Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (6/141)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

“Indeed, We have sent down to you the Book in truth so that you may judge between people according to what Allah has shown you. And do not be an advocate for the treacherous.”

[Surat al-Nisā: 105] and the verses that follow (1).

As for Ali (2)—may Allah be pleased with him—the occurrence, in particular cases, of matters becoming apparent to him (3) contrary to what he had thought was [very] frequent (4). It is thus known that ijtihad concerning particular cases is indispensable, whether undertaken by the infallible or the non-infallible (5).

It is recorded in the Sahih (6) that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said:

“You bring your disputes before me, and perhaps some of you are more eloquent in presenting their case than others. I judge only according to what I hear. Thus, if I award anyone any part of his brother’s right, let him not take it, for I am merely allotting him a piece of the Fire.” (7)

His ruling in a particular case is therefore based on his ijtihad. For this reason, he forbade the person in whose favor judgment was given from taking what had been awarded to him if the hidden reality differed from what appeared [to the judge] (8).

Umar—may Allah be pleased with him—was an imam, and it was incumbent upon him to appoint as his successor the person best suited to the Muslims. He exercised ijtihad concerning this and concluded that these six were more entitled than anyone else—and the matter was indeed as he judged, for no one ever maintained that anyone outside their number was more entitled than they were. [He placed the selection in their hands for fear that

(1) See *Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr*, 2:358–360. (2) (N) and (M) read: “As for Umar.” (3) “To him” is omitted from (H) and (B). (4) “Very” is omitted from (H) and (B). (5) (N) and (M) read: “and others.” (6) (R) reads: “and in the two Sahih collections.” (7) See my discussion of this hadith below in this volume, p. 412. (8) “To the judge” is added in (R) and (Y).

{إِنَّا أَنْزَلْنَا إِلَيْكَ الْكِتَابَ بِالْحَقِّ لِتَحْكُمَ بَيْنَ النَّاسِ بِمَا أَرَاكَ اللَّهُ وَلَا تَكُنْ لِلْخَائِنِينَ خَصِيمًا} [سُورَةُ النِّسَاءِ: ١٠٥] الْآيَاتِ (١) . وَأَمَّا عَلِيٌّ (٢) - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ - فَظُهُورُ الْأَمْرِ لَهُ (٣) فِي الْجُزْئِيَّاتِ بِخِلَافِ مَا ظَنَّهُ كَثِيرٌ [جِدًّا] (٤) ، فَعُلِمَ أَنَّهُ لَا بُدَّ مِنَ الِاجْتِهَادِ فِي الْجُزْئِيَّاتِ مِنَ الْمَعْصُومِينَ وَغَيْرِ الْمَعْصُومِينَ (٥) . وَفِي الصَّحِيحِ (٦) عَنِ النَّبِيِّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - أَنَّهُ قَالَ: " «إِنَّكُمْ تَخْتَصِمُونَ إِلَيَّ، وَلَعَلَّ بَعْضَكُمْ أَنْ يَكُونَ أَلْحَنَ بِحُجَّتِهِ مِنْ بَعْضٍ، وَإِنَّمَا أَقْضِي بِنَحْوٍ مِمَّا أَسْمَعُ، فَمَنْ قَضَيْتُ لَهُ مِنْ حَقِّ أَخِيهِ شَيْئًا فَلَا يَأْخُذْهُ، فَإِنَّمَا أَقْطَعُ لَهُ قِطْعَةً مِنَ النَّارِ» " (٧) . فَحُكْمُهُ فِي الْقَضِيَّةِ الْمُعَيَّنَةِ إِنَّمَا هُوَ بِاجْتِهَادِهِ، وَلِهَذَا نَهَى الْمَحْكُومُ لَهُ أَنْ يَأْخُذَ مَا حُكِمَ لَهُ بِهِ إِذَا كَانَ الْبَاطِنُ بِخِلَافِ مَا ظَهَرَ [لِلْحَاكِمِ] (٨) . وَعُمَرُ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ - إِمَامٌ، وَعَلَيْهِ أَنْ يَسْتَخْلِفَ الْأَصْلَحَ لِلْمُسْلِمِينَ، فَاجْتَهَدَ فِي ذَلِكَ وَرَأَى أَنَّ هَؤُلَاءِ السِّتَّةَ أَحَقُّ مِنْ غَيْرِهِمْ، وَهُوَ كَمَا رَأَى، فَإِنَّهُ لَمْ يَقُلْ أَحَدٌ أَنَّ غَيْرَهُمْ أَحَقُّ مِنْهُمْ. [وَجَعَلَ التَّعْيِينَ إِلَيْهِمْ خَوْفًا أَنْ

(١) انْظُرْ تَفْسِيرَ ابْنِ كَثِيرٍ ٢/٣٥٨ - ٣٦٠ (٢) ن، م: وَأَمَّا عُمَرُ. (٣) لَهُ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ح) ، (ب) . (٤) جِدًّا: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ح) ، (ب) . (٥) ن، م: وَغَيْرِهِمْ. (٦) ر: وَفِي الصَّحِيحَيْنِ. (٧) انْظُرْ كَلَامِي عَلَى هَذَا الْحَدِيثِ فِيمَا يَلِي فِي هَذَا الْجُزْءِ ص ٤١٢ (٨) لِلْحَاكِمِ: زِيَادَةٌ فِي (ر) ، (ي) .