Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (8/232)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

But most scholars disputed his view, just as most of them disputed Uthmān’s, saying that Allah Most High said:

“If two groups of believers fight one another, make peace between them. But if one of them transgresses against the other, fight the group that transgresses until it returns to Allah’s command. Then, if it returns, make peace between them with justice”—to the end of the verse. [Surah al-Hujurāt: 9]

They said: Allah did not command initiating fighting against rebels. Rather, when fighting occurs between two groups of believers, Allah commands reconciliation between them. If one then transgresses against the other, it is to be fought. Yet this was not how events unfolded.

For this reason, Ā’ishah—may Allah be pleased with her—said: “People have abandoned acting upon this verse.” Mālik narrated this from her through his well-known chain of transmission (1).

The position of most scholars is that fighting rebels is not permissible [unless] they initiate (2) fighting against the ruler, as the Kharijites did against Alī. Scholars agree on the legitimacy of his fighting the Kharijites, and it is established by authentic hadiths from the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace. This differs from the fighting at Siffīn, for those people did not initiate fighting; rather, they refused to pledge allegiance to him.

(1) I have not found this report transmitted from Mālik. However, al-Bayhaqī’s Sunan, 8/172 (Hyderabad ed., 1354), records that Ā’ishah—may Allah be pleased with her—said: “I have never seen anything that this community has turned away from as it has from this verse: ‘If two groups of believers fight one another, make peace between them. But if one of them transgresses against the other, fight the group that transgresses until it returns to Allah’s command.’” Al-Suyūtī also cited this report in al-Durr al-manthūr, 6/91, saying: “It was transmitted by Ibn Mardawayh and al-Bayhaqī in his Sunan.” (2) N, S: lā yajūzu an yubtada’ū … (“It is not permissible that they be attacked first …”); M: lā yajūzu an yubtada’a … (“It is not permissible that … be initiated …”). This is erroneous; the correct reading is the one I have adopted from (B).

لَكِنْ نَازَعَهُ أَكْثَرُ الْعُلَمَاءِ، كَمَا نَازَعَ عُثْمَانَ أَكْثَرُهُمْ، وَقَالُوا: إِنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى قَالَ: {وَإِنْ طَائِفَتَانِ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ اقْتَتَلُوا فَأَصْلِحُوا بَيْنَهُمَا فَإِنْ بَغَتْ إِحْدَاهُمَا عَلَى الْأُخْرَى فَقَاتِلُوا الَّتِي تَبْغِي حَتَّى تَفِيءَ إِلَى أَمْرِ اللَّهِ فَإِنْ فَاءَتْ فَأَصْلِحُوا بَيْنَهُمَا بِالْعَدْلِ} الْآيَةَ [سُورَةُ الْحُجُرَاتِ: ٩] . قَالُوا: فَلَمْ يَأْمُرِ اللَّهُ بِقِتَالِ الْبُغَاةِ ابْتِدَاءً، بَلْ إِذَا وَقَعَ قِتَالٌ بَيْنَ طَائِفَتَيْنِ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ فَقَدْ أَمَرَ اللَّهُ بِالْإِصْلَاحِ بَيْنَهُمَا، فَإِنْ بَغَتْ إِحْدَاهُمَا عَلَى الْأُخْرَى قُوتِلَتْ. وَلَمْ يَقَعِ الْأَمْرُ كَذَلِكَ. وَلِهَذَا قَالَتْ عَائِشَةُ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا -: " تَرَكَ النَّاسُ الْعَمَلَ بِهَذِهِ الْآيَةِ " ، رَوَاهُ مَالِكٌ بِإِسْنَادِهِ الْمَعْرُوفِ عَنْهَا (١) . وَمَذْهَبُ أَكْثَرِ الْعُلَمَاءِ أَنَّ قِتَالَ الْبُغَاةِ لَا يَجُوزُ [إِلَّا] أَنْ يَبْتَدِءُوا (٢) الْإِمَامَ بِالْقِتَالِ، كَمَا فَعَلَتِ الْخَوَارِجُ مَعَ عَلِيٍّ، فَإِنَّ قِتَالَهُ الْخَوَارِجَ مُتَّفَقٌ عَلَيْهِ بَيْنَ الْعُلَمَاءِ، ثَابِتٌ بِالْأَحَادِيثِ الصَّحِيحَةِ عَنِ النَّبِيِّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - بِخِلَافِ قِتَالِ صِفِّينَ، فَإِنَّ أُولَئِكَ لَمْ يَبْتَدِءُوا بِقِتَالٍ، بَلِ امْتَنَعُوا عَنْ مُبَايَعَتِهِ.

(١) لَمْ أَجِدْ هَذَا الْأَثَرَ مَرْوِيًّا عَنْ مَالِكٍ، وَلَكِنْ جَاءَ فِي سُنَنِ الْبَيْهَقِيِّ ٨/١٧٢ (ط. حَيْدَرَ آبَادَ، ١٣٥٤) عَنْ عَائِشَةَ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهَا - أَنَّهَا قَالَتْ: مَا رَأَيْتُ مِثْلَ مَا رَغِبَتْ عَنْهُ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةُ مِنْ هَذِهِ الْآيَةِ: وَإِنْ طَائِفَتَانِ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ اقْتَتَلُوا فَأَصْلِحُوا بَيْنَهُمَا فَإِنْ بَغَتْ إِحْدَاهُمَا عَلَى الْأُخْرَى فَقَاتِلُوا الَّتِي تَبْغِي حَتَّى تَفِيءَ إِلَى أَمْرِ اللَّهِ وَذَكَرَ هَذَا الْأَثَرَ السُّيُوطِيُّ فِي " الدُّرِّ الْمَنْثُورِ ٦/٩١ وَقَالَ: أَخْرَجَهُ ابْنُ مَرْدَوَيْهِ وَالْبَيْهَقِيُّ فِي سُنَنِهِ. (٢) ن، س: لَا يَجُوزُ أَنْ يُبْتَدَءُوا. .، م لَا يَجُوزُ أَنْ يُبْتَدَأَ. . . وَهُوَ خَطَأٌ، وَالصَّوَابُ مَا أَثْبَتُّهُ مِنْ (ب) .