Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (6/28)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

If, however, by “correct” one means the person who knows Allah’s ruling as it actually is, then only one is correct, for in actuality there is only one truth.

This is like those who exercise independent judgment to determine the direction of prayer. If each person’s judgment leads him toward a particular direction, each of them is obedient to Allah and His Messenger, and he discharges the obligation by praying toward the direction he believes to be the Kaaba. Yet only one of them actually knows the direction of the Kaaba and prays toward it. Allah has favored that person with the knowledge and ability to recognize what is correct and act upon it, so his reward is greater. Similarly:

“The strong believer is better and more beloved to Allah than the weak believer, though there is good in both.”

Muslim narrated this in his Sahīh from the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him. (1)

Likewise, Ali—may Allah be pleased with him—ruled regarding a woman married without a specified dowry that her entitlement to a dowry lapses upon death, despite the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—having ruled concerning Barwa bint Wāshiq that she was entitled to the customary dowry of women of her standing. (2) Likewise, he sought to marry Abū Jahl’s daughter until the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—became angry, whereupon he abandoned the matter. (3) “And there is also what he said when [the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—] (4) urged him and Fātima to pray at night. He invoked divine decree as an argument when the Prophet asked, ‘Will you two not pray?’ (5), and he replied:

(1) This is part of a hadith narrated from Abū Hurayra—may Allah be pleased with him—recorded in Sahīh Muslim, 4/2052, Book of Divine Decree, chapter “The Command to Be Strong and to Abandon Incapacity”; Sunan Ibn Mājah, 1/31, Introduction, chapter “Divine Decree,” and 2/1395, Book of Asceticism, chapter “Reliance on Allah and Certainty”; and al-Musnad, al-Maʿārif ed., 16/321 and 17/20. (2) This and the hadith were discussed previously at 4/183. (3) This and the hadith were discussed previously at 4/250–251. (4) The text between square brackets is absent from (ن) and (م). (5) “Will you two not pray?”: thus in (ح) and (ب). All the other manuscripts read: “Will you all not pray?”

وَإِنْ عَنِيَ بِالْمُصِيبِ الْعَالِمَ بِحُكْمِ اللَّهِ فِي نَفْسِ الْأَمْرِ، فَالْمُصِيبُ لَيْسَ إِلَّا وَاحِدًا، فَإِنَّ الْحَقَّ فِي نَفْسِ الْأَمْرِ وَاحِدٌ. وَهَذَا كَالْمُجْتَهِدِينَ فِي الْقِبْلَةِ، إِذَا أَفْضَى اجْتِهَادُ كُلِّ وَاحِدٍ مِنْهُمْ إِلَى جِهَةٍ، فَكُلٌّ مِنْهُمْ مُطِيعٌ لِلَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ، وَالْفَرْضُ سَاقِطٌ عَنْهُ بِصَلَاتِهِ إِلَى الْجِهَةِ الَّتِي اعْتَقَدَ أَنَّهَا الْكَعْبَةُ، وَلَكِنَّ الْعَالِمَ بِالْكَعْبَةِ الْمُصَلِّيَ إِلَيْهَا فِي نَفْسِ الْأَمْرِ وَاحِدٌ، وَهَذَا قَدْ فَضَّلَهُ اللَّهُ بِالْعِلْمِ وَالْقُدْرَةِ عَلَى مَعْرِفَةِ الصَّوَابِ وَالْعَمَلِ بِهِ، فَأَجْرُهُ أَعْظَمُ، كَمَا أَنَّ " «الْمُؤْمِنُ الْقَوِيُّ خَيْرٌ وَأَحَبُّ إِلَى اللَّهِ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِ الضَّعِيفِ، وَفِي كُلٍّ خَيْرٌ» " رَوَاهُ مُسْلِمٌ فِي صَحِيحِهِ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - (١) وَكَذَلِكَ قَضَى عَلِيٌّ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ - فِي الْمُفَوَّضَةِ بِأَنَّ مَهْرَهَا يَسْقُطُ بِالْمَوْتِ، مَعَ قَضَاءِ النَّبِيِّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - فِي بِرَوْعِ بِنْتِ وَاشِقٍ بِأَنَّ لَهَا مَهْرَ نِسَائِهَا (٢) . وَكَذَلِكَ طَلَبُهُ نِكَاحَ بِنْتِ أَبِي جَهْلٍ حَتَّى غَضَبِ النَّبِيِّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - فَرَجَعَ عَنْ ذَلِكَ (٣) «وَقَوْلُهُ لَمَّا نَدَبَهُ وَفَاطِمَةَ [النَّبِيُّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ -] (٤) إِلَى الصَّلَاةِ بِاللَّيْلِ، فَاحْتَجَّ بِالْقَدَرِ لَمَّا قَالَ: " أَلَا تُصَلِّيَانِ؟ " (٥) فَقَالَ

(١) هَذَا جُزْءٌ مِنْ حَدِيثِ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فِي مُسْلِمٍ ٤/٢٠٥٢ كِتَابِ الْقَدَرِ، بَابِ فِي الْأَمْرِ بِالْقُوَّةِ وَتَرْكِ الْعَجْزِ، سُنَنِ ابْنِ مَاجَهْ ١/٣١ الْمُقَدِّمَةِ، بَابِ فِي الْقَدَرِ، ٢/١٣٩٥ كِتَابِ الزُّهْدِ، بَابِ التَّوَكُّلِ وَالْيَقِينِ، الْمُسْنَدَ ط. الْمَعَارِفِ ١٦/٣٢١، ١٧/٢٠. (٢) سَبَقَ الْكَلَامُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ وَعَلَى الْحَدِيثِ فِيمَا مَضَى ٤/١٨٣ (٣) سَبَقَ الْكَلَامُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ وَعَلَى الْحَدِيثِ فِيمَا مَضَى ٤/٢٥٠ - ٢٥١. (٤) مَا بَيْنَ الْمَعْقُوفَتَيْنِ سَاقِطٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) . (٥) أَلَا تُصَلِّيَانِ: كَذَا فِي (ح) ، (ب) . وَفِي سَائِرِ النُّسَخِ: أَلَا تُصَلُّونَ.