Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (5/235)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

and His saying:

“Turn in repentance to your Creator and kill yourselves.”

[Surah al-Baqarah: 54]

Allah Most High also said:

“Woe to every backbiter and slanderer,”

to the end of the verse.

[Surah al-Humazah: 1]

The word hamz means finding fault (1) and attacking with severity and violence. From this usage comes the expression for striking the ground with one’s heel, as well as the term hamzah, a sharp sound issuing from the chest.

As for seeking forgiveness for the believers generally, Allah Most High said:

“Seek forgiveness for your sin and for the believing men and women.”

[Surah Muhammad: 19]

Allah has commanded that the funeral prayer be offered for those who die. The Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—used to seek forgiveness for the hypocrites until he was prohibited from doing so (2). It is therefore permissible to seek forgiveness and offer the funeral prayer for every Muslim who is not known to be a hypocrite, even if he is guilty of religious innovation or wickedness. It is not, however, obligatory for every individual to pray over him.

If withholding the funeral prayer from one who calls others to religious innovation or openly engages in immorality serves the beneficial purpose of deterring people, then it is prescribed that anyone whose abstention would (3) contribute to that deterrence should not pray over him. This is like what the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said regarding one who killed himself:

(1) Manuscript bā alone has: *li-ayb* (“because of a fault”). (2) In al-Bukhārī, 2/96–97, Book of Funerals, chapter “What Is Disliked Regarding Offering the Funeral Prayer over Hypocrites,” Ibn Abbās narrates from Umar ibn al-Khattāb—may Allah be pleased with them both—that when Abd Allah ibn Ubayy ibn Salūl died, the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—came to offer the funeral prayer over him. Umar implored him not to do so, but he said, “Stand back from me, Umar.” When Umar persisted, he said, “I have been given a choice, and I have chosen. If I knew that asking forgiveness more than seventy times would cause him to be forgiven, I would do so.” The Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—then offered the funeral prayer over him and departed. Soon afterward, the two verses from Barāʾah were revealed, beginning, “Never offer the funeral prayer over any of them who dies,” and ending, “while they are defiantly disobedient” [Surah al-Tawbah: 84]. The hadith is also found in the collections of al-Tirmidhī, al-Nasāʾī, and Ahmad. See al-Albānī’s discussion in *Silsilat al-Ahādīth al-Sahīhah*, 3/123–124. (3) The word *kāna* (“was”) is an addition in manuscripts hā and bā.

وَقَوْلِهِ: {فَتُوبُوا إِلَى بَارِئِكُمْ فَاقْتُلُوا أَنْفُسَكُمْ} [سُورَةُ الْبَقَرَةِ: ٥٤] وَقَدْ قَالَ تَعَالَى: {وَيْلٌ لِكُلِّ هُمَزَةٍ لُمَزَةٍ} الْآيَةَ [سُورَةُ الْهُمَزَةِ: ١] وَالْهَمْزُ: الْعَيْبُ (١) وَالطَّعْنُ بِشِدَّةٍ وَعُنْفٍ، وَمِنْهُ هَمَزَ الْأَرْضَ بِعَقِبِهِ، وَمِنْهُ الْهَمْزَةُ وَهِيَ نَبْرَةٌ مِنَ الصَّدْرِ. وَأَمَّا الِاسْتِغْفَارُ لِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ عُمُومًا فَقَدْ قَالَ تَعَالَى: {وَاسْتَغْفِرْ لِذَنْبِكَ وَلِلْمُؤْمِنِينَ وَالْمُؤْمِنَاتِ} [سُورَةُ مُحَمَّدٍ: ١٩] . وَقَدْ أَمَرَ اللَّهُ بِالصَّلَاةِ عَلَى مَنْ يَمُوتُ. وَكَانَ النَّبِيُّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - يَسْتَغْفِرُ لِلْمُنَافِقِينَ حَتَّى نُهِيَ عَنْ ذَلِكَ (٢) . فَكُلُّ مُسْلِمٍ لَمْ يُعْلَمْ أَنَّهُ مُنَافِقٌ جَازَ الِاسْتِغْفَارُ لَهُ وَالصَّلَاةُ عَلَيْهِ، وَإِنْ كَانَ فِيهِ بِدَعَةٌ أَوْ فِسْقٌ، لَكِنْ لَا يَجِبُ عَلَى كُلِّ أَحَدٍ أَنْ يُصَلِّي عَلَيْهِ. وَإِذَا كَانَ فِي تَرْكِ الصَّلَاةِ عَلَى الدَّاعِي إِلَى الْبِدْعَةِ وَالْمُظْهِرِ لِلْفُجُورِ مَصْلَحَةٌ مِنْ جِهَةِ انْزِجَارِ النَّاسِ، فَالْكَفُّ عَنِ الصَّلَاةِ كَانَ مَشْرُوعًا لِمَنْ كَانَ (٣) يُؤْثِرُ تَرْكَ صَلَاتِهِ فِي الزَّجْرِ بِأَنْ لَا يُصَلَّى عَلَيْهِ. كَمَا قَالَ النَّبِيُّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - فِيمَنْ قَتَلَ نَفْسَهُ:

(١) ب فَقَطْ: لِعَيْبٍ. (٢) فِي الْبُخَارِيِّ ٢/٩٦ - ٩٧ كِتَابُ الْجَنَائِزِ بَابُ مَا يُكْرِهُ مِنَ الصَّلَاةِ عَلَى الْمُنَافِقِينَ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ عَنْ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ أَنَّهُ لَمَّا مَاتَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ أُبَيٍّ ابْنُ سَلُولَ جَاءَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لِيُصَلِّيَ عَلَيْهِ رَجَاهُ عُمَرُ أَلَّا يَفْعَلَ فَقَالَ لَهُ: أَخِّرْ عَنِّي يَا عُمَرُ. فَلَمَّا أَكْثَرَ عَلَيْهِ قَالَ: (إِنِّي خُيِّرْتُ فَاخْتَرْتُ لَوْ أَعْلَمُ أَنِّي زِدْتُ عَلَى السَبْعِينَ فَغُفِرَ لَهُ لَزِدْتُ عَلَيْهَا.) قَالَ: فَصَلَّى عَلَيْهِ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، ثُمَّ انْصَرَفَ، فَلَمْ يَمْكُثْ إِلَّا يَسِيرًا حَتَّى نَزَلَتِ الْآيَتَانِ مِنْ بَرَاءَةَ: (وَلَا تُصَلِّ عَلَى أَحَدٍ مِنْهُمْ مَاتَ أَبَدًا) إِلَى (وَهُمْ فَاسِقُونَ) [سُورَةُ التَّوْبَةِ: ٨٤] الْحَدِيثُ وَهُوَ فِي سُنَنِ التِّرْمِذِيِّ النَّسَائِيِّ وَأَحَمْدَ وَانْظُرْ كَلَامَ الْأَلْبَانِيِّ عَلَيْهِ فِي سِلْسِلَةِ الْأَحَادِيثِ الصَّحِيحَةِ ٣/١٢٣ - ١٢٤ (٣) كَانَ: زِيَادَةٌ فِي (ح) ، (ب) .