Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (7/218)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

Moreover, some of the Arabs apostatized from Islam without following any lying pretender to prophethood.

Among them were people who affirmed the two testimonies of faith but refused to abide by their requirements, such as those who withheld zakat. Their accounts are well known through mass transmission and familiar to anyone with even the slightest knowledge of this subject.

Those who fought the apostates [are among those whom Allah loves and who love Him] (1), and they have the strongest claim of all people to be included in this verse. The same applies to those who fought the other disbelievers—the Byzantines and the Persians. These were Abū Bakr, Umar, and those from Yemen and elsewhere who followed them. Accordingly, it is related that when this verse was revealed, the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—was asked about these people. He pointed to Abū Mūsā al-Asharī and said:

“They are this man’s people.” (2)

It is therefore known through mass transmission and as a matter of necessity that those who upheld Islam and remained steadfast upon it at the time of the apostasy, and who fought the apostates and the disbelievers, are included in His words:

“Allah will bring forth a people whom He loves and who love Him, humble toward the believers and mighty against the disbelievers, striving in the way of Allah and fearing no reproach from any critic.”

[Surah al-Mā’idah: 54].

As for Alī—may Allah be pleased with him—there is no doubt that he is among those who love Allah and whom Allah loves. Yet he has no greater claim to this description than Abū Bakr, Umar, and Uthmān. Nor was his jihad against the disbelievers and apostates greater than theirs, nor was the benefit secured for the religion through him any greater (3) than that secured through them. Rather, each of them has praiseworthy endeavors, meritorious works, and a righteous legacy in Islam. Allah will grant them the finest reward for what they did for Islam and its people, for they are

(1) All manuscripts read: “and among those who fight the apostates—and they are the people with the greatest right…” The sentence is incoherent; perhaps the reading I have adopted makes the wording coherent. (2) Al-Tabarī cited this hadith in his *Tafsīr*, 10:414–415. See the editor’s note. (3) The text between the two asterisks is omitted from M.

وَأَيْضًا فَكَانَ مِنَ الْعَرَبِ مَنِ ارْتَدَّ عَنِ الْإِسْلَامِ، وَلَمْ يَتَّبِعْ مُتَنَبِّئًا كَذَّابًا. وَمِنْهُمْ قَوْمٌ أَقَرُّوا بِالشَّهَادَتَيْنِ، لَكِنِ امْتَنَعُوا مِنْ أَحْكَامِهِمَا كَمَانِعِي الزَّكَاةِ. وَقِصَصُ هَؤُلَاءِ مَشْهُورَةٌ مُتَوَاتِرَةٌ يَعْرِفُهَا كُلُّ مَنْ لَهُ بِهَذَا الْبَابِ أَدْنَى مَعْرِفَةٍ. وَالْمُقَاتِلُونَ لِلْمُرْتَدِّينَ [هُمْ مِنَ الَّذِينَ يُحِبُّهُمُ اللَّهُ وَيُحِبُّونَهُ] (١) ، وَهُمْ أَحَقُّ النَّاسِ بِالدُّخُولِ فِي هَذِهِ الْآيَةِ، وَكَذَلِكَ الَّذِينَ قَاتَلُوا سَائِرَ الْكُفَّارِ مِنَ الرُّومِ وَالْفُرْسِ. وَهَؤُلَاءِ أَبُو بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرُ وَمَنِ اتَّبَعَهُمَا مِنْ أَهْلِ الْيَمَنِ وَغَيْرِهِمْ. وَلِهَذَا رُوِيَ أَنَّ هَذِهِ الْآيَةَ لَمَّا نَزَلَتْ سُئِلَ النَّبِيُّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - عَنْ هَؤُلَاءِ، فَأَشَارَ إِلَى أَبِي مُوسَى الْأَشْعَرِيِّ، وَقَالَ: " هُمْ قَوْمُ هَذَا " (٢) . فَهَذَا أَمْرٌ يُعْرَفُ بِالتَّوَاتُرِ وَالضَّرُورَةِ: أَنَّ الَّذِينَ أَقَامُوا الْإِسْلَامَ وَثَبَتُوا عَلَيْهِ حِينَ الرِّدَّةِ، وَقَاتَلُوا الْمُرْتَدِّينَ وَالْكُفَّارَ، هُمْ دَاخِلُونَ فِي قَوْلِهِ: {فَسَوْفَ يَأْتِي اللَّهُ بِقَوْمٍ يُحِبُّهُمْ وَيُحِبُّونَهُ أَذِلَّةٍ عَلَى الْمُؤْمِنِينَ أَعِزَّةٍ عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ يُجَاهِدُونَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ وَلَا يَخَافُونَ لَوْمَةَ لَائِمٍ} [سُورَةُ الْمَائِدَةِ: ٥٤] . وَأَمَّا عَلِيٌّ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ - فَلَا رَيْبَ أَنَّهُ مِمَّنْ يُحِبُّ اللَّهَ وَيُحِبُّهُ اللَّهُ، لَكِنْ لَيْسَ بِأَحَقَّ بِهَذِهِ الصِّفَةِ مِنْ أَبِي بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ وَعُثْمَانَ، وَلَا * كَانَ جِهَادُهُ لِلْكُفَّارِ وَالْمُرْتَدِّينَ أَعْظَمَ مِنْ جِهَادِ هَؤُلَاءِ، وَلَا حَصَلَ بِهِ مِنَ الْمَصْلَحَةِ لِلدِّينِ أَعْظَمُ * (٣) مِمَّا حَصَلَ بِهَؤُلَاءِ، بَلْ كُلٌّ مِنْهُمْ لَهُ سَعْيٌ مَشْكُورٌ وَعَمَلٌ مَبْرُورٌ وَآثَارٌ صَالِحَةٌ فِي الْإِسْلَامِ، وَاللَّهُ يَجْزِيهِمْ عَنِ الْإِسْلَامِ وَأَهْلِهِ خَيْرَ جَزَاءٍ، فَهُمُ

(١) فِي جَمِيعِ النُّسَخِ: وَمِنَ الْمُقَاتِلِينَ لِلْمُرْتَدِّينَ، وَهُمْ أَحَقُّ النَّاسِ، إِلَخْ، وَالْكَلَامُ غَيْرُ مُسْتَقِيمٍ، وَلَعَلَّ مَا أَثْبَتُّهُ تَسْتَقِيمُ بِهِ الْعِبَارَةُ. (٢) ذَكَرَ هَذَا الْحَدِيثَ الطَّبَرِيُّ فِي تَفْسِيرِهِ ١٠/٤١٤ - ٤١٥ " وَانْظُرْ تَعْلِيقَ الْمُحَقِّقِ ". (٣) مَا بَيْنَ النَّجْمَتَيْنِ سَاقِطٌ مِنْ (م)