Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (8/223)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

Accordingly, whoever is more accomplished (1) in the virtues of the soul is superior overall. Ahl al-Sunnah do not dispute (2) ʿAlī’s excellence or that he occupies the highest rank of excellence. The dispute concerns only whether he is more accomplished than the other three (3) and more entitled to the imamate than they are. Nothing he has mentioned establishes this.

People take two approaches to this question. Some say that the superiority of certain individuals over others in Allah’s sight can be known only through revealed teaching (4), since the true nature of what lies within hearts and its degrees of worth before Allah are matters whose knowledge Allah has reserved to Himself. This can therefore be known only through a truthful report (5) conveying information from Allah.

Others say that this may be known through inference.

Ahl al-Sunnah say that either approach, when properly pursued, shows that each of the three is more accomplished than ʿAlī.

They further say: We establish this in the case of ʿUthmān. Once it is established for ʿUthmān, it applies with even greater force to Abū Bakr and ʿUmar, for no one has disputed the superiority of Abū Bakr and ʿUmar over ʿUthmān. Indeed (6), their superiority over both ʿUthmān and ʿAlī has not been disputed (7) by anyone of standing in the Muslim community—whether among the Companions, the Successors, or the leading scholars of the Sunnah. Rather, the consensus of the Muslims [on

(1) N, S, B: a‘zama (“greater”). (2) M: lā yatanāza‘ūna (“they do not dispute”). (3) M: akmala al-thalāthati (“the most accomplished of the three”). (4) N, S: illā bi-l-tawaqquf (“except through refraining”). (5) B: bi-khabarin (“through a report”). (6) Bal (“indeed”) is omitted in S and B. (7) M: lam yunāzi‘ (“did not dispute”).

وَحِينَئِذٍ فَمَنْ كَانَ أَكْمَلَ (١) فِي الْفَضَائِلِ النَّفْسَانِيَّةِ فَهُوَ أَفْضَلُ مُطْلَقًا. وَأَهْلُ السُّنَّةِ لَا يُنَازِعُونَ (٢) فِي كَمَالِ عَلِيٍّ، وَأَنَّهُ فِي الدَّرَجَةِ الْعُلْيَا مِنَ الْكَمَالِ، وَإِنَّمَا النِّزَاعُ فِي كَوْنِهِ أَكْمَلَ مِنَ الثَّلَاثَةِ (٣) ، وَأَحَقَّ بِالْإِمَامَةِ مِنْهُمْ، وَلَيْسَ فِيمَا ذَكَرَهُ مَا يَدُلُّ عَلَى ذَلِكَ. وَهَذَا الْبَابُ لِلنَّاسِ فِيهِ طَرِيقَانِ: مِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَقُولُ: إِنَّ تَفْضِيلَ بَعْضِ الْأَشْخَاصِ عَلَى بَعْضٍ عِنْدِ اللَّهِ لَا يُعْلَمُ إِلَّا بِالتَّوْقِيفِ (٤) ; فَإِنَّ حَقَائِقَ مَا فِي الْقُلُوبِ وَمَرَاتِبَهَا عِنْدَ اللَّهِ مِمَّا اسْتَأْثَرَ اللَّهُ بِهِ، فَلَا يُعْلَمُ ذَلِكَ إِلَّا بِالْخَبَرِ (٥) الصَّادِقِ الَّذِي يُخْبِرُ عَنِ اللَّهِ. وَمِنْهُمْ مَنْ يَقُولُ: قَدْ يُعْلَمُ ذَلِكَ بِالِاسْتِدْلَالِ. وَأَهْلُ السُّنَّةِ يَقُولُونَ: إِنَّ كُلًّا مِنَ الطَّرِيقَيْنِ إِذَا أُعْطِيَ حَقَّهُ مِنَ السُّلُوكِ دَلَّ عَلَى أَنَّ كُلًّا مِنَ الثَّلَاثَةِ أَكْمَلُ مِنْ عَلِيٍّ. وَيَقُولُونَ: نَحْنُ نُقَرِّرُ ذَلِكَ فِي عُثْمَانَ، فَإِذَا ثَبَتَ ذَلِكَ فِي عُثْمَانَ، كَانَ فِي أَبِي بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ بِطَرِيقِ الْأَوْلَى ; فَإِنَّ تَفْضِيلَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ عَلَى عُثْمَانَ لَمْ يُنَازِعْ فِيهِ أَحَدٌ، بَلْ (٦) وَتَفْضِيلُهُمَا عَلَى عُثْمَانَ وَعَلِيٍّ لَمْ يَتَنَازَعْ (٧) فِيهِ مَنْ لَهُ عِنْدَ الْأُمَّةِ قَدْرٌ: لَا مِنَ الصَّحَابَةِ، وَلَا التَّابِعِينَ، وَلَا أَئِمَّةِ السُّنَّةِ، بَلْ إِجْمَاعُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ [عَلَى

(١) ن، س، ب: أَعْظَمَ (٢) م: لَا يَتَنَازَعُونَ. (٣) م: أَكْمَلَ الثَّلَاثَةِ. (٤) ن، س: إِلَّا بِالتَّوَقُّفِ. (٥) ب: بِخَبَرِ. . (٦) بَلْ سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (س) (ب) . (٧) م: لَمْ يُنَازِعْ.