Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (6/197)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

and they may be expiated for them by other means as well.

Thus, everything (1) reported of Uthmān could, at most, constitute a sin or an error. Uthmān—may Allah be pleased with him—had many grounds for forgiveness, including his having been among the foremost, his faith, his jihad, and his other acts of obedience.

It is established that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—testified on his behalf; indeed, he gave him glad tidings of Paradise together with an ordeal that would befall him (2).

Among these grounds is that he repented of most of the things for which they censured him. He was also subjected to a tremendous affliction, through which Allah expiated his sins, and he remained steadfast until he was unjustly slain as a martyr. This is among the greatest means by which Allah expiates sins.

[The same applies to Alī—may Allah be pleased with him: what the Khawārij and others denounce him for could, at most, constitute a sin or an error. He had many grounds for forgiveness, including his having been among the foremost, his faith, his jihad, his other acts of obedience, and the testimony (3) of the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—that he would enter Paradise. Among these grounds is that he repented of many things for which he had been censured and regretted

(1) (N) and (M) read: “And everything.” (2) The hadith is narrated from Abū Mūsā al-Ash‘arī—may Allah be pleased with him—in *Sahīh al-Bukhārī*, 5/8–9, 12–13, 13–14 (Book of the Virtues of the Prophet’s Companions, chapter “Al-Humaydī Narrated to Us,” chapter on the Merits of Umar ibn al-Khattāb, and chapter on the Merits of Uthmān ibn Affān). The beginning of the hadith reads: “…Abū Mūsā al-Ash‘arī informed me that he performed ablution in his home.” The Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said: “Admit him and give him glad tidings of Paradise, together with an ordeal that will befall him,” and the hadith continues. It is also found in *Sahīh Muslim*, 4/1867–1869 (Book of the Virtues of the Companions, chapter on Some of the Virtues of Uthmān); *Sunan al-Tirmidhī*, 5/294–295 (Book of Merits, the Merits of Uthmān ibn Affān), chapter 81, hadith no. 3794; and *al-Musnad*, Aleppo edition, 4/393, 406, 407. (3) (R) reads: “among his acts of obedience; among them was the testimony.”

وَقَدْ يُكَفَّرُ عَنْهُمْ بِغَيْرِ ذَلِكَ. فَكُلُّ (١) مَا يُنْقَلُ عَنْ عُثْمَانَ غَايَتُهُ أَنْ يَكُونَ ذَنْبًا أَوْ خَطَأً. وَعُثْمَانُ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ - قَدْ حَصَلَتْ لَهُ أَسْبَابُ الْمَغْفِرَةِ مِنْ وُجُوهٍ كَثِيرَةٍ، مِنْهَا سَابِقَتُهُ وَإِيمَانُهُ وَجِهَادُهُ وَغَيْرُ ذَلِكَ مِنْ طَاعَاتِهِ. وَقَدْ ثَبَتَ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - شَهِدَ لَهُ، بَلْ بَشَّرَهُ بِالْجَنَّةِ عَلَى بَلْوَى تُصِيبُهُ (٢) . وَمِنْهَا أَنَّهُ تَابَ مِنْ عَامَّةِ مَا أَنْكَرُوهُ عَلَيْهِ، وَأَنَّهُ ابْتُلِيَ بِبَلَاءٍ عَظِيمٍ، فَكَفَّرَ اللَّهُ بِهِ خَطَايَاهُ، وَصَبَرَ حَتَّى قُتِلَ شَهِيدًا مَظْلُومًا. وَهَذَا مِنْ أَعْظَمِ مَا يُكَفِّرُ اللَّهُ بِهِ الْخَطَايَا. [وَكَذَلِكَ عَلِيٌّ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ -: مَا تُنْكِرُهُ الْخَوَارِجُ وَغَيْرُهُمْ عَلَيْهِ غَايَتُهُ أَنْ يَكُونَ ذَنْبًا أَوْ خَطَأً، وَكَانَ قَدْ حَصَلَتْ لَهُ أَسْبَابُ الْمَغْفِرَةِ مِنْ وُجُوهٍ كَثِيرَةٍ. مِنْهَا سَابِقَتُهُ وَإِيمَانُهُ وَجِهَادُهُ، وَغَيْرُ ذَلِكَ مِنْ طَاعَتِهِ، وَشَهَادَةِ (٣) النَّبِيِّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - لَهُ بِالْجَنَّةِ. وَمِنْهَا أَنَّهُ تَابَ مِنْ أُمُورٍ كَثِيرَةٍ أُنْكِرَتْ عَلَيْهِ وَنَدِمَ

(١) ن، م: وَكُلُّ. (٢) الْحَدِيثُ عَنْ أَبِي مُوسَى الْأَشْعَرِيِّ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فِي الْبُخَارِيِّ ٥/٨ - ٩ \، ١٢ - ١٣، ١٣ - ١٤ (كِتَابُ فَضَائِلِ أَصْحَابِ النَّبِيِّ، بَابُ حَدَّثَنَا الْحُمَيْدِيُّ، بَابُ مَنَاقِبِ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ، بَابُ مَنَاقِبِ عُثْمَانَ بْنِ عَفَّانَ) وَأَوَّلُ الْحَدِيثِ. . . . أَخْبَرَنِي أَبُو مُوسَى الْأَشْعَرِيُّ أَنَّهُ تَوَضَّأَ فِي بَيْتِهِ، وَلَفْظُ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: ائْذَنْ لَهُ وَبَشِّرْهُ بِالْجَنَّةِ عَلَى بَلْوَى تُصِيبُهُ، الْحَدِيثَ. وَهُوَ فِي: مُسْلِمٍ ٤/١٨٦٧ - ١٨٦٩ (كِتَابُ فَضَائِلِ الصَّحَابَةِ، بَابٌ مِنْ فَضَائِلِ عُثْمَانَ) ، سُنَنِ التِّرْمِذِيُّ ٥/٢٩٤ - ٢٩٥ (كِتَابُ الْمَنَاقِبِ، مَنَاقِبِ عُثْمَانَ بْنِ عَفَّانَ) بَابٌ رَقْمُ ٨١ حَدِيثٌ رَقْمُ ٣٧٩٤، الْمُسْنَدِ ط. الْحَلَبِيِّ ٤/٣٩٣، ٤٠٦، ٤٠٧ (٣) ر: مِنْ طَاعَاتِهِ وَمِنْهَا شَهَادَةُ.