Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (7/161)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

and given charity, he will be rewarded for his intention. Anyone for whom no reason arose to consult him privately would not thereby be deemed deficient. But if someone had a reason that called for private consultation and refrained from it out of miserliness, he left a recommended act undone. Nor can it be attested that the caliphs belonged to this category. It is not known that all three of them (1) were present when this verse was revealed. Some of them may have been absent, some may themselves have been needy, or there may have been no occasion for private consultation.

The verse did not remain unabrogated long enough for one to conclude that a need for private consultation must inevitably have arisen over that period.

Even supposing that one of them omitted a recommended act, we have explained more than once that performing a recommended act does not necessarily make someone absolutely superior to another.

It is established in the two Sahih collections:

“The Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said to his Companions, ‘Which of you is fasting today?’ Abū Bakr replied, ‘I am.’ He asked, ‘Which of you has followed a funeral procession?’ Abū Bakr replied, ‘I have.’ He asked, ‘Has any of you visited a sick person?’ Abū Bakr replied, ‘I have.’ He asked, ‘Has any of you given charity?’ Abū Bakr replied, ‘I have.’ He said, ‘Whenever these qualities come together in a servant, he is among the people of Paradise.’” (2)

No comparable combination of these four deeds in a single day has been reported of Alī or anyone else.

It is also established in the two Sahih collections that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said:

“Whoever gives a pair of anything in Allah’s cause will be called from the gates of Paradise: ‘O servant of Allah, this is good.’ If he was among those

(1) B: “that all three of them were.” (2) The hadith—with some variation in wording—is narrated from Abū Hurayrah, may Allah be pleased with him, in Muslim, 2/713 (Book of Zakat, chapter “Whoever Combines Charity with Righteous Deeds”).

فَتَصَدَّقَ، فَلَهُ نِيَّتُهُ وَأَجْرُهُ، وَمَنْ لَمْ يَعْرِضْ لَهُ سَبَبٌ يُنَاجِي لِأَجْلِهِ لَمْ يُجْعَلْ نَاقِصًا، وَلَكِنْ مَنْ عَرَضَ لَهُ سَبَبٌ اقْتَضَى الْمُنَاجَاةَ فَتَرَكَهُ بُخْلًا، فَهَذَا قَدْ تَرَكَ الْمُسْتَحَبَّ. وَلَا يُمْكِنُ أَنْ يُشْهَدَ عَلَى الْخُلَفَاءِ أَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا مِنْ هَذَا الضَّرْبِ، وَلَا يُعْلَمُ أَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا ثَلَاثَتُهُمْ (١) حَاضِرِينَ عِنْدَ نُزُولِ هَذِهِ الْآيَةِ، بَلْ يُمْكِنُ غَيْبَةُ بَعْضِهِمْ، وَيُمْكِنُ حَاجَةُ بَعْضِهِمْ، وَيُمْكِنُ عَدَمُ الدَّاعِي إِلَى الْمُنَاجَاةِ. وَلَمْ يَطُلْ زَمَانُ عَدَمِ نَسْخِ الْآيَةِ، حَتَّى يُعْلَمَ أَنَّ الزَّمَانَ الطَّوِيلَ لَا بُدَّ أَنْ تَعْرِضَ فِيهِ حَاجَةٌ إِلَى الْمُنَاجَاةِ. وَبِتَقْدِيرِ أَنْ يَكُونَ أَحَدُهُمْ تَرْكَ الْمُسْتَحَبَّ، فَقَدْ بَيَّنَّا غَيْرَ مَرَّةٍ أَنَّ مَنْ فَعَلَ مُسْتَحَبًّا لَمْ يَجِبْ أَنْ يَكُونَ أَفْضَلَ مِنْ غَيْرِهِ مُطْلَقًا. وَقَدْ ثَبَتَ فِي الصَّحِيحَيْنِ «أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - قَالَ لِأَصْحَابِهِ: مَنْ أَصْبَحَ مِنْكُمُ الْيَوْمَ صَائِمًا؟ " فَقَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ: أَنَا. قَالَ: " فَمَنْ تَبِعَ مِنْكُمْ جِنَازَةً؟ " قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ: أَنَا. قَالَ: " هَلْ فِيكُمْ مَنْ عَادَ مَرِيضًا؟ " قَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ: أَنَا. قَالَ: " هَلْ فِيكُمْ مَنْ تَصَدَّقَ بِصَدَقَةٍ؟ " فَقَالَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ: أَنَا. قَالَ: " مَا اجْتَمَعَ لِعَبْدٍ هَذِهِ الْخِصَالُ إِلَّا وَهُوَ مِنْ أَهْلِ الْجَنَّةِ» (٢) . وَهَذِهِ الْأَرْبَعَةُ لَمْ يُنْقَلْ مِثْلُهَا لِعَلِيٍّ وَلَا غَيْرِهِ فِي يَوْمٍ. وَفِي الصَّحِيحَيْنِ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - قَالَ: «مَنْ أَنْفَقَ زَوْجَيْنِ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ دُعِيَ مِنْ أَبْوَابِ الْجَنَّةِ: يَا عَبْدَ اللَّهِ هَذَا خَيْرٌ، فَإِنْ كَانَ مِنْ

(١) ب: أَنَّهُمْ ثَلَاثَتُهُمْ كَانُوا. (٢) الْحَدِيثُ مَعَ اخْتِلَافٍ فِي اللَّفْظِ - عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ فِي مُسْلِمٍ ٢/٧١٣ (كِتَابُ الزَّكَاةِ بَابُ مَنْ جَمَعَ الصَّدَقَةَ وَأَعْمَالَ الْبِرِّ) .