Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (7/339)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

Thus, whoever is familiar with the Messenger’s life, the circumstances of the Companions, and the meanings of the Quran and hadith will know that there is nothing unique to Alī that establishes either his superiority or his imamate. Rather, his virtues are shared by others. Their benefits include establishing Alī’s faith and wilāya, and refuting the Nāsibīs who revile him, brand him a sinner, or declare him an unbeliever (1), and who say about him the same sort of things that the Rāfidis say about the first three caliphs.

The established virtues of Alī therefore refute the Nāsibīs, just as the virtues of the first three caliphs refute the Rāfidis.

Uthmān (may Allah be pleased with him) is impugned by the Rāfidis and the Khawārij. His own partisans, however, affirm his imamate and impugn (2) the imamate of Alī. Even in their innovation, they are better than Alī’s partisans, who impugn the others. The Zaydīs who profess loyalty to Abū Bakr and Umar hold inconsistent views concerning Uthmān.

Furthermore, appointing a deputy during a ruler’s lifetime is a form of deputation indispensable to every ruler. Yet not every (one) (3) who is fit to be appointed deputy over part of the Muslim community during the ruler’s lifetime is fit to be designated as his successor after his death. For during his lifetime the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) appointed more than one person as his deputy, and among them were some who were not fit for the caliphate after his death, such as Bashīr ibn (Abd) al-Mundhir (4) and others.

Moreover, during his lifetime he is required to fulfil his obligation to uphold the rights of the people,

(1) S and B read: “and they brand him a sinner and declare him an unbeliever.” (2) M reads: “or impugn.” (3) The relative pronoun “who” is omitted in N and M. (4) N, M, and S read: “Likewise, Bishr ibn al-Mundhir”; B reads: “That is like Bishr ibn al-Mundhir.” The name was corrected a few pages earlier.

فَمَنْ عَرَفَ سِيرَةَ الرَّسُولِ، وَأَحْوَالَ الصَّحَابَةِ، وَمَعَانِيَ الْقُرْآنِ، وَالْحَدِيثِ عَلِمَ أَنَّهُ لَيْسَ هُنَاكَ اخْتِصَاصٌ بِمَا يُوجِبُ أَفْضَلِيَّتَهُ، وَلَا إِمَامَتَهُ، بَلْ فَضَائِلُهُ مُشْتَرَكَةٌ، وَفِيهَا مِنَ الْفَائِدَةِ إِثْبَاتُ إِيمَانِ عَلِيٍّ، وَوِلَايَتِهِ، وَالرَّدُّ عَلَى النَّوَاصِبِ الَّذِينَ يَسُبُّونَهُ، أَوْ يُفَسِّقُونَهُ، أَوْ يُكَفِّرُونَهُ (١) ، وَيَقُولُونَ فِيهِ مِنْ جِنْسِ مَا تَقُولُهُ الرَّافِضَةُ فِي الثَّلَاثَةِ. فَفِي فَضَائِلِ عَلِيٍّ الثَّابِتَةِ رَدٌّ عَلَى النَّوَاصِبِ، كَمَا أَنَّ فِي فَضَائِلِ الثَّلَاثَةِ رَدًّا عَلَى الرَّوَافِضِ. وَعُثْمَانُ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ تَقْدَحُ فِيهِ الرَّوَافِضُ، وَالْخَوَارِجُ، وَلَكِنَّ شِيعَتَهُ يَعْتَقِدُونَ إِمَامَتَهُ، وَيَقْدَحُونَ (٢) فِي إِمَامَةِ عَلِيٍّ، وَهُمْ فِي بِدْعَتِهِمْ خَيْرٌ مِنْ شِيعَةِ عَلِيٍّ الَّذِينَ يَقْدَحُونَ فِي غَيْرِهِ، وَالزَّيْدِيَّةُ الَّذِينَ يَتَوَلَّوْنَ أَبَا بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ مُضْطَرِبُونَ فِيهِ. وَأَيْضًا فَالِاسْتِخْلَافُ فِي الْحَيَاةِ نَوْعُ نِيَابَةٍ، لَا بُدَّ مِنْهُ لِكُلِّ وَلِيِّ أَمْرٍ، وَلَيْسَ كُلُّ (مَنْ) (٣) يَصْلُحُ لِلِاسْتِخْلَافِ فِي الْحَيَاةِ عَلَى بَعْضِ الْأُمَّةِ يَصْلُحُ أَنْ يُسْتَخْلَفَ بَعْدَ الْمَوْتِ، فَإِنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ اسْتَخْلَفَ فِي حَيَاتِهِ غَيْرَ وَاحِدٍ، وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ لَا يَصْلُحُ لِلْخِلَافَةِ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهِ، وَذَلِكَ كَبَشِيرِ بْنِ (عَبْدِ) الْمُنْذِرِ (٤) ، وَغَيْرِهِ. وَأَيْضًا فَإِنَّهُ مُطَالَبٌ فِي حَيَاتِهِ بِمَا يَجِبُ عَلَيْهِ مِنَ الْقِيَامِ بِحُقُوقِ النَّاسِ

(١) س، ب: وَيُفَسِّقُونَهُ وَيُكَفِّرُونَهُ. (٢) م: أَوْ يَقْدَحُونَ. (٣) مَنْ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) . (٤) ن، م، س: وَكَذَلِكَ بِشْرُ بْنُ الْمُنْذِرِ، ب: وَذَلِكَ كَبِشْرِ بْنِ الْمُنْذِرِ، وَسَبَقَ تَصْحِيحُ الِاسْمِ قَبْلَ صَفَحَاتٍ قَلِيلَةٍ.