Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (6/174)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

offered positions of authority, yet he would not accept them, and no one killed him. He was even nominated for the caliphate on the day of the arbitration [but absented himself from it] (1), and no one ever harmed him. Nor has it ever been heard that anyone was killed for refusing to assume authority.

This is therefore the fabrication of a liar who [does not know] what he is writing (2), whether as a matter of Islamic law or ordinary practice.

We then reply by considering both possibilities: either Umar gave this order or he did not. If the former, the objection to it is invalid. If the latter, a man’s being among the people of Paradise or one of Allah’s close servants does not preclude his being killed when Islamic law requires it.

It is established in the authentic collections that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—had the Ghāmidī woman stoned and said:

“She repented with such repentance that, had one who levies unlawful taxes repented as she did, he would have been forgiven. Can you find anything better than her offering up her very life to Allah?” (3)

The Messenger thus testified to this on her behalf. Yet once the prescribed punishment had been established against her, he ordered that she be stoned.

Likewise, if a man became liable to legal retaliation while being one of Allah’s close servants, and he sincerely repented of deliberate murder, the slain person’s heirs would still have to be given authority over him. If they wished, they could kill him, and his death would be an expiation for him.

(1) “So he absented himself from it” is omitted from (N) and (M); (H) and (R) read: “So he remained absent for a time.” (2) (N) and (M) read: “a fabricator’s inconsistency in what he falsely claims”; this is a textual corruption. (3) The hadith is narrated by Abd Allah ibn Burayda from his father—may Allah be pleased with him—in Muslim, 3/1323–24 (Book of Prescribed Punishments, chapter “One Who Confesses to Unlawful Sexual Intercourse”). It begins: “Māiz ibn Mālik al-Aslamī came to the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace…” It also states: “Then the Ghāmidī woman came and said, ‘O Messenger of Allah, I have committed unlawful sexual intercourse, so purify me.’” The hadith is also in Sunan Abī Dāwūd, 4/212–13 (Book of Prescribed Punishments, chapter “The Woman from Juhayna Whom the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—Ordered to Be Stoned”); Sunan al-Dārimī, 2/179–80 (Book of Prescribed Punishments, chapter “A Pregnant Woman Who Confesses to Unlawful Sexual Intercourse”); and al-Musnad, al-Halabī ed., 5/348.

تُعْرَضُ عَلَيْهِ الْوِلَايَاتُ، فَلَا يَتَوَلَّى، وَمَا قَتَلَهُ أَحَدٌ، وَقَدْ عُيِّنَ لِلْخِلَافَةِ يَوْمَ الْحَكَمَيْنِ [فَتَغَيَّبَ عَنْهُ] (١) وَمَا آذَاهُ أَحَدٌ قَطُّ، وَمَا سُمِعَ قَطُّ أَنَّ أَحَدًا امْتَنَعَ مِنَ الْوِلَايَةِ فَقُتِلَ عَلَى ذَلِكَ. فَهَذَا مِنِ اخْتِلَاقِ مُفْتَرٍ [لَا يَدْرِي] مَا يَكْتُبُ (٢) لَا شَرْعًا وَلَا عَادَةً. ثُمَّ نَقُولُ جَوَابًا مُرَكَّبًا: لَا يَخْلُو إِمَّا أَنْ يَكُونَ عُمَرُ أَمَرَ بِهَذَا، أَوْ لَمْ يَكُنْ أَمَرَ بِهِ. فَإِنْ كَانَ الْأَوَّلُ بَطَلَ إِنْكَارُهُ. وَإِنْ كَانَ الثَّانِي فَلَيْسَ كَوْنُ الرَّجُلِ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ، أَوْ كَوْنُهُ وَلِيًّا لِلَّهِ مِمَّا يَمْنَعُ قَتْلَهُ إِذَا اقْتَضَى الشَّرْعُ ذَلِكَ. فَإِنَّهُ قَدْ ثَبَتَ فِي الصِّحَاحِ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - رَجَمَ الْغَامِدِيَّةَ، وَقَالَ: " «لَقَدْ تَابَتْ تَوْبَةً لَوْ تَابَهَا صَاحِبُ مَكْسٍ لَغُفِرَ لَهُ. وَهَلْ وَجَدْتَ أَفْضَلَ مِنْ أَنْ جَادَتْ بِنَفْسِهَا لِلَّهِ» " (٣) فَهَذِهِ يَشْهَدُ لَهَا الرَّسُولُ بِذَلِكَ. ثُمَّ لَمَّا كَانَ الْحَدُّ قَدْ ثَبَتَ عَلَيْهَا أَمَرَ بِرَجْمِهَا. وَلَوْ وَجَبَ عَلَى الرَّجُلِ قِصَاصٌ، وَكَانَ مِنْ أَوْلِيَاءِ اللَّهِ، وَتَابَ مِنْ قَتْلِ الْعَمْدِ تَوْبَةً نَصُوحًا، لَوَجَبَ أَنْ يُمَكَّنَ أَوْلِيَاءُ الْمَقْتُولِ مِنْهُ، فَإِنْ شَاءُوا قَتَلُوهُ، وَيَكُونُ قَتْلُهُ كَفَّارَةً لَهُ.

(١) فَتَغَيَّبَ عَنْهُ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) ، وَفِي (ح) ، (ر) فَغَيَّبَ غَيْبَةً. (٢) ن، م: اخْتِلَافِ مُفْتَرٍ بِمَا يَكْذِبُ، وَهُوَ تَحْرِيفٌ. (٣) الْحَدِيثُ عَنْ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ بُرَيْدَةَ عَنْ أَبِيهِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فِي مُسْلِمٍ ٣/١٣٢٣، ١٣٢٤ (كِتَابُ الْحُدُودِ، بَابُ مَنِ اعْتَرَفَ عَلَى نَفْسِهِ بِالزِّنَا) وَأَوَّلُ الْحَدِيثِ أَنَّ مَاعِزَ بْنَ مَالِكٍ الْأَسْلَمِيَّ أَتَى رَسُولَ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ. الْحَدِيثَ، وَفِيهِ: فَجَاءَتِ الْغَامِدِيَّةُ فَقَالَتْ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ إِنِّي قَدْ زَنَيْتُ فَطَهِّرْنِي. وَالْحَدِيثُ فِي: سُنَنِ أَبِي دَاوُدَ ٤/٢١٢ - ٢١٣ (كِتَابُ الْحُدُودِ، بَابُ الْمَرْأَةِ الَّتِي أَمَرَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ بِرَجْمِهَا مِنْ جُهَيْنَةَ) ، سُنَنِ الدَّارِمِيِّ ٢/١٧٩ - ١٨٠ (كِتَابُ الْحُدُودِ، بَابُ الْحَامِلِ إِذَا اعْتَرَفَ بِالزِّنَا) ، الْمُسْنَدِ ط. الْحَلَبِيِّ ٥/٣٤٨