Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (8/158)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

So the Commander of the Faithful pointed to a place near the monastery and ordered it to be uncovered. They found a huge rock but were unable to move it, so he dislodged it single-handedly. They then drank the water. The monk came down to them (1) and said (2): ‘Are you a prophet sent by Allah, or an angel brought near to Him?’ He replied (3): ‘No, but I am the wasī (entrusted representative) of the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace.’ The monk embraced Islam through him (4) and said:

‘This monastery was founded in the name of the seeker of this (5) rock, and the source of the water lies beneath it. A number of people (6) before me passed away without meeting him.’

The monk was among those who were martyred alongside him, and al-Sayyid al-Himyarī rendered the story (7) in verse in his poem.” (8)

The response is that this is yet another fabrication of the kind that ignorant people consider (9) among ʿAlī’s greatest merits, although they are nothing of the sort. Rather, whoever fabricated this account was ignorant of ʿAlī’s excellence and the praise he deserves. The only merit described in it is that he pointed to a rock beneath which they found water, and that he dislodged it. Such things happen to many people whom ʿAlī—may Allah be pleased with him (10)—surpasses in excellence. Indeed, among those who love Abū Bakr

(1) k: ilayhi (“to him”). (2) m: wa-qāla (“and he said”); k: fa-qāla lahu (“so he said to him”). (3) k: anta malakun muqarrabun aw nabiyyun mursalun? qāla … (“Are you an angel brought near to Allah, or a prophet sent by Him? He said …”). (4) m: yadayhi (“his two hands”). (5) k: ‘alā tālibin qāli‘in hādhihi … (“for a seeker who dislodges this …”). (6) s, b: wa-qad madā min tahtihā jamā‘atun (“and a number of people had passed beneath it”). (7) n, s, b: al-qadiyya (“the matter”). (8) k: … al-Himyarī—rahimahu Allāhu ta‘ālā—fī qasīdatihi al-mudhahhaba (“… al-Himyarī—may Allah Most High have mercy on him—in his poem al-Mudhahhaba [The Gilded Poem]”). (9) n, m, s: yatlubuhā (“seeks it”). (10) s, b: ‘anhum (“with them”).

فَأَشَارَ أَمِيرُ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ إِلَى مَكَانٍ قَرِيبٍ مِنَ الدَّيْرِ، وَأَمَرَ بِكَشْفِهِ، فَوَجَدُوا صَخْرَةً عَظِيمَةً، فَعَجِزُوا عَنْ إِزَالَتِهَا، فَقَلَعَهَا وَحْدَهُ، ثُمَّ شَرِبُوا الْمَاءَ، فَنَزَلَ إِلَيْهِمْ (١) الرَّاهِبُ، فَقَالَ (٢) : أَنْتَ نَبِيٌّ مُرْسَلٌ أَوْ مَلَكٌ مُقَرَّبٌ؟ فَقَالَ (٣) : لَا، وَلَكِنِّي وَصِيُّ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - فَأَسْلَمَ عَلَى يَدِهِ (٤) ، وَقَالَ: إِنَّ هَذَا الدَّيْرَ بُنِيَ عَلَى طَالِبِ هَذِهِ (٥) الصَّخْرَةِ، وَمَخْرَجُ الْمَاءِ مِنْ تَحْتِهَا، وَقَدْ مَضَى جَمَاعَةٌ (٦) قَبْلِي لَمْ يُدْرِكُوهُ. وَكَانَ الرَّاهِبُ مِنْ جُمْلَةِ مَنِ اسْتُشْهِدَ مَعَهُ، وَنَظَمَ الْقِصَّةَ (٧) السَّيِّدُ الْحِمْيَرِيُّ فِي قَصِيدَتِهِ " (٨) . وَالْجَوَابُ: أَنَّ هَذَا مِنْ جِنْسِ أَمْثَالِهِ مِنَ الْأَكَاذِيبِ الَّتِي يَظُنُّهَا (٩) الْجُهَّالُ مِنْ أَعْظَمِ مَنَاقِبِ عَلِيٍّ، وَلَيْسَتْ كَذَلِكَ، بَلِ الَّذِي وَضَعَ هَذِهِ كَانَ جَاهِلًا بِفَضْلِ عَلِيٍّ، وَبِمَا يَسْتَحِقُّهُ مِنَ الْمَمَادِحِ، فَإِنَّ الَّذِي فِيهِ مِنَ الْمَنْقَبَةِ أَنَّهُ أَشَارَ إِلَى صَخْرَةٍ فَوَجَدُوا تَحْتَهَا الْمَاءَ، وَأَنَّهُ قَلَعَهَا. وَمِثْلُ هَذَا يَجْرِي لِخَلْقٍ كَثِيرٍ، عَلِيٌّ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ - (١٠) - أَفْضَلُ مِنْهُمْ، بَلْ فِي الْمُحِبِّينَ لِأَبِي بَكْرٍ

(١) ك: إِلَيْهِ (٢) م: وَقَالَ، ك: فَقَالَ لَهُ. (٣) ك: أَنْتَ مَلَكٌ مُقَرَّبٌ أَوْ نَبِيٌّ مُرْسَلٌ؟ قَالَ. . (٤) م: يَدَيْهِ. (٥) ك: عَلَى طَالِبٍ قَالِعٍ هَذِهِ. . . (٦) س، ب: وَقَدْ مَضَى مِنْ تَحْتِهَا جَمَاعَةٌ. (٧) ن، س، ب: الْقَضِيَّةَ. (٨) ك:. . الْحِمْيَرِيُّ - رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى - فِي قَصِيدَتِهِ الْمُذَهَّبَةِ. (٩) ن، م، س: يَطْلُبُهَا. (١٠) س، ب: عَنْهُمْ.