Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (7/351)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

The sixth point is that it may be said:

“Suppose that appointing a successor is obligatory (1). The Prophet—may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him—did appoint Abū Bakr as his successor, according to those who maintain that he appointed him; according to the other view, he indicated that Abū Bakr was to succeed him.”

As for his statement, “because he did not remove him from his post in Medina,” we reply: This is false. When the Prophet—may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him—returned, Alī automatically ceased to be his deputy by the mere fact of his return, just as others ceased to be his deputies whenever he returned. After this, he sent Alī to Yemen, and Alī later joined him during the pilgrimage season for the Farewell Pilgrimage. During the Farewell Pilgrimage, the Prophet appointed someone else over Medina.

Do you then imagine that the Prophet—may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him—was residing there while Alī was in Yemen, yet Alī was his deputy in Medina?!

There can be no doubt that the words of these people are those of someone ignorant of the circumstances of the Prophet—may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him. It is as though they imagined that Alī remained deputy over Medina until the Prophet—may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him—died. They did not know that after this (2), in the ninth year, the Prophet—may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him—sent Alī with Abū Bakr to proclaim the repudiation of the treaties and placed Abū Bakr in command over him. Then, after Alī returned with Abū Bakr, the Prophet sent him to Yemen, just as he sent Muādh and Abū Mūsā.

Then, when the Prophet—may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him—performed the Farewell Pilgrimage, he appointed someone other than Alī over Medina, and Alī joined him in Mecca. The Prophet—may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him—sacrificed one hundred camels: he slaughtered two-thirds of them with his own hand, while Alī slaughtered one-third.

All of this is well known among the scholars and agreed upon by them, and it has been transmitted through such numerous channels

(1) M: “was obligatory.” (2) S and B: “and thereafter they did not know that Alī…”

الْوَجْهُ السَّادِسُ: أَنْ يُقَالَ " هَبْ أَنَّ الِاسْتِخْلَافَ وَاجِبٌ (١) ، فَقَدِ اسْتَخْلَفَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَبَا بَكْرٍ عَلَى قَوْلِ مَنْ يَقُولُ: إِنَّهُ اسْتَخْلَفَهُ، وَدَلَّ عَلَى اسْتِخْلَافِهِ عَلَى الْقَوْلِ الْآخَرِ. وَقَوْلُهُ: " لِأَنَّهُ لَمْ يَعْزِلْهُ عَنِ الْمَدِينَةِ ". قُلْنَا هَذَا بَاطِلٌ، فَإِنَّهُ لَمَّا رَجَعَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ انْعَزَلَ عَلِيٌّ بِنَفْسِ رُجُوعِهِ، كَمَا كَانَ غَيْرُهُ يَنْعَزِلُ إِذَا رَجَعَ، وَقَدْ أَرْسَلَهُ بَعْدَ هَذَا إِلَى الْيَمَنِ حَتَّى وَافَاهُ بِالْمَوْسِمِ فِي حَجَّةِ الْوَدَاعِ، وَاسْتَخْلَفَ عَلَى الْمَدِينَةِ فِي حَجَّةِ الْوَدَاعِ غَيْرَهُ. أَفَتَرَى النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ فِيهَا مُقِيمًا وَعَلِيٌّ بِالْيَمَنِ، وَهُوَ خَلِيفَةٌ بِالْمَدِينَةِ؟ ! وَلَا رَيْبَ أَنَّ كَلَامَ هَؤُلَاءِ كَلَامُ جَاهِلٍ بِأَحْوَالِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، كَأَنَّهُمْ ظَنُّوا أَنَّ عَلِيًّا مَا زَالَ خَلِيفَةً عَلَى الْمَدِينَةِ حَتَّى مَاتَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، وَلَمْ يَعْلَمُوا أَنَّ عَلِيًّا بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ (٢) أَرْسَلَهُ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ سَنَةَ تِسْعٍ مَعَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ لِنَبْذِ الْعُهُودِ، وَأَمَّرَ عَلَيْهِ أَبَا بَكْرٍ، ثُمَّ بَعْدَ رُجُوعِهِ مَعَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ أَرْسَلَهُ إِلَى الْيَمَنِ، كَمَا أَرْسَلَ مُعَاذًا، وَأَبَا مُوسَى. ، ثُمَّ لَمَّا حَجَّ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ حَجَّةَ الْوَدَاعِ اسْتَخْلَفَ عَلَى الْمَدِينَةِ غَيْرَ عَلِيٍّ، وَوَافَاهُ عَلِيٌّ بِمَكَّةَ، وَنَحَرَ النَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ مِائَةَ بَدَنَةٍ نَحَرَ بِيَدِهِ ثُلُثَيْهَا، وَنَحَرَ عَلِيٌّ ثُلُثَهَا. وَهَذَا كُلُّهُ مَعْلُومٌ عِنْدَ أَهْلِ الْعِلْمِ مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيْهِ بَيْنَهُمْ، وَتَوَاتَرَتْ بِهِ

(١) م: وَجَبَ (٢) س، ب: وَلَمْ يَعْلَمُوا بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ أَنْ عَلِيًّا