Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (5/470)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

was the one clearly designated for this office.

As Umar said:

“There is no one among you to whom people would travel from afar as they did to Abu Bakr.”

Abu Bakr’s superiority over all others, and the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—giving him precedence over all the other Companions, were manifest and well known. Thus, the texts indicating that he was the designated choice made consultation, waiting, and deliberation unnecessary. This was not so with anyone else, for allegiance could not lawfully be pledged to him until after consultation, waiting, and deliberation. Whoever pledged allegiance to anyone other than Abu Bakr without waiting and mutual consultation had no right to do so.

This is expressly explained in this hadith of Umar, in his famous sermon recorded in the Sahih, which he delivered upon returning from Hajj near the end of his life. This sermon is well known among scholars. Al-Bukhari narrated it in his Sahih (1) from Ibn Abbas, who said (2): “I used to teach the Quran to men among the Emigrants, including Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf. While (3) I was at his house (4) in Mina, and he was with Umar ibn al-Khattab during the last Hajj Umar performed, Abd al-Rahman ibn Awf (5) returned to me,

(1) (N) and (M) read: “in the Sahīh.” (2) This hadith was mentioned previously at 3/386 (t. 6). The hadith of Ibn Abbās—may Allah be pleased with him and his father—is found in al-Bukhārī, 8/168–170 (“The Book of Those Who Wage War from among the Disbelievers and Apostates,” chapter: “Stoning a Pregnant Woman for Adultery if She Commits Adultery”). I shall collate the text that follows against it, Allah willing. Portions of this hadith also appear in various places in al-Bukhārī. See the Dār al-Qalam edition, edited by Dr Mustafa al-Bughā, Damascus and Beirut, 1401/1981, hadith nos. 2330, 3261, 3713, 3796, 6441, and 6892. (3) (N), (M), (R), and (Y) read: “fabaynā” (“while”); (H) reads: “faynanā,” which is a textual corruption. (4) (H) reads: “at my house,” which is an error. (5) The words “ibn Awf” do not appear in al-Bukhārī.

كَانَ مُتَعَيِّنًا لِهَذَا الْأَمْرِ. كَمَا قَالَ عُمَرُ: " لَيْسَ فِيكُمْ مَنْ تُقْطَعُ إِلَيْهِ الْأَعْنَاقُ مِثْلُ أَبِي بَكْرٍ " . وَكَانَ ظُهُورُ فَضِيلَةِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ عَلَى مَنْ سِوَاهُ، وَتَقْدِيمُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - لَهُ عَلَى سَائِرِ الصَّحَابَةِ أَمْرًا ظَاهِرًا مَعْلُومًا. فَكَانَتْ دَلَالَةُ النُّصُوصِ عَلَى تَعْيِينِهِ تُغْنِي عَنْ مُشَاوَرَةٍ وَانْتِظَارٍ وَتَرَيُّثٍ، بِخِلَافِ غَيْرِهِ فَإِنَّهُ لَا تَجُوزُ مُبَايَعَتُهُ إِلَّا بَعْدَ الْمُشَاوَرَةِ وَالِانْتِظَارِ وَالتَّرَيُّثِ، فَمَنْ بَايَعَ غَيْرَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ عَنْ غَيْرِ انْتِظَارٍ وَتَشَاوُرٍ لَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُ ذَلِكَ. وَهَذَا قَدْ جَاءَ مُفَسَّرًا فِي حَدِيثِ عُمَرَ هَذَا فِي خُطْبَتِهِ الْمَشْهُورَةِ الثَّابِتَةِ فِي الصَّحِيحِ، الَّتِي خَطَبَ بِهَا مَرْجِعَهُ مِنَ الْحَجِّ فِي آخِرِ عُمُرِهِ. وَهَذِهِ الْخُطْبَةُ مَعْرُوفَةٌ عِنْدَ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ، وَقَدْ رَوَاهَا الْبُخَارِيُّ فِي صَحِيحِهِ (١) عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، قَالَ (٢) : " كُنْتُ أُقْرِئُ رِجَالًا مِنَ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ مِنْهُمْ: عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنُ عَوْفٍ، فَبَيْنَمَا (٣) أَنَا فِي مَنْزِلِهِ (٤) بِمِنًى، وَهُوَ عِنْدُ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ فِي آخِرِ حَجَّةٍ حَجَّهَا، إِذْ رَجَعَ إِلَى عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ بْنِ عَوْفٍ (٥) ،

(١) ن، م: فِي الصَّحِيحِ. (٢) سَبَقَ الْإِشَارَةُ إِلَى هَذَا الْحَدِيثِ ٣/٣٨٦ (ت ٦) وَالْحَدِيثُ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا فِي الْبُخَارِيِّ ٨/١٦٨ - ١٧٠ (كِتَابُ الْمُحَارِبِينَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكُفْرِ وَالرِّدَّةِ، بَابُ رَجْمِ الْحُبْلَى مِنَ الزِّنَا إِذَا زَنَتْ) ، وَسَأُقَابِلُ النَّصَّ التَّالِيَ عَلَيْهِ إِنْ شَاءَ اللَّهُ، وَجَاءَتْ قِطَعٌ مِنْ هَذَا الْحَدِيثِ فِي مَوَاضِعَ مُخْتَلِفَةٍ فِي الْبُخَارِيِّ (انْظُرْ ط. دَارِ الْقَلَمِ تَحْقِيقُ د. مُصْطَفَى الْبَغَا دِمَشْقَ وَبَيْرُوتَ ١٤٠١/١٩٨١) ، الْأَرْقَامُ ٢٣٣٠، ٣٢٦١، ٣٧١٣، ٣٧٩٦، ٦٤٤١، ٦٨٩٢ (٣) ن، م، ر، ي: فَبَيْنَا، ح: فَيْنَنَا، وَهُوَ تَحْرِيفٌ. (٤) ح، فِي مَنْزِلِي، وَهُوَ خَطَأٌ. (٥) بْنِ عَوْفٍ: لَيْسَتْ فِي " الْبُخَارِيِّ ".