Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (7/171)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said: “I asked Allah—Mighty and Majestic—to make it your ear, O Ali.”’ (1) And through the chain of Abū Nuaym, he said: ‘The Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—said: “[O Ali,] (2) Allah has commanded me to draw you near (3) and teach you, (4) O Ali, Allah has commanded me to draw you near and teach you (5) so that you may retain it. This verse was revealed to me (6): ‘And that a retentive ear may retain it.’ You are therefore a retentive ear.”’ (7) No one else attained this distinction, so he must be the Imam.”

The response may be given in several ways:

First, the soundness of the chain of transmission must be established. Al-Thalabī and Abū Nuaym both transmit material that, by consensus, cannot be adduced as proof.

Second, scholars unanimously agree that this report is fabricated (8).

Third, His words—“When the waters overflowed, We carried you aboard the Ark, that We might make it a reminder for you and that a retentive ear might retain it” [Surah al-Hāqqah: 11–12]—are not intended to refer solely to the ear of one person, for this address is directed to the children of Adam.

Their being carried aboard the Ark was one of the greatest signs. Allah Most High said:

“And a sign for them is that We carried their descendants in the laden ship, and created for them the like thereof, on which they ride” [Surah Yūnus: (9)

(1) K reads: “O Alī.” He—peace be upon him—said: “After that, I forgot nothing, nor could I have forgotten it.” (2) *Yā Alī* (“O Alī”) occurs only in M and K. (3) K reads: *uʾdhinuka* (“inform you”). (4) Omitted from M, S, and K. (5) Omitted from M, S, and K. (6) S and B read: *wa-unzila ʿalayya* (“and it was revealed to me”); *ʿalayya* (“to me”) is omitted from M. (7) K reads: *wāʿiya lil-ʿilm* (“retentive of knowledge”). (8) In his commentary on verse 12 of Sūrat al-Hāqqah, Ibn Kathīr cited the first hadith as transmitted by Ibn Abī Hātim and then stated: “Ibn Jarīr likewise narrated it from Alī ibn Sahl, from al-Walīd ibn Muslim, from Alī ibn Hawshab, from Makhūl, with the same report. It is a *mursal* hadith.” He then cited the second hadith, also as transmitted by Ibn Abī Hātim, and stated: “Ibn Jarīr also narrated it [from] Muhammad ibn Khalaf, from Bishr ibn Ādam, with the same report. Ibn Jarīr then narrated it by another route, from Dāwūd al-Aʿmā, from Burayda, with the same report. It is likewise unsound.” See also *Zād al-Masīr*. (9) M has the plural *dhurriyyātihim* (“their descendants”).

- صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ -: سَأَلْتُ اللَّهَ - عَزَّ وَجَلَّ - أَنْ يَجْعَلَهَا أُذُنَكَ يَا عَلِيُّ» (١) . وَمِنْ طَرِيقِ أَبِي نُعَيْمٍ، قَالَ: «قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ -: [يَا عَلِيُّ] (٢) إِنَّ اللَّهَ أَمَرَنِي أَنْ أُدْنِيَكَ (٣) وَأُعَلِّمَكَ، (٤) يَا عَلِيُّ إِنَّ اللَّهَ أَمَرَنِي أَنْ أُدْنِيَكَ وَأُعَلِّمَكَ (٥) لِتَعِيَ، وَأُنْزِلَتْ عَلَيَّ (٦) هَذِهِ الْآيَةُ: {وَتَعِيَهَا أُذُنٌ وَاعِيَةٌ} فَأَنْتَ أُذُنٌ وَاعِيَةٌ» (٧) . وَهَذِهِ الْفَضِيلَةُ لَمْ تَحْصُلْ لِغَيْرِهِ، فَيَكُونُ هُوَ الْإِمَامَ ". وَالْجَوَابُ مِنْ وُجُوهٍ: أَحَدُهَا: بَيَانُ صِحَّةِ الْإِسْنَادِ. وَالثَّعْلَبِيُّ وَأَبُو نُعَيْمٍ يَرْوِيَانِ مَا لَا يُحْتَجُّ بِهِ بِالْإِجْمَاعِ. الثَّانِي: أَنَّ هَذَا مَوْضُوعٌ بِاتِّفَاقِ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ (٨) ٣٤٨. الثَّالِثُ: أَنَّ قَوْلَهُ: {لَمَّا طَغَى الْمَاءُ حَمَلْنَاكُمْ فِي الْجَارِيَةِ - لِنَجْعَلَهَا لَكُمْ تَذْكِرَةً وَتَعِيَهَا أُذُنٌ وَاعِيَةٌ} [سُورَةُ الْحَاقَّةِ: ١١ - ١٢] لَمْ يُرَدْ بِهِ أُذُنُ وَاحِدٍ مِنَ النَّاسِ فَقَطْ، فَإِنَّ هَذَا خِطَابٌ لِبَنِي آدَمَ. وَحَمْلُهُمْ فِي السَّفِينَةِ مِنْ أَعْظَمِ الْآيَاتِ. قَالَ تَعَالَى: {وَآيَةٌ لَهُمْ أَنَّا حَمَلْنَا ذُرِّيَّتَهُمْ فِي الْفُلْكِ الْمَشْحُونِ - وَخَلَقْنَا لَهُمْ مِنْ مِثْلِهِ مَا يَرْكَبُونَ} [سُورَةُ يُونُسَ: (٩)

(١) ك: يَا عَلِيُّ: قَالَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ: فَمَا نَسِيتُ شَيْئًا بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ، وَمَا كَانَ لِي أَنْ أَنْسَاهُ. (٢) يَا عَلِيُّ: فِي (م) ، (ك) فَقَطْ. (٣) ك: أُؤْذِنُكَ. (٤) سَاقِطٌ مَنْ (م) ، (س) (ك) . (٥) سَاقِطٌ مَنْ (م) ، (س) (ك) . (٦) س، ب: وَأُنْزِلَ عَلَيَّ، وَسَقَطَتْ " عَلَيَّ " مِنْ (م) . (٧) ك: وَاعِيَةٌ لِلْعِلْمِ. (٨) ذَكَرَ ابْنُ كَثِيرٍ فِي تَفْسِيرِهِ لِآيَةِ ١٢ مِنْ سُورَةِ الْحَاقَّةِ الْحَدِيثَ الْأَوَّلَ مِنْ رِوَايَةِ ابْنِ أَبِي حَاتِمٍ ثُمَّ قَالَ: " وَهَكَذَا رَوَاهُ ابْنُ جَرِيرٍ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ سَهْلٍ عَنِ الْوَلِيدِ بْنِ مُسْلِمٍ عَنْ عَلِيِّ بْنِ حَوْشَبٍ عَنْ مَكْحُولٍ بِهِ، وَهُوَ حَدِيثٌ مُرْسَلٌ "، ثُمَّ ذَكَرَ الْحَدِيثَ الثَّانِيَ مِنْ رِوَايَةِ ابْنِ أَبِي حَاتِمٍ أَيْضًا، ثُمَّ قَالَ: " وَرَوَاهُ ابْنُ جَرِيرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ خَلَفٍ عَنْ بِشْرِ بْنِ آدَمَ بِهِ، ثُمَّ رَوَاهُ ابْنُ جَرِيرٍ مِنْ طَرِيقٍ آخَرَ عَنْ دَاوُدَ الْأَعْمَى عَنْ بُرَيْدَةَ بِهِ، وَلَا يَصِحُّ أَيْضًا ". وَانْظُرْ: زَادَ الْمَسِيرِ (٩) م: ذُرِّيَّاتِهِمْ.