Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (7/340)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

just as rulers are required to do. After his death, however, he is no longer required to do anything, for he delivered the message, discharged the trust, gave sincere counsel to the Muslim community, and worshipped Allah until the certainty of death came to him from his Lord. During his lifetime, therefore, he is required to fight the enemies, distribute property acquired without battle, enforce the prescribed legal penalties, appoint officials, and perform the other duties incumbent upon rulers after him. After his death, none of this is required of him.

Appointing a deputy during one’s lifetime is therefore not the same as appointing a successor after death. If a person appoints someone during his lifetime to oversee his children and carry out whatever charitable acts he directs, the appointee is * merely an agent (1), carrying out the principal’s instructions. If he appoints someone to oversee his children after his death, then * (2) the appointee is an independent guardian who acts according to their best interests, as Allah and His Messenger have commanded (3), and is not * an agent of the deceased.

Similarly, if one of those in authority appoints someone during his lifetime, the appointee carries out his instructions in specified matters. But if he designates him as his successor after his death, the appointee exercises his own authority in accordance with what Allah and His Messenger have commanded. For * (4) this exercise of authority is attributable to him, not to the deceased. By contrast, an act he performed during the appointing ruler’s lifetime at that ruler’s command is attributed to the ruler who appointed him, not to the appointee himself. How (5) can the two be compared?!

No rational person has ever said:

“If someone appoints another person to oversee certain affairs, and that appointment comes to an end, the appointee becomes his successor after his death over

(1) S reads: *mukhtassun* (“specially designated,” nominative); B reads: *mukhtassan* (“specially designated,” accusative). (2) The passage between the two asterisks is absent from M. (3) S and B read: “Allah and His Messenger commanded it.” (4) The passage between the two asterisks is absent from M. (5) N, M, and S read: “for indeed,” which is a corruption.

كَمَا يُطَالَبُ بِذَلِكَ وُلَاةُ الْأُمُورِ، وَأَمَّا بَعْدَ مَوْتِهِ فَلَا يُطَالَبُ بِشَيْءٍ ; لِأَنَّهُ قَدْ بَلَّغَ الرِّسَالَةَ، وَأَدَّى الْأَمَانَةَ، وَنَصَحَ الْأُمَّةَ، وَعَبَدَ اللَّهَ حَتَّى أَتَاهُ الْيَقِينُ مِنْ رَبِّهِ، فَفِي حَيَاتِهِ يَجِبُ عَلَيْهِ جِهَادُ الْأَعْدَاءِ، وَقَسْمُ الْفَيْءِ، وَإِقَامَةُ الْحُدُودِ، وَاسْتِعْمَالُ الْعُمَّالِ، وَغَيْرُ ذَلِكَ مِمَّا يُوجِبُ عَلَى وُلَاةِ الْأُمُورِ بَعْدَهُ، وَبَعْدَ مَوْتِهِ لَا يَجِبُ عَلَيْهِ شَيْءٌ مِنْ ذَلِكَ. فَلَيْسَ الِاسْتِخْلَافُ فِي الْحَيَاةِ كَالِاسْتِخْلَافِ بَعْدَ الْمَوْتِ، وَالْإِنْسَانُ إِذَا اسْتَخْلَفَ أَحَدًا فِي حَيَاتِهِ عَلَى أَوْلَادِهِ، وَمَا يَأْمُرُ بِهِ مِنَ الْبَرِّ كَانَ * الْمُسْتَخْلَفُ وَكِيلًا مَحْضًا (١) يَفْعَلُ مَا أَمَرَ بِهِ الْمُوَكَّلُ، وَإِنِ اسْتَخْلَفَ أَحَدًا عَلَى أَوْلَادِهِ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهِ، كَانَ * (٢) وَلِيًّا مُسْتَقِلًّا يَعْمَلُ بِحَسَبِ الْمَصْلَحَةِ، كَمَا أَمَرَ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ (٣) ، وَلَمْ يَكُنْ * وَكِيلًا لِلْمَيِّتِ. وَهَكَذَا أُولُو الْأَمْرِ إِذَا اسْتَخْلَفَ أَحَدُهُمْ شَخْصًا فِي حَيَاتِهِ فَإِنَّهُ يَفْعَلُ مَا يَأْمُرُهُ بِهِ فِي الْقَضَايَا الْمُعَيَّنَةِ، وَأَمَّا إِذَا اسْتَخْلَفَهُ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهِ فَإِنَّهُ يَتَصَرَّفُ بِوِلَايَتِهِ، كَمَا أَمَرَ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ، فَإِنَّ * (٤) هَذَا التَّصَرُّفَ مُضَافٌ إِلَيْهِ لَا إِلَى الْمَيِّتِ بِخِلَافِ مَا فَعَلَهُ فِي الْحَيَاةِ بِأَمْرِ مُسْتَخْلِفِهِ فَإِنَّهُ يُضَافُ إِلَى مَنِ اسْتَخْلَفَهُ لَا إِلَيْهِ فَأَيْنَ (٥) هَذَا مِنْ هَذَا! ؟ وَلَمْ يَقُلْ أَحَدٌ مِنَ الْعُقَلَاءِ: إِنَّ مَنِ اسْتَخْلَفَ شَخَّصَا عَلَى بَعْضِ الْأُمُورِ، وَانْقَضَى ذَلِكَ الِاسْتِخْلَافُ: إِنَّهُ يَكُونُ خَلِيفَةً بَعْدَ مَوْتِهِ عَلَى

(١) س: مُخْتَصٌّ، ب: مُخْتَصًّا. (٢) مَا بَيْنَ النَّجْمَتَيْنِ سَاقِطٌ مِنْ (م) . (٣) س، ب: اللَّهُ بِهِ وَرَسُولُهُ. (٤) مَا بَيْنَ النَّجْمَتَيْنِ سَاقِطٌ مِنْ (م) . (٥) ن، م، س: فَإِنَّ، وَهُوَ تَحْرِيفٌ.