Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (6/388)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

from people. Do you not see that, because Ibn Abbās possessed abundant knowledge, the Muslim community recognized (1) this in him, benefited from him, and his renown for it spread among the elite and common people alike?

Likewise, because al-Shāfi‘i possessed knowledge and jurisprudence from which benefit could be derived (2), the Muslims recognized this in him, benefited from him in that regard, and he became renowned for his knowledge and jurisprudence.

But when a person does not find what he seeks in a particular place, he does not seek it there. Do you not see that if someone were said to be a physician or a grammarian and were so highly esteemed that physicians or grammarians came to him, but found that he did not possess the medical or grammatical knowledge they sought, they would turn away from him? The mere claims and veneration of the ignorant would be of no benefit to him.

These Imamis adopted from the Mu‘tazilites the doctrine that Allah is obliged to grant capacity, enablement, and providential assistance—whatever brings the morally accountable person (3) closer to righteousness and further from corruption, while he remains capable of either course.

They then said: “The imamate is obligatory; indeed, they regard it as even more obligatory than prophethood because it provides divine assistance in fulfilling religious obligations.”

They said: “We know with certainty, through customary experience (4) and its constancy over time, that whenever a community has an awe-inspiring and obeyed leader who is able to act and possesses unfettered authority, his presence brings them closer to righteousness and further from corruption. But when they have no leader (5), turmoil and disorder break out among them, and they become further from righteousness and closer to corruption.

“This state of affairs, indicative of a rational principle, is well known and is denied only by someone ignorant of

(1) M reads: “How did [the community] recognize this?” (2) N and M read: “what benefit is derived from him.” (3) B reads: “the possible,” which is an error. (4) N reads: “a deficiency through customary experience”; M reads: “a deficiency through acts of worship.” (5) Omitted from B only.

النَّاسِ مِنْهُ. أَلَا تَرَى أَنَّ ابْنَ عَبَّاسٍ لَمَّا كَانَ كَثِيرَ الْعِلْمِ عَرَفَتِ (١) الْأُمَّةُ لَهُ ذَلِكَ، وَاسْتَفَادَتْ مِنْهُ، وَشَاعَ ذِكْرُهُ بِذَلِكَ فِي الْخَاصَّةِ وَالْعَامَّةِ. وَكَذَلِكَ الشَّافِعِيُّ لَمَّا كَانَ عِنْدَهُ مِنَ الْعِلْمِ وَالْفِقْهِ مَا يُسْتَفَادُ مِنْهُ (٢) ، عَرَفَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ لَهُ ذَلِكَ، وَاسْتَفَادُوا ذَلِكَ مِنْهُ، وَظَهَرَ ذِكْرُهُ بِالْعِلْمِ وَالْفِقْهِ. وَلَكِنْ إِذَا لَمْ يَجِدِ الْإِنْسَانُ مَقْصُودَهُ فِي مَحَلٍّ لَمْ يَطْلُبْهُ مِنْهُ. أَلَا تَرَى أَنَّهُ لَوْ قِيلَ عَنْ أَحَدٍ: إِنَّهُ طَبِيبٌ أَوْ نَحْوِيٌّ، وَعَظُمَ حَتَّى جَاءَ إِلَيْهِ الْأَطِبَّاءُ أَوِ النُّحَاةُ، فَوَجَدُوهُ لَا يَعْرِفُ مِنَ الطِّبِّ وَالنَّحْوِ مَا يَطْلُبُونَ، أَعْرَضُوا عَنْهُ، وَلَمْ يَنْفَعْهُ مُجَرَّدُ دَعْوَى الْجُهَّالِ وَتَعْظِيمِهِمْ. وَهَؤُلَاءِ الْإِمَامِيَّةُ أَخَذُوا عَنِ الْمُعْتَزِلَةِ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَجِبُ عَلَيْهِ الْإِقْدَارُ وَالتَّمْكِينُ وَاللُّطْفُ، بِمَا يَكُونُ الْمُكَلَّفُ (٣) عِنْدَهُ أَقْرَبُ إِلَى الصَّلَاحِ، وَأَبْعَدُ عَنِ الْفَسَادِ، مَعَ تَمَكُّنِهِ فِي الْحَالَيْنِ. ثُمَّ قَالُوا: وَالْإِمَامَةُ وَاجِبَةٌ، وَهِيَ أَوْجَبُ عِنْدَهُمْ مِنَ النُّبُوَّةِ، لِأَنَّ بِهَا لُطْفًا فِي التَّكَالِيفِ. قَالُوا: إِنَّا نَعْلَمُ يَقِينًا بِالْعَادَاتِ (٤) وَاسْتِمْرَارِ الْأَوْقَاتِ أَنَّ الْجَمَاعَةَ مَتَى كَانَ لَهُمْ رَئِيسٌ مَهِيبٌ مُطَاعٌ مُتَصَرِّفٌ مُنْبَسِطُ الْيَدِ كَانُوا بِوُجُودِهِ أَقْرَبَ إِلَى الصَّلَاحِ، وَأَبْعَدَ عَنِ الْفَسَادِ، وَإِذَا لَمْ يَكُنْ لَهُمْ رَئِيسٌ (٥) وَقَعَ الْهَرْجُ وَالْمَرْجُ بَيْنَهُمْ، وَكَانُوا عَنِ الصَّلَاحِ أَبْعَدَ، وَمِنَ الْفَسَادِ أَقْرَبَ. وَهَذِهِ الْحَالُ مُشْعِرَةٌ بِقَضِيَّةِ الْعَقْلِ مَعْلُومَةٌ لَا يُنْكِرُهَا إِلَّا مَنْ جَهِلَ

(١) م: كَيْفَ عَرَفَتِ. (٢) ن، م: مَا يَسْتَفِيدُ مِنْهُ. (٣) ب: الْمُمْكِنُ، وَهُوَ خَطَأٌ. (٤) ن: نَقْصًا بِالْعَادَاتِ، م: نَقْصًا بِالْعِبَادَاتِ. (٥) سَاقِطٌ مِنْ (ب) فَقَطْ.