Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (6/391)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

Consider (1) the cities and villages whose inhabitants acknowledge the imamate of the Awaited One, and compare them with the villages whose inhabitants do not acknowledge him. You will find the condition (2) of the latter more orderly and sound in the affairs of this life and the Hereafter. Indeed, anyone familiar with the state of the world will find that, because the rulers of unbelieving lands maintain their worldly welfare, those lands are better ordered than many of the lands (3) whose inhabitants are identified as followers of the Awaited One, while he provides them with no means of securing the welfare of either their religion or their worldly lives.

Even if it were supposed that acknowledging his existence caused them to fear that he might appear and punish them for their sins, it is well known that people’s fear that their publicly known rulers will punish them is greater than the fear these people have of punishment by the Awaited One.

Sins are of two kinds. Some are outward sins, such as oppressing others and openly committed immoralities. In such matters, people (4) fear punishment from their rulers more than the Imāmīs fear punishment from the Awaited One. It is therefore evident that the providential assistance which they deem obligatory is not obtained through the Awaited One at all—neither by those who know of him nor by anyone else.

As for their claim that those who know of him receive providential assistance through him just as they do when he appears, this is a manifest denial of the obvious. When he appears, his enforcement of the prescribed penalties, his admonition, and other such acts bring about a form of providential assistance that is not obtained while he remains absent.

(1) N reads: “and take into account”; M reads: “and you two take into account.” (2) “Condition” is omitted from B. (3) In B, the following phrases are repeated out of place: “more orderly and sound in the affairs of this life and the Hereafter, to the point that anyone familiar with conditions in the world finds the lands of the unbelievers to be more so than many regions of the earth….” (4) N reads: “the soul.”

وَاعْتَبِرِ (١) الْمَدَائِنَ وَالْقُرَى الَّتِي يُقِرُّ أَهْلُهَا بِإِمَامَةِ الْمُنْتَظَرِ، مَعَ الْقُرَى الَّتِي لَا يُقِرُّونَ بِهِ. تَجِدْ حَالَ (٢) هَؤُلَاءِ أَعْظَمَ انْتِظَامًا وَصَلَاحًا فِي الْمَعَاشِ وَالْمَعَادِ، حَتَّى أَنَّ الْخَبِيرَ بِأَحْوَالِ الْعَالَمِ يَجِدُ بِلَادَ الْكُفَّارِ، لِوُجُودِ رُؤَسَائِهِمْ يُقِيمُونَ مَصْلَحَةَ دُنْيَاهُمْ أَكْثَرَ انْتِظَامًا مِنْ كَثِيرٍ مِنَ الْأَرْضِ (٣) الَّتِي يُنْسَبُونَ فِيهَا إِلَى مُتَابَعَةِ الْمُنْتَظَرِ، لَا يُقِيمُ لَهُمْ سَبَبًا مِنْ مَصْلَحَةِ دِينِهِمْ وَدُنْيَاهُمْ. وَلَوْ قُدِّرَ أَنَّ اعْتِرَافَهُمْ بِوُجُودِهِ يَخَافُونَ مَعَهُ أَنْ يَظْهَرَ فَيُعَاقِبَهُمْ عَلَى الذُّنُوبِ، كَانَ مِنَ الْمَعْلُومِ أَنَّ خَوْفَ النَّاسِ مِنْ وُلَاةِ أُمُورِهِمُ الْمَشْهُورِينَ أَنْ يُعَاقِبُوهُمْ، أَعْظَمُ مِنْ خَوْفِ هَؤُلَاءِ مِنْ عُقُوبَةِ الْمُنْتَظَرِ لَهُمْ. ثُمَّ الذُّنُوبُ قِسْمَانِ: مِنْهَا ذُنُوبٌ ظَاهِرَةٌ، كَظُلْمِ النَّاسِ وَالْفَوَاحِشِ الظَّاهِرَةِ، فَهَذِهِ تَخَافُ النَّاسُ (٤) فِيهَا مِنْ عُقُوبَةِ وُلَاةِ أُمُورِهِمْ، أَعَظَمَ مِمَّا يَخَافُهُ الْإِمَامِيَّةُ مِنْ عُقُوبَةِ الْمُنْتَظَرِ. فَعُلِمَ أَنَّ اللُّطْفَ الَّذِي أَوْجَبُوهُ لَا يَحْصُلُ بِالْمُنْتَظَرِ أَصْلًا لِلْعَارِفِ بِهِ وَلَا لِغَيْرِهِ. وَأَمَّا قَوْلُهُمْ إِنَّ اللُّطْفَ بِهِ يَحْصُلُ لِلْعَارِفِينَ بِهِ، كَمَا يَحْصُلُ فِي حَالِ الظُّهُورِ، فَهَذِهِ مُكَابَرَةٌ ظَاهِرَةٌ ; فَإِنَّهُ إِذَا ظَهَرَ حَصَلَ بِهِ مِنْ إِقَامَةِ الْحُدُودِ وَالْوَعْظِ وَغَيْرِ ذَلِكَ، مَا يُوجِبُ أَنْ يَكُونَ فِي ذَلِكَ لُطْفٌ لَا يَحْصُلُ مَعَ عَدَمِ الظُّهُورِ.

(١) ن: وَاعْتَدَّ، م: وَاعْتَدَّا. (٢) حَالَ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ب) . (٣) تَكَرَّرَتْ فِي (ب) عِبَارَاتٌ فِي غَيْرِ مَوْضِعِهَا هَكَذَا، أَكْثَرَ انْتِظَامًا وَصَلَاحًا فِي الْمَعَاشِ وَالْمَعَادِ حَتَّى أَنَّ الْخَبِيرَ بِأَحْوَالِ الْعَالَمِ يَجِدُ بِلَادَ الْكُفَّارِ مِنْ كَثِيرٍ مِنَ الْأَرْضِ. . . . . (٤) ن: النَّفْسُ.