Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (5/507)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

Allah bless him and grant him peace—*) (1) He then sat upon the pulpit and uncovered (2) his abdomen. He said:

“Ask me [from] (3) before you lose me. Within these ribs of mine lies abundant knowledge. This is the casket (4) of knowledge; this is the saliva of the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—and this is what the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—fed me (5), feeding it to me directly from his mouth (6), without any revelation being sent to me (7). By Allah, if a cushion were folded (8) for me and I sat upon it, I would give rulings to the people (9) of the Torah according to their Torah and to the people (10) of the Gospel according to their Gospel, until Allah caused the Torah and the Gospel to speak and they said (11): ‘Ali has spoken the truth. He has given you rulings according to what Allah revealed in me, while you recite the Scripture. Will you not then reason?’”’”

The response is:

As for Ali’s words, “Ask me,” he was addressing the people of Kufa in this way (12) only so that he might teach them knowledge and religion, for most of them were ignorant and had never met the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace. As for Abū Bakr, those (13) around his pulpit were the leading

(1) The passage between the two asterisks is omitted from (H) and (R). (2) (H), (R), and (B): “then he uncovered.” (3) The word “from” is omitted from (N) and (M). (4) (N) and (M): “pressure”; this is a corruption. (5) (H), (B), and (M): “provided for me,” which is a corruption. In (K): *zaffanī bihi*. (6) (H), (B), and (M): “a provision.” (7) (H), (B), (N), (M), and (Y): “without any revelation being sent to me.” (8) “If [a cushion] were folded” is written thus in (M) and (K). In (H), (R), (N), and (Y), it reads: “were built”; in (B): *buyyitat*. (9) (K): “to the people of.” (10) (K): “and to the people of.” (11) (K): “then it says.” An unclear phrase is written between the lines, apparently reading: “That is, every page of the Torah and the Gospel.” (12) (R), (H), and (Y): “by it.” (13) (H) and (M): “the one who.”

اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - *) (١) فَقَعَدَ عَلَى الْمِنْبَرِ، وَكَشَفَ (٢) . عَنْ بَطْنِهِ، فَقَالَ: سَلُونِي [مِنْ] (٣) . قَبْلَ أَنْ تَفْقِدُونِي، فَإِنَّمَا بَيْنَ الْجَوَانِحِ مِنِّي عِلْمٌ جَمٌّ، هَذَا سَفَطُ (٤) . الْعِلْمِ، هَذَا لُعَابُ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ -، هَذَا مَا زَقَّنِي (٥) رَسُولُ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - زِقًّا (٦) مِنْ غَيْرِ وَحْيٍ إِلَيَّ (٧) ، فَوَاللَّهِ، لَوْ ثُنِيَتْ (٨) . لِي وِسَادَةٌ فَجَلَسْتُ عَلَيْهَا لَأَفْتَيْتُ أَهْلَ (٩) . التَّوْرَاةِ بِتَوْرَاتِهِمْ، وَأَهْلَ (١٠) . الْإِنْجِيلِ بِإِنْجِيلِهِمْ، حَتَّى يُنْطِقَ اللَّهُ التَّوْرَاةَ وَالْإِنْجِيلَ فَتَقُولُ (١١) : صَدَقَ عَلِيٌّ، قَدْ أَفْتَاكُمْ بِمَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ فِيَّ، {وَأَنْتُمْ تَتْلُونَ الْكِتَابَ أَفَلَا تَعْقِلُونَ} ". وَالْجَوَابُ: أَمَّا قَوْلُ عَلِيٍّ " سَلُونِي " فَإِنَّمَا كَانَ يُخَاطِبُ بِهَذَا (١٢) . أَهْلَ الْكُوفَةِ لِيُعَلِّمَهُمُ الْعِلْمَ وَالدِّينَ ; فَإِنَّ غَالِبَهُمْ كَانُوا جُهَّالًا لَمْ يُدْرِكُوا النَّبِيَّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ -. وَأَمَّا أَبُو بَكْرٍ فَكَانَ الَّذِينَ (١٣) حَوْلَ مِنْبَرِهِ هُمْ أَكَابِرُ

(١) مَا بَيْنَ النَّجْمَتَيْنِ سَاقِطٌ مِنْ (ح) ، (ر) . (٢) ح، ر، ب: فَكَشَفَ (٣) مِنْ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) (٤) ن، م: ضَغَطُ، وَهُوَ تَحْرِيفٌ (٥) ح، ب، م: رَزَقَنِي، وَهُوَ تَحْرِيفٌ، وَفِي (ك) : زَفَّنِي بِهِ. (٦) ح، ب، م: رِزْقًا. (٧) ح، ب، ن، م، ي: مِنْ غَيْرِ وَحْيٍ أُوحِيَ إِلَيَّ. (٨) لَوْ ثُنِيَتْ كَذَا فِي (م) ، (ك) ، وَفِي (ح) ، (ر) (ن) ، (ي) بُنِيَتْ وَفِي (ب) بُيِّتَتْ (٩) ك: لِأَهْلِ (١٠) ك: وَلِأَهْلِ (١١) ك: فَيَقُولُ، وَكُتِبَ بَيْنَ السُّطُورِ عِبَارَةٌ غَيْرُ وَاضِحَةٍ كَأَنَّهَا: " أَيْ كُلُّ وَرَقَةٍ مِنَ التَّوْرَاةِ وَالْإِنْجِيلِ ". (١٢) ر، ح، ي: بِهَا (١٣) ح، م: الَّذِي