Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (7/191)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

the truth he affirmed is not (1) the very same truth he brought, just as one says: “So-and-so hears the truth, speaks the truth and accepts it, and enjoins justice and acts upon it.” That is, he is characterized by speaking the truth to others, accepting the truth from others, and combining the enjoining of justice with acting upon it—even though much of the justice he enjoins is not identical to the justice he himself practices.

Thus, when Allah—Glorified is He—condemned anyone characterized by either of two qualities—lying against Allah or denying the truth—since either one, on its own, warrants condemnation (2), He praised the one who is the opposite of both and free from both: one who brings truth rather than falsehood and who, in addition, affirms the truth. He is not one who speaks the truth himself but, when another speaks it, does not (3) believe him. Indeed, some people speak truth and do not lie, yet resent another taking their place in this out of envy and rivalry. They therefore accuse the other person of lying when he speaks truth, or else refuse to believe him and turn away from him.

Among them, too, is one who believes one faction in what it says before knowing whether what they have said is true or false; yet he does not believe the other faction (4) in what it says, even when what it says is true. Rather, he either believes it or turns away from it (5).

This is found among the followers of caprice generally: you will find many of them truthful in what they report, yet each turns away from whatever would move him away from his own faction. Such a person therefore falls not under the praise but under the condemnation, because he did not affirm the truth that came to him.

(1) *Laysa* (“is not”) is omitted from S and B. (2) *Bihi* (“thereby”) is omitted from S and B. (3) M reads *lā* (“does not”). (4) S and B read *lā tusaddiquhā* (“not believe it”), with a t-prefixed verb. (5) S and B read *bal immā an tusaddiquhā wa-immā an tuʿrida ʿanhā* (“rather, either believe it or turn away from it”), with t-prefixed verbs.

يَكُونُ الصِّدْقُ الَّذِي صُدِّقَ بِهِ لَيْسَ (١) هُوَ عَيْنَ الصِّدْقِ الَّذِي جَاءَ بِهِ، كَمَا تَقُولُ: فُلَانٌ يَسْمَعُ الْحَقَّ، وَيَقُولُ الْحَقَّ وَيَقْبَلُهُ، وَيَأْمُرُ بِالْعَدْلِ وَيَعْمَلُ بِهِ. أَيْ هُوَ مَوْصُوفٌ بِقَوْلِ الْحَقِّ لِغَيْرِهِ، وَقَبُولِ الْحَقِّ مِنْ غَيْرِهِ، وَأَنَّهُ يَجْمَعُ بَيْنَ الْأَمْرِ بِالْعَدْلِ وَالْعَمَلِ بِهِ. وَإِنْ كَانَ كَثِيرٌ مِنَ الْعَدْلِ الَّذِي يَأْمُرُ بِهِ لَيْسَ هُوَ عَيْنَ الْعَدْلِ الَّذِي يَعْمَلُ بِهِ. فَلَمَّا ذَمَّ اللَّهُ سُبْحَانَهُ مَنِ اتَّصَفَ بِأَحَدِ الْوَصْفَيْنِ: الْكَذِبِ عَلَى اللَّهِ، وَالتَّكْذِيبِ بِالْحَقِّ، إِذْ كَلٌّ مِنْهُمَا يَسْتَحِقُّ بِهِ (٢) الذَّمَّ، مَدَحَ ضِدَّهُمَا الْخَالِيَ عَنْهُمَا، بِأَنْ يَكُونَ يَجِيءُ بِالصِّدْقِ لَا بِالْكَذِبِ، وَأَنْ يَكُونَ مَعَ ذَلِكَ مُصَدِّقًا بِالْحَقِّ، لَا يَكُونُ مِمَّنْ يَقُولُهُ هُوَ، وَإِذَا قَالَهُ غَيْرُهُ لَمْ (٣) يُصَدِّقْهُ، فَإِنَّ مِنَ النَّاسِ مَنْ يَصْدُقُ وَلَا يَكْذِبُ، لَكِنْ يَكْرَهُ: أَنَّ غَيْرَهُ يَقُومُ مَقَامَهُ فِي ذَلِكَ حَسَدًا وَمُنَافَسَةً، فَيُكَذِّبُ غَيْرَهُ فِي صِدْقِهِ أَوْ لَا يُصَدِّقُهُ، بَلْ يُعْرِضُ عَنْهُ. وَفِيهِمْ مَنْ يُصَدِّقُ طَائِفَةً فِيمَا قَالَتْ، قَبْلَ أَنْ يَعْلَمَ مَا قَالُوهُ: أَصِدْقٌ هُوَ أَمْ كَذِبٌ؟ وَالطَّائِفَةُ الْأُخْرَى لَا يُصَدِّقُهَا (٤) فِيمَا تَقُولُ وَإِنْ كَانَ صَادِقًا، بَلْ إِمَّا أَنْ يُصَدِّقَهَا وَإِمَّا أَنْ يُعْرِضَ عَنْهَا (٥) . وَهَذَا مَوْجُودٌ فِي عَامَّةِ أَهْلِ الْأَهْوَاءِ: تَجِدُ كَثِيرًا مِنْهُمْ صَادِقًا فِيمَا يَنْقُلُهُ، لَكِنْ مَا يَنْقُلُهُ عَنْ طَائِفَتِهِ يُعْرِضُ عَنْهُ، فَلَا يَدْخُلُ هَذَا فِي الْمَدْحِ، بَلْ فِي الذَّمِّ ; لِأَنَّهُ لَمْ يُصَدِّقْ بِالْحَقِّ الَّذِي جَاءَهُ.

(١) لَيْسَ سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (س) (ب) . (٢) بِهِ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (س) ، (ب) . (٣) م: لَا. (٤) س، ب: لَا تُصَدِّقُهَا. (٥) س، ب: بَلْ إِمَّا أَنْ تُصَدِّقَهَا وَإِمَّا أَنْ تُعْرِضَ عَنْهَا.