Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (5/481)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

In another transmission (1) of this address (2), it reads:

“To proceed: Allah chose for His Messenger what is with Him over what is with you. This is the Book which (3) Allah used to guide His Messenger (4); so hold fast to it and you will be guided, for Allah (5) guided His Messenger—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—through it (6).”

[The Rāfidī’s remarks concerning Abū Bakr—may Allah be pleased with him—on his deathbed, and the response to them]

(Chapter) (7)

The Rāfidī (8) said:

“Abū Bakr said as death approached: ‘If only I had asked the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—whether the Ansār had any right in this matter.’ This indicates that he doubted the legitimacy of his own caliphate and that it had not been rightfully established.”

The response is that this is a lie (9) against Abū Bakr—may Allah be pleased with him—and he has cited no chain of transmission for it. It is well known that anyone who adduces a transmitted report as evidence in any matter must provide a chain of transmission by which the proof is established. How, then, can anyone impugn the first and foremost believers merely on the basis of a report that has no chain of transmission?

It may further be said: This undermines what you claim (10), namely that ʿAlī was explicitly designated, for if he had

(1) (N) reads: “version.” (2) *Sahīh al-Bukhārī*, 9/91 (Book of Holding Fast to the Quran and Sunnah, at the beginning of the book). The hadith is narrated by Anas—may Allah be pleased with him—who heard Umar. (3) (H) and (B) read: “This is the Book of Allah which…” (4) Al-Bukhārī reads: “your Messenger.” (5) Al-Bukhārī reads: “and it was only through it that Allah guided His Messenger” (another reading has: “for Allah guided His Messenger through it”). (6) “May Allah bless him and grant him peace” is not in al-Bukhārī. (7) (Y) reads: “Chapter Seventeen”; the word “Chapter” is omitted from (H) and (R). (8) In (K), p. 133 (M). (9) (H) reads: “a liar.” (10) (N) and (M) read: “they claim it.”

وَفِي طَرِيقٍ (١) أُخْرَى لِهَذِهِ الْخُطْبَةِ (٢) : " أَمَّا بَعْدُ فَاخْتَارَ اللَّهُ لِرَسُولِهِ الَّذِي عِنْدَهُ عَلَى الَّذِي عِنْدَكُمْ، وَهَذَا الْكِتَابُ الَّذِي (٣) هَدَى اللَّهُ بِهِ رَسُولَهُ (٤) ، فَخُذُوا بِهِ تَهْتَدُوا، لِمَا هَدَى اللَّهُ (٥) بِهِ رَسُولَهُ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - (٦) " . [كلام الرافضي على أبي بكر رضي الله عنه عند الاحتضار والرد عليه] (فَصْلٌ) (٧) قَالَ الرَّافِضِيُّ (٨) : " وَقَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ عِنْدَ مَوْتِهِ: لَيْتَنِي كُنْتُ سَأَلْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - هَلْ لِلْأَنْصَارِ فِي هَذَا الْأَمْرِ حَقٌّ، وَهَذَا يَدُلُّ عَلَى أَنَّهُ فِي شَكٍّ مِنْ إِمَامَتِهِ وَلَمْ تَقَعْ صَوَابًا " . وَالْجَوَابُ: أَنَّ هَذَا كَذِبٌ (٩) عَلَى أَبِي بَكْرٍ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ -، وَهُوَ لَمْ يَذْكُرْ لَهُ إِسْنَادًا، وَمَعْلُومٌ أَنَّ مَنِ احْتَجَّ فِي أَيِّ مَسْأَلَةٍ كَانَتْ بِشَيْءٍ مِنَ النَّقْلِ، فَلَا بُدَّ أَنْ يَذْكُرَ إِسْنَادًا تَقُومُ بِهِ الْحُجَّةُ، فَكَيْفَ بِمَنْ يَطْعَنُ فِي السَّابِقِينَ الْأَوَّلِينَ بِمُجَرَّدِ حِكَايَةٍ لَا إِسْنَادَ لَهَا؟ ثُمَّ يُقَالُ: هَذَا يَقْدَحُ فِيمَا تَدَّعُونَهُ (١٠) مِنَ النَّصِّ عَلَى عَلِيٍّ، فَإِنَّهُ لَوْ كَانَ قَدْ

(١) ن: طَرِيقَةٍ. (٢) فِي: الْبُخَارِيِّ ٩/٩١ (كِتَابُ الِاعْتِصَامِ بِالْكِتَابِ وَالسُّنَّةِ، أَوَّلَ الْكِتَابِ) ، وَالْحَدِيثُ عَنْ أَنَسٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ أَنَّهُ سَمِعَ عُمَرَ. (٣) ح، ب: وَهَذَا كِتَابُ اللَّهِ الَّذِي. (٤) الْبُخَارِيِّ: رَسُولَكُمْ. (٥) الْبُخَارِيِّ: وَإِنَّمَا هَدَى اللَّهُ (وَفِي قِرَاءَةٍ أُخْرَى: لِمَا هَدَى اللَّهُ. .) . (٦) صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: لَيْسَتْ فِي الْبُخَارِيِّ. (٧) ي: الْفَصْلُ السَّابِعَ عَشَرَ، وَسَقَطَتْ كَلِمَةُ فَصْلٍ مِنْ (ح) ، (ر) . (٨) فِي (ك) ص ١٣٣ (م) . (٩) ح: كَذَّابٌ. (١٠) ن، م: يَدَّعُوهُ.