Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (7/384)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

—blessings and peace be upon him—anything concerning Alī’s expenditure of wealth. It is well known that, in the early days of Islam, Abū Bakr bought seven of those who were being tortured for their faith in Allah. He did so seeking the Countenance of his Lord, the Most High. He did not (1) act as Abū Tālib had: Abū Tālib supported the Prophet—blessings and peace be upon him—because of their shared lineage and kinship, not for the sake of Allah Most High or to draw near to Him.

If “the most God-fearing” is a generic designation, there is no doubt that its scope must include (2) the most God-fearing member of the Muslim community. The Companions are the best of generations; hence, the most God-fearing among them is the most God-fearing of the community. The most God-fearing of the community is (either) (3) Abū Bakr, or Alī, or someone else, and the third possibility is ruled out by consensus.

As for Alī, if it is said that he falls within this category because, after he acquired wealth, he “gave his wealth to purify himself,” the reply is that Abū Bakr did so at the beginning of Islam, when it was needed, and thus more perfectly embodied the quality whose possessor is “the most God-fearing.”

Moreover, the Prophet—blessings and peace be upon him—gave al-Siddīq precedence precisely in situations where no one else could share that distinction: appointing him to take his place in leading the prayer and the pilgrimage; choosing him alone as his companion on the journey of the Hijrah (4); addressing him directly; and enabling him (5) to address others, adjudicate, and issue fatwas in his presence, with the Prophet’s approval of this (6)—along with other distinctive merits too numerous to describe.

(1) S and B read: “and so he did not.” (2) S and B read: “There is no doubt that the most God-fearing member of the Muslim community falls within its scope.” (3) The word *immā* (“either”) is absent from N and S. (4) S reads: “on his journey, namely the Hijrah”; B reads: “on his journey for the Hijrah.” (5) N, M, and S read: “and his ability.” (6) The phrase “and his approval of this” is absent from B, while the words “and his approval” are absent from S.

صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ شَيْئًا مِنْ إِنْفَاقِ الْمَالِ، وَقَدْ عُرِفَ أَنَّ أَبَا بَكْرٍ اشْتَرَى سَبْعَةً مِنَ الْمُعَذَّبِينَ فِي اللَّهِ فِي أَوَّلِ الْإِسْلَامِ، وَفَعَلَ ذَلِكَ ابْتِغَاءً لِوَجْهِ رَبِّهِ الْأَعْلَى لَمْ (١) يَفْعَلْ ذَلِكَ، كَمَا فَعَلَهُ أَبُو طَالِبٍ الَّذِي أَعَانَ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لِأَجْلِ نَسَبِهِ وَقَرَابَتِهِ لَا لِأَجْلِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى، وَلَا تَقَرُّبًا إِلَيْهِ. وَإِنْ كَانَ " الْأَتْقَى " اسْمَ جِنْسٍ فَلَا رَيْبَ أَنَّهُ يَجِبُ أَنْ يَدْخُلَ فِيهِ (٢) أَتْقَى الْأُمَّةِ، وَالصَّحَابَةُ خَيْرُ الْقُرُونِ، فَأَتْقَاهَا أَتْقَى الْأُمَّةِ، وَأَتْقَى الْأُمَّةِ (إِمَّا) (٣) أَبُو بَكْرٍ، وَإِمَّا عَلِيٌّ، وَإِمَّا غَيْرُهُمَا، وَالثَّالِثُ مُنْتَفٍ بِالْإِجْمَاعِ، وَعَلِيٌّ إِنْ قِيلَ: إِنَّهُ يَدْخُلُ فِي هَذَا النَّوْعِ لِكَوْنِهِ بَعْدَ أَنْ صَارَ لَهُ مَالٌ آتَى مَالَهُ يَتَزَكَّى، فَيُقَالُ: أَبُو بَكْرٍ فَعَلَ ذَلِكَ فِي أَوَّلِ الْإِسْلَامِ وَقْتَ الْحَاجَةِ إِلَيْهِ، فَيَكُونُ أَكْمَلَ فِي الْوَصْفِ الَّذِي يَكُونُ صَاحِبُهُ هُوَ الْأَتْقَى. وَأَيْضًا فَالنَّبِيُّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ إِنَّمَا كَانَ يُقَدِّمُ الصِّدِّيقَ فِي الْمَوَاضِعِ الَّتِي لَا تَحْتَمِلُ الْمُشَارَكَةَ كَاسْتِخْلَافِهِ فِي الصَّلَاةِ، وَالْحَجِّ، وَمُصَاحَبَتِهِ وَحْدَهُ فِي سَفَرِ الْهِجْرَةِ (٤) ، وَمُخَاطَبَتِهِ، وَتَمْكِينِهِ (٥) مِنِ الْخِطَابِ، وَالْحُكْمِ، وَالْإِفْتَاءِ بِحَضْرَتِهِ وَرِضَاهُ بِذَلِكَ (٦) ، إِلَى غَيْرِ ذَلِكَ مِنَ الْخَصَائِصِ الَّتِي يَطُولُ وَصْفُهَا.

(١) س، ب: فَلَمْ (٢) س، ب: فَلَا رَيْبَ أَنَّهُ يَدْخُلُ فِيهِ (٣) إِمَّا: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (س) (٤) س: فِي سَفَرِهِ الْهِجْرَةِ ; ب: فِي سَفَرِهِ لِلْهِجْرَةِ (٥) ن، م، س: وَتَمَكُّنِهِ (٦) وَرِضَاهُ بِذَلِكَ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ب) وَسَقَطَتْ " وَرِضَاهُ " مِنْ (س)