Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (8/49)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

For them, an imam, a shaykh, or anyone similar was like the imam who leads a congregational prayer or a pilgrim’s guide. The worshippers follow the imam, patterning their prayer on his; he does not pray on their behalf (1). He leads them in the prayer prescribed by Allah and His Messenger, and if he departs from it, whether inadvertently or deliberately, they do not follow him.

A pilgrim’s guide directs the party to the road leading to the House so that they may travel it and perform the pilgrimage themselves. The guide does not perform the pilgrimage on their behalf, and if he gives wrong directions, they do not follow him. When two guides—or two imams—differ, it is determined which of them has the truth on his side, and that one is followed. The Book and the sunnah decide between them.

Allah Most High says:

“O you who believe, obey Allah and obey the Messenger and those in authority among you. If you dispute over anything, refer it to Allah and the Messenger, if you believe in Allah and the Last Day”—to the end of the verse.

[Surah al-Nisā: 59]

People learned faith and religion from every one of the Companions who settled in the major cities.

Most Muslims in the East and the West learned nothing from Alī, for he—may Allah be pleased with him—resided in Medina. The people of Medina needed him only as they needed his peers, such as Uthmān—for example, when Umar consulted them (2) about a particular matter, and in similar cases.

When he went to Kūfa, the people of Kūfa, before his arrival among them, had already learned the religion

(1) (N), (S), and (B): “Thus they pray, for his prayer is not performed on their behalf.” (2) (N) and (S): “an incident about which he would consult them”; (B): “a matter about which he would consult them.”

وَالْإِمَامُ وَالشَّيْخُ وَنَحْوُهُمَا عِنْدَهُمْ بِمَنْزِلَةِ الْإِمَامِ فِي الصَّلَاةِ، وَبِمَنْزِلَةِ دَلِيلِ الْحَاجِّ ; فَالْإِمَامُ يَقْتَدِي بِهِ الْمَأْمُومُونَ فَيُصَلُّونَ بِصَلَاتِهِ، لَا يُصَلِّي عَنْهُمْ (١) ، وَهُوَ يُصَلِّي بِهِمُ الصَّلَاةَ الَّتِي أَمَرَ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ بِهَا، فَإِنْ عَدَلَ عَنْ ذَلِكَ سَهْوًا أَوْ عَمْدًا لَمْ يَتَّبِعُوهُ. وَدَلِيلُ الْحَاجِّ يَدُلُّ الْوَفْدَ عَلَى طَرِيقِ الْبَيْتِ لِيَسْلُكُوهُ وَيَحُجُّوهُ بِأَنْفُسِهِمْ، فَالدَّلِيلُ لَا يَحُجُّ عَنْهُمْ، وَإِنْ أَخْطَأَ الدِّلَالَةَ لَمْ يَتَّبِعُوهُ، وَإِذَا اخْتَلَفَ دَلِيلَانِ وَإِمَامَانِ نُظِرَ أَيُّهُمَا كَانَ الْحَقُّ مَعَهُ اتُّبِعَ. فَالْفَاصِلُ بَيْنَهُمُ الْكِتَابُ وَالسُّنَّةُ. قَالَ تَعَالَى: {يَاأَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا أَطِيعُوا اللَّهَ وَأَطِيعُوا الرَّسُولَ وَأُولِي الْأَمْرِ مِنْكُمْ فَإِنْ تَنَازَعْتُمْ فِي شَيْءٍ فَرُدُّوهُ إِلَى اللَّهِ وَالرَّسُولِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ تُؤْمِنُونَ بِاللَّهِ وَالْيَوْمِ الْآخِرِ} الْآيَةَ [سُورَةُ النِّسَاءِ: ٥٩] . وَكُلٌّ مِنَ الصَّحَابَةِ الَّذِينَ سَكَنُوا الْأَمْصَارَ أَخَذَ عَنْهُ النَّاسُ الْإِيمَانَ وَالدِّينَ. وَأَكْثَرُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ بِالْمَشْرِقِ وَالْمَغْرِبِ لَمْ يَأْخُذُوا عَنْ عَلِيٍّ شَيْئًا ; فَإِنَّهُ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ - كَانَ سَاكِنًا بِالْمَدِينَةِ، وَأَهْلُ الْمَدِينَةِ لَمْ يَكُونُوا يَحْتَاجُونَ إِلَيْهِ إِلَّا كَمَا يَحْتَاجُونَ إِلَى نُظَرَائِهِ، كَعُثْمَانَ، فِي مِثْلِ قِصَّةٍ شَاوَرَهُمْ (٢) فِيهَا عُمَرُ وَنَحْوِ ذَلِكَ. وَلَمَّا ذَهَبَ إِلَى الْكُوفَةِ، كَانَ أَهْلُ الْكُوفَةِ قَبْلَ أَنْ يَأْتِيَهُمْ قَدْ أَخَذُوا الدِّينَ

(١) ن، س، ب: فَيُصَلُّونَ فَصَلَاتُهُ لَا تُصَلَّى عَنْهُمْ. . (٢) ن، س: قِصَّةٍ يُشَاوِرُهُمْ، ب: قَضِيَّةٍ يُشَاوِرُهُمْ.