Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (6/177)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

Had Abū Bakr and Umar [during their rule] (1) wished to harm Ali in any way, they would have been better able to do so than they had been to divert the caliphate from him after the Prophet’s death—may Allah bless him and grant him peace.

These slanderers claim that they wronged him at a time when he was better able to defend himself against injustice and prevent them from wronging him, while they would have been less capable of wronging him had they wished to do so (2). Why, then, did they not wrong him after they had gained strength and the people had become obedient to them, if they truly wished to wrong him?

It is a well-known practice that when someone assumes an office while another person is a potential candidate for it whom he fears may challenge him (3), he will not rest until he removes that threat—whether by imprisonment or by killing (4), secretly or openly (5)—as is customary among kings. Thus, if they knew that they were wronging him, while he knew himself to have been wronged and desired the office, they would necessarily have feared him.

If this were true, they should therefore have sought to kill or imprison him, even through subterfuge. Had they wished to do so (6), this would have been easier for them than barring him from the office at the outset in the face of an explicit designation. Had they wished to appoint him commander over one of the armies and instructed (7) some men from the armies (8) to kill him

(1) “During their rule” is omitted from (N) and (M). (2) (N) and (M) read: “and they were less capable of wronging him, had they wished to do so.” (3) (N), (M), and (R) read: “to remove him.” (4) “By killing”: thus in (M) and (B); (N), (H), and (R) read: “by fettering.” (5) (N) and (M) read: “secretly and openly.” (6) (N) reads: “had he wished it,” which is a corruption. (7) (N) reads: “and he instructed,” which is a corruption. (8) (N) and (R) read: “the army.”

وَلَوْ أَرَادَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرُ [فِي وِلَايَتِهِمَا] (١) إِيذَاءَ عَلِيٍّ بِطَرِيقٍ مِنَ الطُّرُقِ، لَكَانَا أَقْدَرَ عَلَى ذَلِكَ مِنْ صَرْفِ الْأَمْرِ عَنْهُ بَعْدَ مَوْتِ النَّبِيِّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ -. فَهَؤُلَاءِ الْمُفْتَرُونَ يَزْعُمُونَ أَنَّهُمْ ظَلَمُوهُ فِي حَالٍ كَانَ فِيهَا أَقْدَرَ عَلَى دَفْعِ الظُّلْمِ عَنْ نَفْسِهِ، وَمَنْعِهِمَا مِنْ ظُلْمِهِ، وَكَانَا أَعْجَزَ عَنْ ظُلْمِهِ لَوْ أَرَادَا ذَلِكَ (٢) ، فَهَلَّا ظَلَمَاهُ بَعْدَ قُوَّتِهِمَا وَمُطَاوَعَةِ النَّاسِ لَهُمَا إِنْ كَانَا مُرِيدَيْنِ لِظُلْمِهِ؟ وَمِنَ الْعَادَةِ الْمَعْرُوفَةِ أَنَّ مَنْ تَوَلَّى وِلَايَةً، وَهُنَاكَ مَنْ هُوَ مُرَشَّحٌ لَهَا يَخَافُ أَنْ يُنَازِعَهُ (٣) ، أَنَّهُ لَا يَقَرُّ حَتَّى يَدْفَعَهُ عَنْ ذَلِكَ: إِمَّا بِحَبْسٍ، وَإِمَّا بِقَتْلٍ (٤) سِرًّا أَوْ عَلَانِيَةً (٥) ، كَمَا جَرَتْ عَادَةُ الْمُلُوكِ. فَإِذَا كَانَا يَعْلَمَانِ أَنَّهُمَا ظَالِمَانِ لَهُ، وَهُوَ مَظْلُومٌ يَعْرِفُ أَنَّهُ مَظْلُومٌ، وَهُوَ مُرِيدٌ لِلْوِلَايَةِ، فَلَا بُدَّ أَنْ يَخَافَا مِنْهُ. فَكَانَ يَنْبَغِي لَوْ كَانَ هَذَا حَقًّا أَنْ يَسْعَيَا فِي قَتْلِهِ أَوْ حَبْسِهِ وَلَوْ بِالْحِيلَةِ. وَهَذَا لَوْ أَرَادَاهُ (٦) لَكَانَ أَسْهَلَ عَلَيْهِمَا مِنْ مَنْعِهِ ابْتِدَاءً مَعَ وُجُودِ النَّصِّ، وَلَوْ أَرَادَا تَأْمِيرَهُ عَلَى بَعْضِ الْجُيُوشِ، وَأَوْصَيَا (٧) بَعْضَ أَهْلِ الْجُيُوشِ (٨) أَنْ يَقْتُلَهُ

(١) فِي وِلَايَتِهِمَا: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) . (٢) ن، م: وَكَانُوا أَعْجَزَ عَنْ ظُلْمِهِ لَوْ أَرَادُوا ذَلِكَ. (٣) ن، م، ر: أَنْ يَنْزِعَهُ. (٤) بِقَتْلٍ: كَذَا فِي (م) ، (ب) ، وَفِي (ن) ، (ح) ، (ر) : بِقَيْدٍ. (٥) ن، م: سِرًّا وَعَلَانِيَةً. (٦) ن: لَوْ أَرَادَهُ، وَهُوَ تَحْرِيفٌ. (٧) ن: وَأَوْصَى، وَهُوَ تَحْرِيفٌ. (٨) ن، ر: الْجَيْشِ.