Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (7/192)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

Allah has condemned both the liar and the one who denies the truth, as He says in more than one verse:

“Who does greater wrong than one who fabricates a lie against Allah or denies the truth when it comes to him?”

[Surah al-Ankabūt: 68]

And He says:

“Who does greater wrong than one who fabricates a lie against Allah or denies His signs?”

[Surah al-Anām: 21]

Accordingly, among the qualities with which Allah described the prophets—who, of all people, are most worthy of this quality—is that each of them brings the truth and does not lie. Each is truthful himself and affirms others as truthful.

Since the phrase “And the one who” denotes a class rather than a particular individual being intended (1), He referred back to it with a plural pronoun, saying:

“And the one who brought the truth and affirmed it—those are the God-fearing.”

[Surah al-Zumar: 33]

You will find many of those who claim affiliation with knowledge and religion do not lie in what they say (2); indeed, they say nothing but the truth. Yet they do not accept the truth reported by others. Rather, caprice and ignorance lead them to brand others liars even when they are truthful—whether they are branding a peer a liar or branding (3) someone outside their faction.

The very act of calling a truthful person a liar is itself a lie. For this reason, He paired such a person with one who lies (4) against Allah, saying:

“Who does greater wrong than one who lies against Allah and denies the truth when it comes to him?”

[Surah al-Zumar: 32]

Thus, both are liars: [the former lies] (5) in what he reports about Allah, whereas the latter lies in what he says about the person who reports from Allah.

(1) S and B read *lā yusaddiqu bihi* (“does not believe it”), which is erroneous. (2) B reads *fīmā yaqūlūn* (“in what they say”). (3) M reads *immā bi-kadhibi nazīrihi, wa-immā bi-kadhibi* (“either because of his peer’s lying, or because of the lying of”). (4) M reads *bil-kadhib* (“with lying”). (5) The phrase “and this one is a liar” occurs only in B.

وَاللَّهُ قَدْ ذَمَّ الْكَاذِبَ وَالْمُكَذِّبَ بِالْحَقِّ ; لِقَوْلِهِ فِي غَيْرِ آيَةٍ: {وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ افْتَرَى عَلَى اللَّهِ كَذِبًا أَوْ كَذَّبَ بِالْحَقِّ لَمَّا جَاءَهُ} [سُورَةُ الْعَنْكَبُوتِ: ٦٨] وَقَالَ: {وَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنِ افْتَرَى عَلَى اللَّهِ كَذِبًا أَوْ كَذَّبَ بِآيَاتِهِ} [سُورَةُ الْأَنْعَامِ: ٢١] . وَلِهَذَا لَمَّا كَانَ مِمَّا وَصَفَ اللَّهُ بِهِ الْأَنْبِيَاءَ، الَّذِينَ هُمْ أَحَقُّ النَّاسِ بِهَذِهِ الصِّفَةِ، أَنَّ كُلًّا مِنْهُمْ يَجِيءُ بِالصِّدْقِ فَلَا يَكْذِبُ، فَكُلٌّ مِنْهُمْ صَادِقٌ فِي نَفْسِهِ مُصَدِّقٌ لِغَيْرِهِ. وَلَمَّا كَانَ قَوْلُهُ: (وَالَّذِي) صِنْفًا مِنَ الْأَصْنَافِ لَا يُقْصَدُ (١) بِهِ وَاحِدٌ بِعَيْنِهِ، أَعَادَ الضَّمِيرَ بِصِيغَةِ الْجَمْعِ فَقَالَ: {وَالَّذِي جَاءَ بِالصِّدْقِ وَصَدَّقَ بِهِ أُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْمُتَّقُونَ} [سُورَةُ الزُّمَرِ: ٣٣] . وَأَنْتَ تَجِدُ كَثِيرًا مِنَ الْمُنْتَسِبِينَ إِلَى عِلْمٍ وَدِينٍ لَا يَكْذِبُونَ فِيمَا يَقُولُونَهُ (٢) ، بَلْ لَا يَقُولُونَ إِلَّا الصِّدْقَ، لَكِنْ لَا يَقْبَلُونَ مَا يُخْبِرُ بِهِ غَيْرَهُمْ مِنَ الصِّدْقِ، بَلْ يَحْمِلُهُمُ الْهَوَى وَالْجَهْلُ عَلَى تَكْذِيبِ غَيْرِهِمْ وَإِنْ كَانَ صَادِقًا إِمَّا تَكْذِيبِ نَظِيرِهِ وَإِمَّا تَكْذِيبِ (٣) مَنْ لَيْسَ مِنْ طَائِفَتِهِ. وَنَفْسُ تَكْذِيبِ الصَّادِقِ هُوَ مِنَ الْكَذِبِ، وَلِهَذَا قَرَنَهُ بِالْكَاذِبِ (٤) عَلَى اللَّهِ، فَقَالَ: {فَمَنْ أَظْلَمُ مِمَّنْ كَذَبَ عَلَى اللَّهِ وَكَذَّبَ بِالصِّدْقِ إِذْ جَاءَهُ} [سُورَةُ الزُّمَرِ: ٣٢] فَكِلَاهُمَا كَاذِبٌ: [هَذَا كَاذِبٌ] (٥) فِيمَا يُخْبِرُ بِهِ عَنِ اللَّهِ، وَهَذَا كَاذِبٌ فِيمَا يُخْبِرُ بِهِ عَنِ الْمُخْبِرِ عَنِ اللَّهِ.

(١) س، ب: لَا يُصَدِّقُ بِهِ، وَهُوَ خَطَأٌ. (٢) ب: فِيمَا يَقُولُونَ. (٣) م: إِمَّا بِكَذِبِ نَظِيرِهِ، وَإِمَّا بِكَذِبِ. (٤) م: بِالْكَذِبِ. (٥) عِبَارَةُ " وَهَذَا كَاذِبٌ " فِي (ب) فَقَطْ.