Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (7/341)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

anything; yet the Rāfidah are among the most ignorant of all people regarding both rational and transmitted evidence (1).”

[Fourth: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) appointed Alī as his deputy over Medina despite the short duration of his absence]

Section.

The Rāfidi said (2):

“Fourth: The Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) appointed him as his deputy over Medina despite the short duration of his absence (3). It therefore follows that (4) he must be his successor after (5) his death, and, by consensus, this can be none other than Alī. Moreover, since he (6) did not dismiss him from his position in Medina, he is therefore a successor (to him) (7) there after his death. If he was his successor there (8), then, by consensus, he was his successor elsewhere as well.”

The response is that this argument and others like it are invalid and as flimsy as the house (9) of a spider. It may be answered in several ways:

First: According to one of the two views, we say that the Prophet appointed Abū Bakr as his successor after his death, as explained above. If the Rāfidah say, “Rather, he appointed Alī as his successor,” they are told: “The Rāwandiyya, who are of your ilk, said that he appointed al-Abbās as his successor.” Everyone familiar with the authentically transmitted reports knows that the hadiths indicating that he appointed someone as his successor after his death point only

(1) S and B read: “and transmitted evidence; and Allah knows best.” (2) In K, p. 169 (M). (3) N, M, S, and B read: “despite the brevity of this absence”; the adopted reading is from K. (4) K reads: “it therefore follows for him that.” (5) K reads: “his successor after.” (6) N, S, and B read: “and that he.” (7) “To him” is an addition from K. (8) K reads: “in Medina.” (9) “House” is absent from S and B.

شَيْءٍ، وَلَكِنَّ الرَّافِضَةَ مِنْ أَجْهَلِ النَّاسِ بِالْمَعْقُولِ، وَالْمَنْقُولِ (١) . [الرابع أَنَّ النَبَّي صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ اسْتَخْلَفَ عَليًّا عَلَى الْمَدِينَةِ مَعَ قِصَرِ مُدَّةِ الْغَيْبَةِ] فَصْلٌ. قَالَ الرَّافِضِيُّ: (٢) : " الرَّابِعُ: أَنَّهُ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ اسْتَخْلَفَهُ عَلَى الْمَدِينَةِ مَعَ قِصَرِ مُدَّةِ الْغَيْبَةِ (٣) فَيَجِبُ أَنْ (٤) يَكُونَ خَلِيفَةً لَهُ بَعْدَ (٥) مَوْتِهِ، وَلَيْسَ غَيْرُ عَلِيٍّ إِجْمَاعًا، وَلِأَنَّهُ (٦) لَمْ يَعْزِلْهُ عَنِ الْمَدِينَةِ فَيَكُونُ خَلِيفَةً (لَهُ) (٧) بَعْدَ مَوْتِهِ فِيهَا، وَإِذَا كَانَ خَلِيفَةً فِيهَا (٨) كَانَ خَلِيفَةً فِي غَيْرِهَا إِجْمَاعًا " . وَالْجَوَابُ: أَنَّ هَذِهِ الْحُجَّةَ وَأَمْثَالَهَا مِنَ الْحُجَجِ الدَّاحِضَةِ الَّتِي هِيَ مِنْ جِنْسِ بَيْتِ (٩) الْعَنْكَبُوتِ، وَالْجَوَابُ عَنْهَا مِنْ وُجُوهٍ: أَحَدُهَا: أَنْ نَقُولَ عَلَى أَحَدِ الْقَوْلَيْنِ: إِنَّهُ اسْتَخْلَفَ أَبَا بَكْرٍ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهِ، كَمَا تَقَدَّمَ، وَإِذَا قَالَتِ الرَّافِضَةُ: بَلِ اسْتَخْلَفَ عَلِيًّا، قِيلَ: الرَّاوِنْدِيَّةُ مِنْ جِنْسِكُمْ قَالُوا: اسْتَخْلَفَ الْعَبَّاسَ، وَكُلُّ مَنْ كَانَ لَهُ عِلْمٌ بِالْمَنْقُولَاتِ الثَّابِتَةِ يَعْلَمُ أَنَّ الْأَحَادِيثَ الدَّالَّةَ عَلَى اسْتِخْلَافِ أَحَدٍ بَعْدَ مَوْتِهِ، إِنَّمَا تَدُلُّ

(١) س، ب: وَالْمَنْقُولِ وَاللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ. (٢) فِي (ك) ص ١٦٩ (م) . (٣) ن، م، س، ب: مَعَ قُصُورِ هَذِهِ الْغَيْبَةِ، وَالْمُثْبَتُ مِنْ (ك) . (٤) ك: فَيَجِبُ لَهُ أَنْ. (٥) ك: خَلِيفَتَهُ بَعْدَ. (٦) ن، س، ب: وَأَنَّهُ. (٧) لَهُ: زِيَادَةٌ مِنْ (ك) . (٨) ك: فِي الْمَدِينَةِ. (٩) بَيْتِ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (س) ، ب.