Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (6/198)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

them; among these grounds is that he was unjustly slain as a martyr] (1).

This principle spares us from having to regard everything [any one of them] (2) did as obligatory or recommended, when we have no need to do so.

Those who deviate in this matter fall into two categories: the detractors, who impugn a person for something Allah forgives him; and the admirers, who portray forgiven matters as praiseworthy endeavors. The latter go to excess regarding an individual until they turn his bad deeds into good deeds, while the former treat him so harshly that they make a single bad deed of his render all his good deeds void.

The Muslims [all of them] (3)—even the Khawārij—are agreed that sins are erased through repentance and that some are erased by good deeds. No one can (4) say of Uthmān [or Alī or anyone else] that they did not repent (5) of their sins. This is an argument against the Khawārij, who declare Uthmān and Alī unbelievers; against the Shīa, who impugn Uthmān and others; and against the Nāsibīs, who single out Alī for censure.

There is no doubt that two factions stood opposed (6) over Uthmān—may Allah be pleased with him: his partisans (7) from among the Umayyads and others, and those who hated him (8) from among the Khawārij, the Zaydīs, the Imāmīs, and others.

(1) The text between square brackets is omitted in (N) and (M). (2) “Any one of them” is omitted in (N) and (M). (3) “All of them” is omitted in (N) and (M). (4) (N) and (B) read: “anyone.” (5) (N) and (M) read: “Indeed, Uthmān and others like him did not repent.” (6) (B) reads: “fought one another.” (7) (N), (M), and (R) read: “a faction.” (8) (H) and (R) read: “and haters.”

عَلَيْهَا، وَمِنْهَا أَنَّهُ قُتِلَ مَظْلُومًا شَهِيدًا] (١) . فَهَذِهِ الْقَاعِدَةُ تُغْنِينَا أَنْ نَجْعَلَ كُلَّ مَا فَعَلَ [وَاحِدٌ مِنْهُمْ] (٢) هُوَ الْوَاجِبَ أَوِ الْمُسْتَحَبَّ مِنْ غَيْرِ حَاجَةٍ بِنَا إِلَى ذَلِكَ. وَالنَّاسُ الْمُنْحَرِفُونَ فِي هَذَا الْبَابِ صِنْفَانِ: الْقَادِحُونَ الَّذِينَ يَقْدَحُونَ فِي الشَّخْصِ بِمَا يَغْفِرُهُ اللَّهُ لَهُ. وَالْمَادِحُونَ الَّذِينَ يَجْعَلُونَ الْأُمُورَ الْمَغْفُورَةَ مِنْ بَابِ السَّعْيِ الْمَشْكُورِ. فَهَذَا يَغْلُو فِي الشَّخْصِ الْوَاحِدِ حَتَّى يَجْعَلَ سَيِّئَاتِهِ حَسَنَاتٍ. وَذَلِكَ يَجْفُو فِيهِ حَتَّى يَجْعَلَ السَّيِّئَةَ الْوَاحِدَةَ مِنْهُ مُحْبِطَةً لِلْحَسَنَاتِ. وَقَدْ أَجْمَعَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ [كُلُّهُمْ] (٣) - حَتَّى الْخَوَارِجُ - عَلَى أَنَّ الذُّنُوبَ تُمْحَى بِالتَّوْبَةِ، وَأَنَّ مِنْهَا مَا يُمْحَى بِالْحَسَنَاتِ. وَمَا يُمْكِنُ أَحَدٌ (٤) أَنْ يَقُولَ: إِنَّ عُثْمَانَ [أَوْ عَلِيًّا أَوْ غَيْرَهُمَا] لَمْ يَتُوبُوا (٥) مِنْ ذُنُوبِهِمْ. فَهَذِهِ حُجَّةٌ عَلَى الْخَوَارِجِ الَّذِينَ يُكَفِّرُونَ عُثْمَانَ وَعَلِيًّا، وَعَلَى الشِّيعَةِ الَّذِينَ يَقْدَحُونَ فِي عُثْمَانَ وَغَيْرِهِ، وَعَلَى النَّاصِبَةِ الَّذِينَ يَخُصُّونَ عَلِيًّا بِالْقَدْحِ. وَلَا رَيْبَ أَنَّ عُثْمَانَ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ - تَقَابَلَتْ (٦) فِيهِ طَائِفَتَانِ: شِيعَتُهُ (٧) مِنْ بَنِي أُمَيَّةَ وَغَيْرِهِمْ، وَمُبْغِضُوهُ (٨) مِنَ الْخَوَارِجِ وَالزَّيْدِيَّةِ وَالْإِمَامِيَّةِ وَغَيْرِهِمْ.

(١) مَا بَيْنَ الْمَعْقُوفَتَيْنِ سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) . (٢) وَاحِدٌ مِنْهُمْ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) . (٣) كُلُّهُمْ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) . (٤) ن، ب: أَحَدًا. (٥) ن، م: إِنَّ عُثْمَانَ وَنَحْوَهُ لَمْ يَتُوبُوا. (٦) ب: تَقَاتَلَتْ. (٧) ن، م، ر: شِيعَةٌ. (٨) ح، ر: وَمُبْغِضُونَ.