Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (7/346)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

in the year of the Conquest and appointed his son Qays. He also dismissed an imam who had been leading a community in prayer because he spat toward the prayer direction. On one occasion (1), he appointed a man who failed to fulfill his duty, so he said:

“If I appoint someone who does not carry out my command, are you incapable of appointing a man who will carry it out?” (2)

Thus, he authorized them to dismiss any of his governors who failed to fulfill his duty. How, then, could he not entrust (3) them with initially appointing someone who would fulfill it?

If (4), during his lifetime, someone he appointed failed to fulfill his duty, whereupon he dismissed him or ordered his dismissal, then were he to appoint someone for after his death, that person might likewise fail to fulfill his duty and would consequently need to be dismissed. If the Ummah itself appointed and dismissed him, that would be better for them than having to dismiss someone appointed by the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace). This is one way in which the wisdom of not appointing a successor becomes clear.

Accordingly, we say regarding:

The Fifth Argument:

Not appointing a successor after his death was preferable to appointing one (5). This is what Allah chose for His Prophet, and He chooses for him only the best course.

The reason is that either it must be said that, during his lifetime, he should not appoint as his deputy anyone who is not

(1) M reads: “his command,” which is a scribal corruption. (2) I could not find the hadith with this wording, but I found one conveying the same meaning in *Sunan Abī Dāwūd*, 3:56 (Book of Jihad, Chapter on Obedience). It is narrated from Uqba ibn Mālik (may Allah be pleased with him) as follows: “The Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) sent out a detachment, and I equipped one of its men with a sword. When the man returned, he said, ‘If only you had seen how the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) rebuked us! He said, “When I send out a man from among you and he fails to carry out my command, are you incapable of appointing in his place someone who will carry it out?”’” The hadith is also found in *al-Musnad* (al-Halabī ed.), 4:160. (3) N and S read: “How, then, could he not delegate?”—which is an error. (4) S and B read: “and if.” (5) N, S, and B read: “by appointing a successor,” which is an error.

عَامَ الْفَتْحِ، وَوَلَّى ابْنَهُ قَيْسًا، وَعَزَلَ إِمَامًا كَانَ يُصَلِّي بِقَوْمٍ لَمَّا بَصَقَ فِي الْقِبْلَةِ، وَوَلَّى مَرَّةً (١) رَجُلًا فَلَمْ يَقُمْ بِالْوَاجِبِ، فَقَالَ: " «أَعَجِزْتُمْ إِذَا وَلَّيْتُ مَنْ لَا يَقُومُ بِأَمْرِي أَنْ تُوَلُّوا رَجُلًا يَقُومُ بِأَمْرِي» " (٢) فَقَدْ فَوَّضَ إِلَيْهِمْ عَزْلَ مَنْ لَا يَقُومُ بِالْوَاجِبِ مِنْ وُلَاتِهِ، فَكَيْفَ لَا يُفَوِّضُ (٣) إِلَيْهِمِ ابْتِدَاءَ تَوْلِيَةِ مَنْ يَقُومُ بِالْوَاجِبِ. وَإِذَا (٤) كَانَ فِي حَيَاتِهِ مَنْ يُوَلِّيهِ، وَلَا يَقُومُ بِالْوَاجِبِ فَيَعْزِلُهُ، أَوْ يَأْمُرُ بِعَزْلِهِ، كَانَ لَوْ وَلَّى وَاحِدًا بَعْدَ مَوْتِهِ يُمْكِنُ فِيهِ أَنْ لَا يَقُومَ بِالْوَاجِبِ، وَحِينَئِذٍ فَيَحْتَاجُ إِلَى عَزْلِهِ فَإِذَا وَلَّتْهُ الْأُمَّةُ وَعَزَلَتْهُ كَانَ خَيْرًا لَهُمْ مِنْ أَنْ يَعْزِلُوا مَنْ وَلَّاهُ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَهَذَا مِمَّا يَتَبَيَّنُ بِهِ حِكْمَةُ تَرْكِ الِاسْتِخْلَافِ، وَعَلَى هَذَا فَنَقُولُ فِي: الْوَجْهِ الْخَامِسِ: إِنَّ تَرْكَ الِاسْتِخْلَافِ بَعْدَ مَمَاتِهِ كَانَ أَوْلَى مِنَ الِاسْتِخْلَافِ (٥) ، كَمَا اخْتَارَهُ اللَّهُ لِنَبِيِّهِ، فَإِنَّهُ لَا يَخْتَارُ لَهُ إِلَّا أَفْضَلَ الْأُمُورِ، وَذَلِكَ لِأَنَّهُ: إِمَّا أَنْ يُقَالَ: يَجِبُ أَنْ لَا يَسْتَخْلِفَ فِي حَيَاتِهِ مَنْ لَيْسَ

(١) م: أَمْرَهُ، وَهُوَ تَحْرِيفٌ (٢) لَمْ أَجِدِ الْحَدِيثَ بِهَذَا اللَّفْظِ، وَلَكِنِّي وَجَدْتُ حَدِيثًا بِمَعْنَاهُ فِي: سُنَنِ أَبِي دَاوُدَ ٣/٥٦ (كِتَابُ الْجِهَادِ، بَابٌ فِي الطَّاعَةِ) وَنَصُّهُ عَنْ عُقْبَةَ بْنِ مَالِكٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ. . قَالَ: " بَعَثَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ سَرِيَّةً فَسَلَّحَتْ رَجُلًا مِنْهُمْ سَيْفًا، فَلَمَّا رَجَعَ قَالَ: لَوْ رَأَيْتُ مَا لَامَنَا رَسُولُ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ. قَالَ: " أَعَجِزْتُمْ إِذَا بَعَثْتُ رَجُلًا مِنْكُمْ فَلَمْ يَمْضِ لِأَمْرِي، أَنْ تَجْعَلُوا مَكَانَهُ مَنْ يَمْضِي لِأَمْرِي؟ " وَالْحَدِيثُ فِي: الْمُسْنَدِ (ط. الْحَلَبِيِّ) . ٤/١٦٠ (٣) ن، س: فَكَيْفَ لَا يُفَوِّضُ، وَهُوَ خَطَأٌ (٤) س، ب: وَإِنْ (٥) ن، س، ب: بِالِاسْتِخْلَافِ، وَهُوَ خَطَأٌ