Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (5/237)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

or a hypocrite. If someone is known to be a hypocrite, it is not permissible to offer the funeral prayer for him or seek forgiveness for him. If this is not known of him (1), the funeral prayer is offered for him. If one person knows another to be a hypocrite, he does not offer the prayer for him, whereas someone unaware of his hypocrisy does offer (2) it.

ʿUmar—may Allah be pleased with him—would not offer the funeral prayer for anyone over whom Hudhayfah had declined to pray, because during the expedition to Tabūk, Hudhayfah had learned the identities of the hypocrites who had plotted to assassinate the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace.

Know that there is no contradiction between punishing a person in this world for his sin and offering the funeral prayer for him and seeking forgiveness on his behalf. The fornicator, the thief, the drinker of intoxicants, and other sinners are subjected to the prescribed penalties; nevertheless, good is done to them (3) by supplicating for their well-being in their religion and worldly lives. Indeed, the punishments prescribed by Islamic law were instituted only as a mercy from Allah to His servants. They thus proceed from Allah’s mercy (4) and His will to do good to them (5).

Therefore, whoever punishes people for their sins should intend thereby to do good to them and show them mercy, just as a father seeks to discipline his child and a physician seeks to treat a patient. The Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said:

“I am only like a father to you.” (6)

Allah Most High has said:

“The Prophet has a greater claim on the believers than they have on themselves, and his wives are their mothers.”

[Surah al-Ahzāb: 6]

(1) Manuscripts hā and bā read: “about him.” The word is omitted from manuscript wāw. (2) Manuscript bā alone reads: “and he offers the prayer.” (3) Manuscripts hā and bā read: “toward them.” (4) “From Allah’s mercy”: thus in manuscripts alif and bā. All other manuscripts read: “from mercy toward creation.” (5) Manuscripts hā, bā, rā, and alif read: “for them.” (6) The hadith narrated by Abū Hurayrah—may Allah be pleased with him—is recorded in *Sunan Abī Dāwud*, vol. 1, Book of Purification, chapter “The Dislike of Facing the Qiblah While Relieving Oneself.” Its wording is: “I am only like a father to you, teaching you. When one of you goes to relieve himself, he must neither face the qiblah nor turn his back to it, nor cleanse himself with his right hand.” The Prophet would instruct them to use three stones and forbid them from using dung or decayed bones. The hadith is also recorded in *Sunan al-Nasāʾī*, 1/36–37, Book of Purification, chapter “The Prohibition of Cleansing Oneself with Dung,” where it begins: “I am only like a father to you”; *Sunan Ibn Mājah*, 1/114, Book of Purification, chapter “Cleansing Oneself with Stones”; and *al-Musnad*, al-Maʿārif ed., 13/100, 139. Ahmad Shākir graded both hadiths authentic.

وَإِمَّا مُنَافِقٌ. فَمَنْ عُلِمَ نِفَاقُهُ لَمْ تَجُزِ الصَّلَاةُ عَلَيْهِ وَالِاسْتِغْفَارُ لَهُ. وَمَنْ لَمْ يُعْلَمْ ذَلِكَ مِنْهُ (١) صُلِّيَ عَلَيْهِ. وَإِذَا عَلِمَ شَخْصٌ نِفَاقَ شَخْصٍ لَمْ يُصَلِّ هُوَ عَلَيْهِ، وَصَلَّى (٢) عَلَيْهِ مَنْ لَمْ يَعْلَمْ نِفَاقَهُ. وَكَانَ عُمَرُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ لَا يُصَلِّي عَلَى مَنْ لَمْ يُصَلِّ عَلَيْهِ حُذَيْفَةُ، لِأَنَّهُ كَانَ فِي غَزْوَةِ تَبُوكَ قَدْ عَرَفَ الْمُنَافِقِينَ، الَّذِينَ عَزَمُوا عَلَى الْفَتْكِ بِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ. وَاعْلَمْ أَنَّهُ لَا مُنَافَاةَ بَيْنَ عُقُوبَةِ الْإِنْسَانِ فِي الدُّنْيَا عَلَى ذَنْبِهِ وَبَيْنَ الصَّلَاةِ عَلَيْهِ وَالِاسْتِغْفَارِ لَهُ ; فَإِنَّ الزَّانِيَ وَالسَّارِقَ وَالشَّارِبَ وَغَيْرَهُمْ مِنَ الْعُصَاةِ تُقَامُ عَلَيْهِمُ الْحُدُودُ، وَمَعَ هَذَا فَيُحْسَنُ إِلَيْهِمْ (٣) بِالدُّعَاءِ لَهُمْ فِي دِينِهِمْ وَدُنْيَاهُمْ ; فَإِنَّ الْعُقُوبَاتِ الشَّرْعِيَّةَ إِنَّمَا شُرِعَتْ رَحْمَةً مِنَ اللَّهِ بِعِبَادِهِ، فَهِيَ صَادِرَةٌ عَنْ رَحْمَةِ اللَّهِ (٤) وَإِرَادَةِ الْإِحْسَانِ إِلَيْهِمْ (٥) . وَلِهَذَا يَنْبَغِي لِمَنْ يُعَاقِبُ النَّاسَ عَلَى الذُّنُوبِ أَنْ يَقْصِدَ بِذَلِكَ الْإِحْسَانَ إِلَيْهِمْ وَالرَّحْمَةَ لَهُمْ، كَمَا يَقْصِدُ الْوَالِدُ تَأْدِيبَ وَلَدِهِ، وَكَمَا يَقْصِدُ الطَّبِيبُ مُعَالَجَةَ الْمَرِيضِ ; فَإِنَّ النَّبِيَّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - قَالَ: " «إِنَّمَا أَنَا لَكُمْ بِمَنْزِلَةِ الْوَالِدِ» " (٦) . . وَقَدْ قَالَ تَعَالَى: {النَّبِيُّ أَوْلَى بِالْمُؤْمِنِينَ مِنْ أَنْفُسِهِمْ وَأَزْوَاجُهُ أُمَّهَاتُهُمْ} [سُورَةُ الْأَحْزَابِ: ٦]

(١) ح، ب: عَنْهُ. وَسَقَطَتِ الْكَلِمَةُ مِنْ (و) . (٢) ب فَقَطْ: وَيُصَلِّي. (٣) ح، ب: عَلَيْهِمْ. (٤) عَنْ رَحْمَةِ اللَّهِ: كَذَا فِي (أ) ، (ب) ، وَفِي سَائِرِ النُّسَخِ: عَنْ رَحْمَةِ الْخَلْقِ. (٥) ح، ب، ر، أ: لَهُمْ. (٦) الْحَدِيثُ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ: فِي سُنَنِ أَبِي دَاوُدَ ١ كِتَابُ الطَّهَارَةِ بَابُ كَرَاهِيَةِ اسْتِقْبَالِ الْقِبْلَةِ عِنْدَ قَضَاءِ الْحَاجَةِ، وَنَصُّهُ: إِنَّمَا أَنَا لَكُمْ بِمَنْزِلَةِ الْوَالِدِ أُعَلِّمُكُمْ، فَإِذَا أَتَى أَحَدُكُمُ الْغَائِطَ فَلَا يَسْتَقْبِلِ الْقِبْلَةَ وَلَا يَسْتَدْبِرْهَا وَلَا يَسْتَطِبْ بِيَمِينِهِ، وَكَانَ يَأْمُرُ بِثَلَاثَةِ أَحْجَارٍ، وَيَنْهَى عَنِ الرَّوْثِ وَالرُّمَّةِ، وَالْحَدِيثُ فِي: سُنَنِ النَّسَائِيِّ، ١/٣٦ - ٣٧ كِتَابُ الطَّهَارَةِ، بَابُ النَّهْيِ عَنِ الِاسْتِطَابَةِ بِالرَّوْثِ، وَأَوَّلُهُ فِيهِ: إِنَّمَا أَنَا لَكُمْ مِثْلُ الْوَالِدِ، وَهُوَ أَيْضًا فِي سُنَنِ ابْنِ مَاجَهْ ١/١١٤ كِتَابُ الطَّهَارَةِ، بَابُ الِاسْتِنْجَاءِ بِالْحِجَارَةِ، الْمُسْنَدِ ط. الْمَعَارِفِ ١٣/١٠٠، ١٣٩ وَصَحَّحَ أَحْمَدُ شَاكِر الْحَدِيثَيْنِ