Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (7/461)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

few Emigrants to fend them off, and most people would have rallied behind Ali—especially since most of those with sickness in their hearts hated Umar because of his severity toward them. The disbelievers and hypocrites hated Umar far more than they hated Ali—by an incomparable margin. Indeed, it is not (1) known that they hated Ali except (2) as they hated others like him. Umar, by contrast, was severe with them, so one would naturally expect them to shun any camp in which he stood.

For this reason, when Abū Bakr appointed him as his successor, some people were averse to his becoming caliph. Talha even said, “What will you say to your Lord if you appoint over us a man who is harsh and severe?”

He replied, “Would you frighten me with Allah? I will say, ‘I appointed over them the best of Your people.’”

Thus, if the people of truth were with Ali and the people of falsehood were also with Ali, who could overcome him when truth was on his side? Suppose, nevertheless, that when they rose up, they did not prevail. Would not the motives ordinarily operative in such circumstances necessarily have occasioned claims and counterclaims and some measure of debate? Was this not more deserving of discussion than Sa'd’s leadership? If, on the strength of a baseless contention (3), the Ansār hoped that Sa'd would become their leader, then what if the rightful claimant (4) had been among them? Given the Messenger’s unequivocal designation, how could his supporters not have been even more hopeful of securing the right? Since, then, not a single word about this was uttered (5) by any speaker among them (6), and no advocate issued a call in support of Ali:

(1) In (ن), (م), and (س): *li-man* (“for whom”), which is an error. (2) *Illā* (“except”): omitted from (م). (3) In (ن): *tushbihuhu* (“it resembles him”), which is a corruption. (4) In (ن) and (م): *al-haqq* (“the truth”). (5) In (م): *yanbizhu* (“he calls him by a nickname”); in (س): *yumayyiz* (“he distinguishes”); in (ب): *yanbis* (“he utters a word”). (6) *Minhum* (“among them”): omitted from (م).

النَّفَرَ مِنَ الْمُهَاجِرِينَ أَنْ يُدَافِعُوهُمْ، وَقَامَ أَكْثَرُ النَّاسِ مَعَ عَلِيٍّ، لَا سِيَّمَا وَكَانَ جُمْهُورُ الَّذِينَ فِي قُلُوبِهِمْ مَرَضٌ يُبْغِضُونَ عُمَرَ لِشِدَّتِهِ عَلَيْهِمْ، وَبُغْضُ الْكُفَّارِ وَالْمُنَافِقِينَ لِعُمَرَ أَعْظَمُ مِنْ بُغْضِهِمْ لِعَلِيٍّ بِمَا لَا نِسْبَةَ بَيْنَهُمَا، بَلْ لَمْ (١) يُعْرَفْ أَنَّ عَلِيًّا كَانَ يُبْغِضُهُ الْكُفَّارُ وَالْمُنَافِقُونَ إِلَّا (٢) كَمَا يُبْغِضُونَ أَمْثَالَهُ، بِخِلَافِ عُمَرَ فَإِنَّهُ كَانَ شَدِيدًا عَلَيْهِمْ، وَكَانَ مِنَ الْقِيَاسِ أَنْ يَنْفِرُوا عَنْ جِهَةٍ فِيهَا عُمَرُ. وَلِهَذَا لَمَّا اسْتَخْلَفَهُ أَبُو بَكْرٍ كَرِهَ خِلَافَتَهُ طَائِفَةٌ، حَتَّى قَالَ طَلْحَةُ: مَاذَا تَقُولُ لِرَبِّكَ إِذَا وَلَّيْتَ عَلَيْنَا فَظًّا غَلِيظًا؟ فَقَالَ: أَبِاللَّهِ تُخَوِّفُنِي؟ أَقُولُ: وَلَّيْتُ عَلَيْهِمْ خَيْرَ أَهْلِكَ. فَإِذَا كَانَ أَهْلُ الْحَقِّ مَعَ عَلِيٍّ، وَأَهْلُ الْبَاطِلِ مَعَ عَلِيٍّ، فَمَنِ الَّذِي يَغْلِبُهُ إِذَا كَانَ الْحَقُّ مَعَهُ؟ وَهَبْ أَنَّهُمْ إِذَا قَامُوا لَمْ يَغْلِبُوا، أَمَا كَانَتِ الدَّوَاعِي الْمَعْرُوفَةُ فِي مِثْلِ ذَلِكَ تُوجِبُ أَنْ يَجْرِيَ فِي ذَلِكَ قِيلَ وَقَالَ وَنَوْعٌ مِنَ الْجِدَالِ؟ أَوَلَيْسَ ذَلِكَ أَوْلَى بِالْكَلَامِ فِيهِ مِنَ الْكَلَامِ فِي وِلَايَةِ سَعْدٍ؟ فَإِذَا كَانَتِ الْأَنْصَارُ بِشُبْهَةٍ (٣) لَا أَصْلَ لَهَا طَمِعُوا أَنْ يَتَأَمَّرَ سَعْدٌ، فَمَنْ يَكُونُ فِيهِمُ الْمُحِقُّ (٤) ؟ وَنَصُّ الرَّسُولِ الْجَلِيُّ كَيْفَ لَا يَكُونُ أَعْوَانُهُ أَطْمَعَ فِي الْحَقِّ، فَإِذَا كَانَ لَمْ يَنْبِزْ (٥) مُتَكَلِّمٌ مِنْهُمْ (٦) بِكَلِمَةٍ وَاحِدَةٍ فِي ذَلِكَ، وَلَمْ يَدْعُ دَاعٍ إِلَى عَلِيٍّ:

(١) ن، م، س: لِمَنْ، وَهُوَ خَطَأٌ (٢) إِلَّا: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (م) (٣) ن: تُشْبِهُهُ، وَهُوَ تَحْرِيفٌ (٤) ن، م: الْحَقُّ (٥) م: يَنْبِزْهُ، س: يُمَيِّزْ ; ب: يَنْبِسْ (٦) مِنْهُمْ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (م)