Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (7/170)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

obligatory for their nations, [so how could they omit mentioning what is obligatory for their nations] (1) yet mention something that is not the most obligatory?

The sixth point: The Night Journey took place in Mecca some time before the Hijrah. It is said to have occurred a year and a half before it; another view says five years, and still other views have been expressed. Ali was still young on the night of the Ascension. He had not yet made the Hijrah or taken part in jihad, nor had anything occurred concerning him that would warrant the prophets mentioning him. As for the prophets, Ali [was] (2) never mentioned in their scriptures at all. People have brought to light every reference to the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—contained in these [extant] (3) books of the prophets, yet not one of them contains any mention of Ali. Rather, they have related that the chest held by al-Muqawqis contained portraits of the prophets, as well as an image of Abu Bakr and Umar alongside an image of the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—and that thereby Allah would establish His cause. None of those People of the Book who embraced Islam ever stated that Ali was mentioned in the texts in their possession. How, then, can it be claimed that every prophet was sent to affirm the authority of [Ali] (4), when they never mentioned this to their nations and no one from among those nations ever transmitted it?

[Section on the Twentieth Proof, “And That a Retentive Ear May Retain It,” and the Response to It]

Section

The Rāfidī (5) said: “The twentieth proof is the saying of Allah Most High: ‘And that a retentive ear may retain it’ [Surah al-Hāqqah: 12]. In al-Thalabī’s Tafsīr, he said: ‘The Messenger of Allah

(1) The text between square brackets is omitted from N, S, and B. (2) *Yakun* (“was”) occurs only in M. (3) *Al-mawjūda* (“extant”) occurs only in M. (4) N and M read: *bi-wilāyatihi* (“his authority”). (5) In K, p. 158 (M).

وَاجِبٌ عَلَى أُمَمِهِمْ، [فَكَيْفَ يَتْرُكُونَ ذِكْرَ مَا هُوَ وَاجِبٌ عَلَى أُمَمِهِمْ] (١) وَيَذْكُرُونَ مَا لَيْسَ هُوَ الْأَوْجَبَ؟ الْوَجْهُ السَّادِسُ: أَنَّ لَيْلَةَ الْإِسْرَاءِ كَانَتْ بِمَكَّةَ قَبْلَ الْهِجْرَةِ بِمُدَّةٍ. قِيلَ: إِنَّهَا سَنَةٌ وَنِصْفٌ. وَقِيلَ: إِنَّهَا خَمْسُ سِنِينَ. وَقِيلَ غَيْرُ ذَلِكَ. وَكَانَ عَلِيٌّ صَغِيرًا لَيْلَةَ الْمِعْرَاجِ، لَمْ يَحْصُلْ لَهُ هِجْرَةٌ وَلَا جِهَادٌ وَلَا أَمْرٌ يُوجِبُ أَنْ يَذْكُرَهُ بِهِ الْأَنْبِيَاءُ. وَالْأَنْبِيَاءُ لَمْ [يَكُنْ] (٢) يُذْكَرُ عَلِيٌّ فِي كُتُبِهِمْ أَصْلًا، وَهَذِهِ كُتُبُ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ [الْمَوْجُودَةِ] (٣) الَّتِي أَخْرَجَ النَّاسُ مَا فِيهَا مِنْ ذِكْرِ النَّبِيِّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ -، لَيْسَ فِي شَيْءٍ مِنْهَا ذِكْرُ عَلِيٍّ، بَلْ ذَكَرُوا أَنَّ فِي التَّابُوتِ الَّذِي كَانَ فِيهِ عِنْدَ الْمُقَوْقِسِ صُوَرُ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ - صُورَةَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ مَعَ صُورَةِ النَّبِيِّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ -، وَأَنَّهُ بِهَا يُقِيمُ اللَّهُ أَمْرَهُ. وَهَؤُلَاءِ الَّذِينَ أَسْلَمُوا مِنْ أَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ لَمْ يَذْكُرْ أَحَدٌ مِنْهُمْ أَنَّهُ ذُكِرَ عَلِيٌّ عِنْدَهُمْ، فَكَيْفَ يَجُوزُ أَنْ يُقَالَ: إِنَّ كُلًّا مِنَ الْأَنْبِيَاءِ بُعِثُوا بِالْإِقْرَارِ بِوِلَايَةِ [عَلِيٍّ] (٤) وَلَمْ يَذْكُرُوا ذَلِكَ لِأُمَمِهِمْ وَلَا نَقَلَهُ أَحَدٌ مِنْهُمْ؟ [فصل البرهان العشرون " وَتَعِيَهَا أُذُنٌ وَاعِيَةٌ " والجواب عليه] فَصْلٌ قَالَ الرَّافِضِيُّ (٥) : " الْبُرْهَانُ الْعِشْرُونَ: قَوْلُهُ تَعَالَى: {وَتَعِيَهَا أُذُنٌ وَاعِيَةٌ} [سُورَةُ الْحَاقَّةِ: ١٢] فِي تَفْسِيرِ الثَّعْلَبِيِّ، قَالَ: «قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ

(١) مَا بَيْنَ الْمَعْقُوفَتَيْنِ سَاقِطٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (س) (ب) . (٢) يَكُنْ: فِي (م) فَقَطْ. (٣) الْمَوْجُودَةِ فِي (م) فَقَطْ. (٤) ن، م: بِوِلَايَتِهِ. (٥) فِي (ك) ص ١٥٨ (م) .