Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (7/391)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

whom I would rather resemble in deeds when I meet Allah than you. By Allah, I truly expected Allah to place you with your two companions, for I so often heard the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—say:

“I came with Abū Bakr and Umar; I entered with Abū Bakr and Umar; and I went out with Abū Bakr and Umar.”

I therefore truly hoped that Allah would place you with the two of them’” (1).

Accordingly, their superiority over him and others like him was not something (2) hidden from anyone. For this reason, the early Shia who had known Alī ranked Abū Bakr and Umar above him, except for those among them who deviated from the truth. The dispute of those among them who did differ concerned only Uthmān.

Likewise, the statement, “He is the ally of every believer after me,” is a lie ascribed to the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Rather, he is the ally of every believer both in life and after death, and every believer is his ally in life and death. The alliance that is the opposite of enmity is not confined to any particular time.

As for authority in the sense of governance, one instead says that he is the ruler (3) over every believer after me. Similarly, regarding the funeral prayer, it is said that when the deceased’s next of kin and the ruler are both present, the ruler takes precedence according to the majority view, though it is also said that the next of kin takes precedence.

Thus, the statement (4), “Alī is the ally of every believer after me,” is wording that cannot be attributed to

(1) The hadith of Ibn Abbās—may Allah be pleased with them both—is found in al-Bukhārī, 5/9–10, 11 (Book of the Merits of the Companions of the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—chapter “Al-Humaydī Narrated to Us…,” and chapter “The Merits of Umar ibn al-Khattāb…”); and Muslim, 4/1858–1859 (Book of the Merits of the Companions, chapter “The Merits of Umar”). See also p. 236 above in this volume. (2) N, M, S, and B read mimman (“among those whom”), which is a textual corruption. I hope that the reading I have adopted, mimmā (“something that”), is correct. (3) Wālī (“ruler”): this is the reading in B, and it is correct. All the other manuscripts read walī (“ally”). (4) S and B read: “and the statement”; N reads: “and it was said.”

أَحَبَّ إِلَيَّ أَنْ أَلْقَى اللَّهَ بِمِثْلِ عَمَلِهِ مِنْكَ، وَايْمُ اللَّهِ إِنْ كُنْتُ لَأَظُنُّ أَنْ يَجْعَلَكَ اللَّهُ مَعَ صَاحِبَيْكَ، وَذَلِكَ أَنِّي كَثِيرًا مَا كُنْتُ أَسْمَعُ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ يَقُولُ: " جِئْتُ أَنَا وَأَبُو بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرُ، وَدَخَلْتُ أَنَا وَأَبُو بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرُ، وَخَرَجْتُ أَنَا وَأَبُو بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرُ، فَإِنْ كُنْتُ لَأَرْجُو أَنْ يَجْعَلَكَ اللَّهُ مَعَهُمَا " (١) . فَلَمْ يَكُنْ تَفْضِيلُهُمَا عَلَيْهِ، وَعَلَى أَمْثَالِهِ مِمَّا (٢) يَخْفَى عَلَى أَحَدٍ، وَلِهَذَا كَانَتِ الشِّيعَةُ الْقُدَمَاءُ الَّذِينَ أَدْرَكُوا عَلِيًّا يُقَدِّمُونَ أَبَا بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ عَلَيْهِ إِلَّا مَنْ أَلْحَدَ مِنْهُمْ، وَإِنَّمَا كَانَ نِزَاعُ مَنْ نَازَعَ مِنْهُمْ فِي عُثْمَانَ. وَكَذَلِكَ قَوْلُهُ: " «هُوَ وَلِيُّ كُلِّ مُؤْمِنٍ بَعْدِي» " كَذِبٌ عَلَى رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، بَلْ هُوَ فِي حَيَاتِهِ وَبَعْدَ مَمَاتِهِ وَلِيُّ كُلِّ مُؤْمِنٍ، وَكُلِّ مُؤْمِنٍ وَلَيُّهُ فِي الْمَحْيَا وَالْمَمَاتِ، فَالْوِلَايَةُ الَّتِي هِيَ ضِدُّ الْعَدَاوَةِ لَا تَخْتَصُّ بِزَمَانٍ، وَأَمَّا الْوِلَايَةُ الَّتِي هِيَ الْإِمَارَةُ فَيُقَالُ فِيهَا: وَالِي (٣) كُلِّ مُؤْمِنٍ بَعْدِي، كَمَا يُقَالُ فِي صَلَاةِ الْجِنَازَةِ: إِذَا اجْتَمَعَ الْوَلِيُّ وَالْوَالِي قُدِّمَ الْوَالِي فِي قَوْلِ الْأَكْثَرِ، وَقِيلَ يُقَدَّمُ الْوَلِيُّ. فَقَوْلُ (٤) الْقَائِلِ: " «عَلِيٌّ وَلِيُّ كُلِّ مُؤْمِنٍ بَعْدِي» " كَلَامٌ يَمْتَنِعُ نِسْبَتُهُ إِلَى

(١) الْحَدِيثُ عَنِ ابْنِ عَبَّاسٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا فِي: الْبُخَارِيِّ ٥/٩ ـ ١٠، ١١ (كِتَابُ فَضَائِلِ أَصْحَابِ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ، بَابُ حَدَّثَنَا الْحُمَيْدِيُّ. . .، بَابُ مَنَاقِبِ عُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ. . .) ; مُسْلِمٍ ٤/١٨٥٨ ـ ١٨٥٩ (كِتَابُ فَضَائِلِ الصَّحَابَةِ، بَابُ مِنْ فَضَائِلِ عُمَرَ) . وَانْظُرْ مَا سَبَقَ فِي هَذَا الْجُزْءِ ص ٢٣٦ (٢) ن، م، س، ب: مِمَّنْ، وَهُوَ تَحْرِيفٌ، وَأَرْجُو أَنْ يَكُونَ الصَّوَابُ مَا أَثْبَتُّهُ (٣) وَالَى: كَذَا فِي (ب) وَهِيَ الصَّوَابُ. وَفِي سَائِرِ النُّسَخِ. وَلِيُّ (٤) س، ب: وَقَوْلُ ; ن: وَقِيلَ