Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (6/350)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

The answer is that, if one is to treat (1) something such as this as a disagreement, then similar things occurred during the lifetime of the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Some Companions criticized Zayd ibn Hāritha’s command, while others criticized the command of his son Usāma. More than one person also criticized some of those whom Abū Bakr and Umar appointed. Moreover, the person who made this statement was Talha, and he later retracted it. Indeed, he was among those who held [Umar] (2) in the highest esteem. Likewise, those who criticized the command of Zayd and Usāma withdrew their criticism in obedience to Allah and His Messenger.

[The Rāfidī said: The eighth disagreement concerns leadership through consultation]

His statement (3): “The eighth disagreement (4) concerns leadership (5) through consultation. After disagreeing, they agreed that Uthmān should assume the caliphate.”

The answer is that this is one of the falsehoods that all authorities on transmitted reports agree is false. No one disagreed over Uthmān’s caliphate. Rather, Abd al-Rahmān spent three days consulting the people and reported that they preferred no one to Uthmān. He consulted even the young women secluded in their chambers. Even if anyone privately harbored reservations, no one related—or said—anything, nor has anything been transmitted to us.

Things of this sort may arise in matters such as (6) these. Any matter on which people consult one another will inevitably give rise to discussion, but its occurrence cannot be asserted on the basis of mere conjecture.

(1) The reading “if one is to treat” appears only in M; “if” is omitted from all the other manuscripts. (2) The words “for Umar” are omitted from N and B. (3) That is, Ibn al-Mutahhar al-Hillī, the Rāfidī, in K; p. 144 (M). (4) The word “disagreement” is absent from K. (5) K reads: “concerning the matter of.” (6) The phrase “this may occur in matters such as” is omitted from B.

وَالْجَوَابُ: أَنْ يُقَالَ: إِنَّ جَعْلَ (١) مِثْلِ هَذَا خِلَافًا فَقَدْ كَانَ مِثْلُ هَذَا عَلَى عَهْدِ النَّبِيِّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ -: قَدْ طَعَنَ بَعْضُ الصَّحَابَةِ فِي إِمَارَةِ زَيْدِ بْنِ حَارِثَةَ، وَبَعْضُهُمْ فِي إِمَارَةِ أُسَامَةَ ابْنِهِ، وَقَدْ كَانَ غَيْرُ وَاحِدٍ يَطْعَنُ فِيمَنْ يُوَلِّيهِ أَبُو بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرُ. ثُمَّ إِنَّ الْقَائِلَ لَهَا كَانَ طَلْحَةُ وَقَدْ رَجَعَ عَنْ ذَلِكَ وَهُوَ مِنْ أَشَدِّ النَّاسِ تَعْظِيمًا [لِعُمَرَ] (٢) ، كَمَا أَنَّ الَّذِينَ طَعَنُوا فِي إِمَارَةِ زَيْدٍ وَأُسَامَةَ رَجَعُوا عَنْ طَعْنِهِمْ طَاعَةً لِلَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ. [قال الرافضي الخلاف الثامن في إمرة الشورى] وَقَوْلُهُ (٣) : " الْخِلَافُ (٤) الثَّامِنُ: فِي إِمْرَةِ (٥) الشُّورَى، وَاتَّفَقُوا بَعْدَ الِاخْتِلَافِ عَلَى إِمَارَةِ عُثْمَانَ " . وَالْجَوَابُ: أَنَّ هَذَا مِنَ الْكَذِبِ الَّذِي اتَّفَقَ أَهْلُ النَّقْلِ عَلَى أَنَّهُ كَذِبٌ ; فَإِنَّهُ لَمْ يَخْتَلِفْ أَحَدٌ فِي خِلَافَةِ عُثْمَانَ، وَلَكِنْ بَقِيَ عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ يُشَاوِرُ النَّاسَ ثَلَاثَةَ أَيَّامٍ، وَأَخْبَرَ أَنَّ النَّاسَ لَا يَعْدِلُونَ بِعُثْمَانَ، وَأَنَّهُ شَاوَرَ حَتَّى الْعَذَارَى فِي خُدُورِهِنَّ. وَإِنْ كَانَ فِي نَفْسِ أَحَدٍ كَرَاهَةٌ، لَمْ يَنْقُلْ - أَوْ قَالَ - أَحَدٌ شَيْئًا وَلَمْ يُنْقَلْ إِلَيْنَا. فَمِثْلُ هَذَا قَدْ يَجْرِي فِي مِثْلِ (٦) هَذِهِ الْأُمُورِ. وَالْأَمْرُ الَّذِي يَتَشَاوَرُ فِيهِ النَّاسُ لَا بُدَّ فِيهِ مِنْ كَلَامٍ، لَكِنْ لَا يُمْكِنُ الْجَزْمُ بِذَلِكَ بِمُجَرَّدِ الْحَزْرِ.

(١) إِنَّ جَعْلَ: كَذَا فِي (م) فَقَطْ، وَسَقَطَتْ " إِنَّ " مِنْ سَائِرِ النُّسَخِ. (٢) لِعُمَرَ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (ب) . (٣) أَيِ الرَّافِضِيِّ فِي (ك) ص ١٤٤ (م) . (٤) الْخِلَافُ: لَيْسَتْ فِي (ك) . (٥) ك: فِي أَمْرِ. (٦) عِبَارَةُ " هَذَا قَدْ يَجْرِي فِي مِثْلِ " سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ب) .