْأُمَّةِ كَذَلِكَ، لَكِنَّ التَّفَرُّقَ وَالِاخْتِلَافَ كَثِيرٌ فِي الْمُتَأَخِّرِينَ. وَالَّذِينَ رَفَعَ اللَّهُ قَدْرَهُمْ فِي الْأُمَّةِ هُوَ بِمَا أَحْيَوْهُ مِنْ سُنَّتِهِ وَنُصْرَتِهِ. وَهَكَذَا سَائِرُ طَوَائِفِ الْأُمَّةِ،، بَلْ سَائِرُ طَوَائِفِ الْخَلْقِ، كُلٌّ حُيِّرَ مَعَهُمْ فِيمَا جَاءَتْ بِهِ الرُّسُلُ عَنِ اللَّهِ، وَمَا كَانَ مَعَهُمْ مِنْ خَطَأٍ أَوْ ذَنْبٍ فَلَيْسَ مِنْ جِهَةِ الرُّسُلِ. وَلِهَذَا كَانَ الصَّحَابَةُ إِذَا تَكَلَّمُوا فِي مَسْأَلَةٍ بِاجْتِهَادِهِمْ، قَالَ أَحَدُهُمْ: أَقُولُ فِيهَا بِرَأْيِي ; فَإِنْ يَكُنْ صَوَابًا فَمِنَ اللَّهِ، وَإِنْ يَكُنْ خَطَأٌ فَمِنِّي وَمِنَ الشَّيْطَانِ، وَاللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ بَرِيئَانِ مِنْهُ. كَمَا قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فِي الْكَلَالَةِ، وَكَمَا قَالَ ابْنُ مَسْعُودٍ فِي الْمُفَوَّضَةِ إِذَا مَاتَ عَنْهَا زَوْجُهَا، وَكِلَاهُمَا (٣) أَصَابَ فِيمَا قَالَهُ بِرَأْيِهِ، لَكِنْ قَالَ الْحَقَّ ; فَإِنَّ الْقَوْلَ إِذَا كَانَ

(١) أ، ب، ح، ر، ي: وَأَنَّ كُلَّ. (٢) ح، ب: الَّذِي انْفَرَدَتْ بِهِ. (٣) و: وَكُلٌّ مِنْهُمَا.