Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (5/256)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

in Allah, to give for Allah’s sake, and to withhold for Allah’s sake. This can only be achieved by following the Messenger of Allah, whose command is Allah’s command, whose prohibition is Allah’s prohibition, enmity toward whom is enmity toward Allah, obedience to whom is obedience to Allah, and disobedience to whom is disobedience to Allah.

A person ruled by personal desire is blinded and deafened by it. He neither keeps in mind nor seeks what Allah and His Messenger require in the matter. He is not pleased because Allah and His Messenger are pleased, nor is he angered because Allah and His Messenger are angered. Rather, he is pleased when something accords with his personal desire and angered when something offends it.

At the same time, he entertains a religious misconception: he believes that the cause for which he is pleased and angered is the Sunnah(1), the truth, and the religion. Even assuming that what he upholds is the unalloyed truth—the religion of Islam—if his aim is not that religion should be entirely for Allah and that Allah’s word should be supreme, but rather to defend himself and his faction, or to show off so that he himself will be exalted and praised, or if he acts merely out of courage and natural temperament or for some worldly end, then his action is not for Allah, and he is not striving in the cause of Allah. What, then, if the one claiming to uphold the truth and the Sunnah is no different from his counterpart: he has both truth and falsehood, Sunnah and innovation, while his opponent likewise has both truth and falsehood, Sunnah and innovation?

This is the condition of those who differ, divide their religion, and become sects, some declaring others disbelievers and some declaring others wicked. Allah Most High therefore said concerning them:

“Those who were given the Scripture did not become divided until after the clear proof had come to them. They were commanded only to worship Allah, devoting religion sincerely to Him as people of pure faith, to establish prayer, and to give the prescribed alms. That is the upright religion.”

[Surah al-Bayyinah: 4–5]

And Allah Most High said:

“Humanity was once one community.”

[Surah al-Baqarah: 213]

meaning:

(1) H, B, W, R, and A read: “He.”

لِلَّهِ، وَالْإِعْطَاءُ لِلَّهِ، وَالْمَنْعُ لِلَّهِ. وَهَذَا إِنَّمَا يَكُونُ بِمُتَابَعَةِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ، الَّذِي أَمْرُهُ أَمْرُ اللَّهِ، وَنَهْيُهُ نَهْيُ اللَّهِ، وَمُعَادَاتُهُ مُعَادَاةُ اللَّهِ، وَطَاعَتُهُ طَاعَةُ اللَّهِ، وَمَعْصِيَتُهُ مَعْصِيَةُ اللَّهِ. وَصَاحِبُ الْهَوَى يُعْمِيهِ الْهَوَى وَيُصِمُّهُ، فَلَا يَسْتَحْضِرُ مَا لِلَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ فِي ذَلِكَ، وَلَا يَطْلُبُهُ، وَلَا يَرْضَى لِرِضَا اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ، وَلَا يَغْضَبُ لِغَضَبِ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ، بَلْ يَرْضَى إِذَا حَصَلَ مَا يَرْضَاهُ بِهَوَاهُ، وَيَغْضَبُ إِذَا حَصَلَ مَا يَغْضَبُ لَهُ بِهَوَاهُ، وَيَكُونُ مَعَ ذَلِكَ مَعَهُ شُبْهَةُ دِينٍ: أَنَّ الَّذِي يَرْضَى لَهُ وَيَغْضَبُ لَهُ أَنَّهُ (١) السُّنَّةُ، وَهُوَ الْحَقُّ، وَهُوَ الدِّينُ، فَإِذَا قُدِّرَ أَنَّ الَّذِي مَعَهُ هُوَ الْحَقُ الْمَحْضُ دِينُ الْإِسْلَامِ، وَلَمْ يَكُنْ قَصْدُهُ أَنْ يَكُونَ الدِّينُ كُلُّهُ لِلَّهِ، وَأَنْ تَكُونَ كَلِمَةُ اللَّهِ هِيَ الْعُلْيَا، بَلْ قَصَدَ الْحَمِيَّةَ لِنَفْسِهِ وَطَائِفَتِهِ أَوِ الرِّيَاءَ، لِيُعَظَّمَ هُوَ وَيُثْنَى عَلَيْهِ، أَوْ فَعَلَ ذَلِكَ شَجَاعَةً وَطَبْعًا، أَوْ لِغَرَضٍ مِنَ الدُّنْيَا لَمْ يَكُنْ لِلَّهِ، وَلَمْ يَكُنْ مُجَاهِدًا فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ. فَكَيْفَ إِذَا كَانَ الَّذِي يَدَّعِي الْحَقَّ وَالسُّنَّةَ هُوَ كَنَظِيرِهِ، مَعَهُ حَقٌّ وَبَاطِلٌ، وَسُنَّةٌ وَبِدْعَةٌ، وَمَعَ خَصْمِهِ حَقٌّ وَبَاطِلٌ، وَسُنَّةٌ وَبِدْعَةٌ؟ . وَهَذَا حَالُ الْمُخْتَلِفِينَ الَّذِينَ فَرَّقُوا دَيْنَهُمْ وَكَانُوا شِيَعًا، وَكَفَّرَ بَعْضُهُمْ بَعْضًا، وَفَسَّقَ بَعْضُهُمْ بَعْضًا. وَلِهَذَا قَالَ تَعَالَى فِيهِمْ: {وَمَا تَفَرَّقَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ إِلَّا مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا جَاءَتْهُمُ الْبَيِّنَةُ - وَمَا أُمِرُوا إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُوا اللَّهَ مُخْلِصِينَ لَهُ الدِّينَ حُنَفَاءَ وَيُقِيمُوا الصَّلَاةَ وَيُؤْتُوا الزَّكَاةَ وَذَلِكَ دِينُ الْقَيِّمَةِ} [سُورَةُ الْبَيِّنَةِ: ٤ - ٥] . وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: {كَانَ النَّاسُ أُمَّةً وَاحِدَةً} [سُورَةُ الْبَقَرَةِ: ٢١٣] ، يَعْنِي:

(١) ح، ب، و، ر، أ: هُوَ.