Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (6/401)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

behind someone who is not infallible, are judged by someone who is not infallible, obey someone who is not infallible (1), and have their wealth taken by someone who is not infallible?

If it is said, “All matters ultimately revert to the infallible ones,” the reply is:

Even if the infallible person were capable and wielded authority, as Umar, Uthmān, Muāwiya, and others did, he would still be unable to deliver to every one of his subjects (2) the requisite justice of which he himself was aware. The most he could do would be to appoint the best person available to him. But if he found (3) no one except a person who was incapable or unjust, how could he appoint someone capable and just? (4)

If they say, “If Allah created no one but such a person, the duty is lifted from him,” the reply is:

If it is not incumbent upon Allah to create someone who is fully capable and just, but He instead requires the imam to do whatever lies within his ability, then the people must likewise appoint the most suitable person Allah Most High has created, even if he has a deficiency—whether in his ability or in his justice.

Umar—may Allah be pleased with him—used to say:

“O Allah, to You I complain of the vigor of the wicked (5) and the incapacity of the trustworthy.”

No one governed the world as Umar did, so what can be expected of anyone else?

All this is assuming that the person in authority is himself capable and just. What, then, if the infallible person is powerless? Indeed, what if he cannot even be found? Who will bring the subjects before him so that they may inform him of their circumstances? Who will compel them to obey him so that they actually do so? And if one of his deputies professes

(1) N and M read: “they obey someone who is not infallible, and someone who is not infallible judges between them.” (2) N reads: “subjects” [without the possessive pronoun], which is a corruption. (3) N reads: “it is not permissible.” (4) B reads: “capable of it,” which is a corruption. (5) B reads: “the incapable person,” which is an error. The word is undotted in M.

خَلْفَ غَيْرِ مَعْصُومٍ، وَيَحْكُمُ بَيْنَهُمْ غَيْرُ مَعْصُومٍ، وَيُطِيعُونَ غَيْرَ مَعْصُومٍ (١) ، وَيَأْخُذُ أَمْوَالَهُمْ غَيْرُ مَعْصُومٍ؟ . فَإِنْ قِيلَ: الْأُمُورُ تَرْجِعُ إِلَى الْمَعْصُومِينَ. قِيلَ: لَوْ كَانَ الْمَعْصُومُ قَادِرًا ذَا سُلْطَانٍ، كَمَا كَانَ عُمَرُ وَعُثْمَانُ وَمُعَاوِيَةُ وَغَيْرُهُمْ، لَمْ يَتَمَكَّنْ أَنْ يُوصِلَ إِلَى كُلٍّ مِنْ رَعِيَّتِهِ (٢) الْعَدْلَ الْوَاجِبَ الَّذِي يَعْلَمُهُ هُوَ. وَغَايَةُ مَا يَقْدِرُ عَلَيْهِ أَنْ يُوَلِّيَ أَفْضَلَ مَنْ يَقْدِرُ عَلَيْهِ، لَكِنْ إِذَا لَمْ يَجِدْ (٣) إِلَّا عَاجِزًا أَوْ ظَالِمًا، كَيْفَ يُمْكِنُهُ تَوْلِيَةُ قَادِرٍ عَادِلٍ؟ (٤) . فَإِنْ قَالُوا: إِذَا لَمْ يَخْلُقِ اللَّهُ إِلَّا هَذَا سَقَطَ عَنْهُ التَّكْلِيفُ. قِيلَ: فَإِذَا لَمْ يَجِبْ عَلَى اللَّهِ أَنْ يَخْلُقَ قَادِرًا عَادِلًا مُطْلَقًا، بَلْ أَوْجَبَ عَلَى الْإِمَامِ أَنْ يَفْعَلَ مَا يَقْدِرُ عَلَيْهِ، فَكَذَلِكَ النَّاسُ عَلَيْهِمْ أَنْ يُوَلُّوا أَصْلَحَ مَنْ خَلَقَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى، وَإِنْ كَانَ فِيهِ نَقْصٌ: إِمَّا مِنْ قُدْرَتِهِ، وَإِمَّا مِنْ عَدْلِهِ. وَقَدْ كَانَ عُمَرُ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ - يَقُولُ: " اللَّهُمَّ إِلَيْكَ أَشْكُو جَلَدَ الْفَاجِرِ (٥) وَعَجْزَ الثِّقَةِ " ، وَمَا سَاسَ الْعَالَمَ أَحَدٌ مِثْلُ عُمَرَ، فَكَيْفَ الظَّنُّ بِغَيْرِهِ؟ . هَذَا إِذَا كَانَ الْمُتَوَلِّي نَفْسُهُ قَادِرًا عَادِلًا، فَكَيْفَ إِذَا كَانَ الْمَعْصُومُ عَاجِزًا؟ بَلْ كَيْفَ إِذَا كَانَ مَفْقُودًا؟ مَنِ الَّذِي يُوَصِّلُ الرَّعِيَّةَ إِلَيْهِ حَتَّى يُخْبِرُوهُ بِأَحْوَالِهِمْ؟ وَمَنِ الَّذِي يُلْزِمُهَا بِطَاعَتِهِ حَتَّى تُطِيعَهُ؟ وَإِذَا أَظْهَرَ بَعْضُ نُوَّابِهِ

(١) ن، م: وَيُطِيعُونَ غَيْرَ مَعْصُومٍ وَيَحْكُمُ بَيْنَهُمْ غَيْرُ مَعْصُومٍ. (٢) ن: رَعِيَّةٍ، وَهُوَ تَحْرِيفٌ. (٣) ن: لَمْ يَجُزْ. (٤) ب: قَادِرٌ عَلَيْهِ، وَهُوَ تَحْرِيفٌ. (٥) ب: الْعَاجِزِ، وَهُوَ خَطَأٌ، وَالْكَلِمَةُ غَيْرُ مَنْقُوطَةٍ فِي (م) .