Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (7/293)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

for this indicates his superiority(1), and thus he is the Imam. There are many verses to this effect(2); for brevity, we have confined ourselves to those we have mentioned(3).”

The response may be given in several ways:

First: His statement, “The Quran commentators unanimously agree that ‘the righteous among the believers’ refers to Alī,” is an obvious lie. They did not unanimously agree on this, nor has any scholar of Quranic exegesis, hadith, or related fields reported such a consensus. We demand that they produce this report: who has transmitted this consensus?

Second: It may be said that works of Quranic exegesis are filled with statements to the contrary. Ibn Masūd, Ikrima, Mujāhid, al-Dahhāk, and others said that it refers to Abū Bakr and Umar. A number of commentators, including Ibn Jarīr al-Tabarī and others, mentioned this view.

It was also said that it refers to Abū Bakr; Makhūl narrated this from Abū Umāma.

It was said that it refers to Umar, as stated by Saīd ibn Jubayr and Mujāhid.

It was said that it refers to the best of the believers, as stated by al-Rabī ibn Anas.

It was said that it refers to the Prophets, as stated by Qatāda, al-Alā ibn Ziyād, and Sufyān.

It was said that it refers to Alī. Al-Māwardī reported this view but did not name its proponent; perhaps its proponent was one of the Shi'ah(4).

(1) M reads: “superiority.” (2) K reads: “…the Imam—peace be upon him—and the verses mentioned in this…” (3) N, S, and B read: “to what we have mentioned.” (4) Ibn al-Jawzī records these six views in *Zād al-Masīr*, vol. 8, pp. 310–311. Some of them also appear in *Tafsīr al-Tabarī*, vol. 28, p. 105 (Būlāq ed.). *Tafsīr Ibn Kathīr*, vol. 8, p. 192, states that Saīd ibn Jubayr, Ikrima, Muqātil ibn Hayyān, al-Dahhāk, and others likewise said that “the righteous among the believers” refers to Abū Bakr and Umar. Al-Hasan al-Basrī added Uthmān. Layth ibn Abī Sulaym related from Mujāhid that “the righteous among the believers” refers to Alī ibn Abī Tālib. Ibn Abī Hātim said: “Alī ibn al-Husayn narrated to us; Muhammad ibn Abī Umar narrated to us; Muhammad ibn Jafar ibn Muhammad ibn Alī ibn al-Husayn narrated to us, saying: ‘A trustworthy man informed me, tracing the report back to Alī, who said: The Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—said regarding the words “and the righteous among the believers”: “It is Alī ibn Abī Tālib.”’” Its *isnād* (chain of transmission) is weak, and the report is highly objectionable (*munkar*).

بِذَلِكَ يَدُلُّ عَلَى أَفْضَلِيَّتِهِ (١) .، فَيَكُونُ هُوَ الْإِمَامَ. وَالْآيَاتُ فِي هَذَا (٢) . الْمَعْنَى كَثِيرَةٌ، اقْتَصَرْنَا عَلَى مَا ذَكَرْنَا (٣) . لِلِاخْتِصَارِ ". وَالْجَوَابُ مِنْ وُجُوهٍ: أَحَدُهَا: قَوْلُهُ: " أَجْمَعَ الْمُفَسِّرُونَ عَلَى أَنَّ صَالِحَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ هُوَ عَلِيٌّ " كَذِبٌ مُبِينٌ، فَإِنَّهُمْ لَمْ يُجْمِعُوا عَلَى هَذَا، وَلَا نَقَلَ الْإِجْمَاعَ عَلَى هَذَا أَحَدٌ مِنْ عُلَمَاءِ التَّفْسِيرِ، وَلَا عُلَمَاءِ الْحَدِيثِ وَنَحْوِهِمْ. وَنَحْنُ نُطَالِبُهُمْ بِهَذَا النَّقْلِ، وَمَنْ نَقَلَ هَذَا الْإِجْمَاعَ؟ . الثَّانِي: أَنْ يُقَالَ: كُتُبُ التَّفْسِيرِ مَمْلُوءَةٌ بِنَقِيضِ هَذَا. قَالَ ابْنُ مَسْعُودٍ: وَعِكْرِمَةُ وَمُجَاهِدٌ وَالضَّحَّاكُ وَغَيْرُهُمْ: هُوَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرُ. وَذَكَرَ هَذَا جَمَاعَةٌ مِنَ الْمُفَسِّرِينَ، كَابْنِ جَرِيرٍ الطَّبَرِيِّ وَغَيْرِهِ. وَقِيلَ: هُوَ أَبُو بَكْرٍ، رَوَاهُ مَكْحُولٌ عَنْ أَبِي أُمَامَةَ. وَقِيلَ: عُمَرُ، قَالَهُ سَعِيدُ بْنُ جُبَيْرٍ وَمُجَاهِدٌ. وَقِيلَ: خِيَارُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ، قَالَهُ الرَّبِيعُ بْنُ أَنَسٍ. وَقِيلَ: هُمُ الْأَنْبِيَاءُ، قَالَهُ قَتَادَةُ وَالْعَلَاءُ بْنُ زِيَادٍ وَسُفْيَانُ. وَقِيلَ: هُوَ عَلِيٌّ، حَكَاهُ الْمَاوَرْدِيُّ، وَلَمْ يُسَمِّ قَائِلَهُ، فَلَعَلَّهُ بَعْضُ الشِّيعَةِ (٤) . .

(١) م: أَفْضَلِيَّةٍ (٢) ك. . . الْإِمَامَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ، وَالْآيَاتُ الْمَذْكُورَةُ فِي هَذَا (٣) ن، س، ب: عَلَى مَا ذَكَرْنَاهُ (٤) ذَكَرَ هَذِهِ الْأَقْوَالَ السِّتَّةَ ابْنُ الْجَوْزِيِّ فِي " زَادِ الْمَسِيرِ " ٨: ٣١٠ - ٣١١ وَفِي تَفْسِيرِ الطَّبَرِيِّ ٢٨/١٠٥ " ط. بُولَاقَ "، ذَكَرَ بَعْضَ هَذِهِ الْأَقْوَالِ، وَفِي تَفْسِيرِ ابْنِ كَثِيرٍ ٨/١٩٢ وَكَذَا قَالَ سَعِيدُ بْنُ جُبَيْرٍ وَعِكْرِمَةُ، وَمُقَاتِلُ بْنُ حَيَّانَ، وَالضَّحَّاكُ وَغَيْرُهُمْ: (وَصَالِحُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ) : أَبُو بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرُ، زَادَ الْحَسَنُ الْبَصْرِيُّ: وَعُثْمَانُ، وَقَالَ لَيْثُ بْنُ أَبِي سُلَيْمٍ عَنْ مُجَاهِدٍ: (وَصَالِحُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ) قَالَ: عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَبِي طَالِبٍ، وَقَالَ ابْنُ أَبِي حَاتِمٍ: حَدَّثَنَا عَلِيُّ بْنُ الْحُسَيْنِ، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ أَبِي عُمَرَ، حَدَّثَنَا مُحَمَّدُ بْنُ جَعْفَرِ بْنِ مُحَمَّدِ بْنِ عَلِيِّ بْنِ الْحُسَيْنِ قَالَ: أَخْبَرَنِي رَجُلٌ ثِقَةٌ يَرْفَعُهُ إِلَى عَلِيٍّ قَالَ: قَالَ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: قَوْلُهُ: " وَصَالِحُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ " قَالَ: " هُوَ عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَبِي طَالِبٍ " إِسْنَادُهُ ضَعِيفٌ، وَهُوَ مُنْكَرٌ جِدًّا