Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (5/472)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

the sun, arriving to find Saīd ibn Zayd ibn Amr ibn Nufayl seated beside a corner of the pulpit. I sat beside him, with my knee touching his. It was not long before Umar ibn al-Khattāb (1) emerged. When I saw him approaching, I said to Saīd ibn Zayd [ibn Amr ibn Nufayl] (2), “This afternoon, he will surely deliver an address unlike any he has given since becoming caliph.” He objected to what I had said and replied, “What could he possibly say that he has not said before?”

Umar sat upon the pulpit. When the callers to prayer fell silent (3), he stood, praised Allah as befitted Him, and then said:

“To proceed: I am about to deliver an address that I have been destined to give. I do not know, but perhaps I am delivering it shortly before my death. Whoever understands and retains it should relate it wherever his mount may carry him. As for anyone who fears that he may not understand it, I do not permit him to lie about me.

“Allah sent Muhammad—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—with the truth and revealed the Book to him. Among what (4) was revealed to him was the verse (5) concerning stoning. We recited it, understood it, and retained it. The Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—carried out stoning, and we carried it out after him.

“I fear that, as time passes, someone will say, ‘[By Allah] (6), we do not find the verse concerning stoning in the Book of Allah,’ and people will thus go astray by abandoning an obligation revealed by Allah. Stoning is prescribed in the Book of Allah for any man or woman who engages in unlawful sexual intercourse [if that person has previously been married] (7), provided that proof is established, or there is pregnancy or confession. Then, among what we used to recite from the Book of

(1) (H) and (B) read: “Umar ibn al-Khattāb, may Allah be pleased with him.” (2) The words *ibn Amr ibn Nufayl* appear only in (R), (Y), and al-Bukhārī. (3) (H), (M), and (B) read: *al-muʾadhdhin* (“the caller to prayer”). (4) Al-Bukhārī reads: *mimmā* (“among what”); another reading in al-Bukhārī has *fīmā* (“among that which”). (5) Al-Bukhārī reads: *anzala Allāhu āyata* (“Allah revealed a verse”). (6) The words *wa-Allāhi* (“by Allah”) appear only in (B) and al-Bukhārī. (7) The words *idhā uhsina* (“if married”) appear only in (B) and al-Bukhārī.

الشَّمْسُ، حَتَّى أَجِدَ سَعِيدَ بْنَ زَيْدِ بْنِ عَمْرِو بْنِ نُفَيْلٍ جَالِسًا إِلَى رُكْنِ الْمِنْبَرِ، فَجَلَسْتُ حَوْلَهُ تَمَسُّ رُكْبَتِي رُكْبَتَهُ، فَلَمْ أَنْشِبْ أَنْ خَرَجَ عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ (١) ، فَلَمَّا رَأَيْتُهُ مُقْبِلًا قُلْتُ: لِسَعِيدِ بْنِ زَيْدِ [بْنِ عَمْرِو بْنِ نُفَيْلٍ] (٢) : لَيَقُولَنَّ الْعَشِيَّةَ مَقَالَةً لَمْ يَقُلْهَا مُنْذُ اسْتُخْلِفَ. فَأَنْكَرَ عَلَيَّ، وَقَالَ: مَا عَسَيْتَ أَنْ يَقُولَ مَا لَمْ يَقُلْ قَبْلَهُ؟ فَجَلَسَ عُمَرُ عَلَى الْمِنْبَرِ، فَلَمَّا سَكَتَ الْمُؤَذِّنُونَ (٣) قَامَ فَأَثْنَى عَلَى اللَّهِ بِمَا هُوَ أَهْلُهُ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: أَمَّا بَعْدُ فَإِنِّي قَائِلٌ لَكُمْ مَقَالَةً قَدْ قُدِّرَ لِي أَنْ أَقُولَهَا، لَا أَدْرِي لَعَلَّهَا بَيْنَ يَدَيْ أَجَلِي، فَمَنْ عَقَلَهَا وَوَعَاهَا فَلْيُحَدِّثْ بِهَا حَيْثُ انْتَهَتْ بِهِ رَاحِلَتُهُ، وَمَنْ خَشِيَ أَنْ لَا يَعْقِلَهَا فَلَا أُحِلُّ لِأَحَدٍ أَنْ يَكْذِبَ عَلَيَّ: إِنَّ اللَّهَ بَعَثَ مُحَمَّدًا - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - بِالْحَقِّ، وَأَنْزَلَ عَلَيْهِ الْكِتَابَ، فَكَانَ فِيمَا (٤) أُنْزِلَ عَلَيْهِ آيَةُ (٥) الرَّجْمِ، فَقَرَأْنَاهَا وَعَقَلْنَاهَا وَوَعَيْنَاهَا، رَجَمَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - وَرَجَمْنَا بَعْدَهُ، فَأَخْشَى إِنْ طَالَ بِالنَّاسِ زَمَانٌ أَنْ يَقُولَ قَائِلٌ: [وَاللَّهِ] (٦) مَا نَجِدُ آيَةَ الرَّجْمِ فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ، فَيَضِلُّوا بِتَرْكِ فَرِيضَةٍ أَنْزَلَهَا اللَّهُ، وَالرَّجْمُ فِي كِتَابِ اللَّهِ حَقٌّ عَلَى مَنْ زَنَى [إِذَا أُحْصِنَ] (٧) مِنَ الرِّجَالِ وَالنِّسَاءِ إِذَا قَامَتِ الْبَيِّنَةُ، أَوْ كَانَ الْحَبَلُ أَوِ الِاعْتِرَافُ، ثُمَّ إِنَّا كُنَّا نَقْرَأُ فِيمَا نَقْرَأُ مِنْ كِتَابِ

(١) ح، ب: عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ. (٢) بْنِ عَمْرِو بْنِ نُفَيْلٍ فِي (ر) ، (ي) الْبُخَارِيِّ فَقَطْ. (٣) ح، م، ب: الْمُؤَذِّنُ. (٤) الْبُخَارِيِّ مِمَّا (وَفِي قِرَاءَةٍ فِيهِ: فِيمَا) . (٥) الْبُخَارِيِّ: أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ آيَةَ. (٦) وَاللَّهِ: فِي الْبُخَارِيِّ (ب) فَقَطْ. (٧) إِذَا أُحْصِنَ، فِي (ب) وَالْبُخَارِيِّ فَقَطْ.