Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (7/154)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

Alī ibn Abī Tālib.’ It was narrated (1) by the Shāfiī jurist Ibn al-Maghāzilī (2), from Mujāhid, from Ibn Abbās, regarding His saying:

‘And the forerunners, the forerunners.’

He said: ‘Joshua son of Nun was the first to believe in Moses; Moses was the first to believe in Aaron; the man mentioned in Sūrat Yā Sīn was the first to believe in Jesus; and Alī was the first to believe in Muhammad—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—(3). This virtue has not been established for any other Companion; therefore, he must be the Imam (4).’”

The response is given from several perspectives:

The first is to demand authentication of the report, for there is much falsehood in what this man and that man narrate.

The second is that this attribution to Ibn Abbās is false. Even if it were authentically reported from him (5), it would not constitute proof if he were contradicted by someone whose authority was greater than his (6).

The third is that Allah says:

“The first forerunners among the Emigrants and the Helpers, and those who followed them with excellence—Allah is pleased with them and they are pleased with Him, and He has prepared for them Gardens beneath which rivers flow.”

[Surat al-Tawba: 100]

(1) K: “and narrated.” (2) B: “Ibn al-Maghāzī,” which is a textual corruption. (3) K: “Joshua son of Nun preceded others in going to Moses, peace be upon him; Moses preceded others in going to Pharaoh; the man mentioned in Sūrat Yā Sīn preceded others in going to Jesus, peace be upon him; and Alī, peace be upon him, preceded others in going to Muhammad—may Allah bless him and his family.” (4) K: “He would therefore be the most virtuous, and thus he would be the Imam.” (5) The words “from him” are omitted from S and B. (6) Shāh Abd al-Azīz al-Dihlawī said (*Mukhtasar al-Tuhfa al-Ithnā Ashariyya*, pp. 158–159): “The chain of transmission of this report rests upon Abū al-Hasan al-Ashqar, who is unanimously regarded as weak. Al-Uqaylī said: ‘He is a Shia narrator whose hadith is rejected.’ It is not unlikely that this hadith is fabricated, for one indication of fabrication is that the man mentioned in Sūrat Yā Sīn was not the first to believe in Jesus, but rather the first to believe in his messengers, as the express wording of the Book indicates … and so forth.”

عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَبِي طَالِبٍ. رَوَى (١) الْفَقِيهُ ابْنُ الْمَغَازِلِيِّ (٢) الشَّافِعِيُّ، عَنْ مُجَاهِدٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ فِي قَوْلِهِ: {وَالسَّابِقُونَ السَّابِقُونَ} قَالَ: سَبَقَ يُوشَعُ بْنُ نُونٍ إِلَى مُوسَى، وَسَبَقَ مُوسَى إِلَى هَارُونَ، وَسَبَقَ صَاحِبُ يس إِلَى عِيسَى، وَسَبَقَ عَلِيٌّ إِلَى مُحَمَّدٍ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - (٣) . وَهَذِهِ الْفَضِيلَةُ لَمْ تَثْبُتْ لِغَيْرِهِ مِنَ الصَّحَابَةِ، فَيَكُونُ هُوَ الْإِمَامَ (٤) ". وَالْجَوَابُ مِنْ وُجُوهٍ: أَحَدُهَا: الْمُطَالَبَةُ بِصِحَّةِ النَّقْلِ، فَإِنَّ الْكَذِبَ كَثِيرٌ فِيمَا يَرْوِيهِ هَذَا وَهَذَا. الثَّانِي: أَنَّ هَذَا بَاطِلٌ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ، وَلَوْ صَحَّ عَنْهُ (٥) لَمْ يَكُنْ حُجَّةً إِذَا خَالَفَهُ مَنْ هُوَ أَقْوَى مِنْهُ (٦) . الثَّالِثُ: أَنَّ اللَّهَ يَقُولُ: {وَالسَّابِقُونَ الْأَوَّلُونَ مِنَ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ وَالْأَنْصَارِ وَالَّذِينَ اتَّبَعُوهُمْ بِإِحْسَانٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ وَرَضُوا عَنْهُ وَأَعَدَّ لَهُمْ جَنَّاتٍ تَجْرِي تَحْتَهَا الْأَنْهَارُ} [سُورَةُ التَّوْبَةِ: ١٠٠]

(١) ك: وَرَوَى. (٢) ب: ابْنُ الْمُغَازِيِّ، وَهُوَ تَحْرِيفٌ. (٣) ك: سَبَقَ يُوشَعُ بْنُ نُونٍ إِلَى مُوسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ، وَسَبَقَ مُوسَى إِلَى فِرْعَوْنَ، وَصَاحِبُ يس إِلَى عِيسَى عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ، وَسَبَقَ عَلِيٌّ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ إِلَى مُحَمَّدٍ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ. (٤) ك: فَيَكُونُ أَفْضَلَ، فَيَكُونُ هُوَ الْإِمَامَ. (٥) عَنْهُ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (س) ، (ب) . (٦) قَالَ شَاهْ عَبْدُ الْعَزِيزِ الدَّهْلَوِيُّ (مُخْتَصَرُ التُّحْفَةِ الِاثْنَى عَشْرِيَّةَ ص ١٥٨ - ١٥٩) " وَمَدَارُ إِسْنَادِ هَذِهِ الرِّوَايَةِ عَلَى أَبِي الْحَسَنِ الْأَشْقَرِ، وَهُوَ ضَعِيفٌ بِالْإِجْمَاعِ، قَالَ الْعُقَيْلِيُّ: هُوَ شِيعِيٌّ مَتْرُوكُ الْحَدِيثِ، وَلَا يَبْعُدُ أَنْ يَكُونَ هَذَا الْحَدِيثُ مَوْضُوعًا إِذْ فِيهِ مِنْ أَمَارَاتِ الْوَضْعِ أَنَّ صَاحِبَ يَاسِينَ لَمْ يَكُنْ أَوَّلَ مَنْ آمَنَ بِعِيسَى بَلْ بِرُسُلِهِ، كَمَا يَدُلُّ عَلَيْهِ نَصُّ الْكِتَابِ. . . إِلَخْ ".