Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (8/241)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

will this religion cease to be mighty so long as twelve caliphs, all of them from Quraysh, hold power.” (1)

These twelve caliphs are those mentioned in the Torah, where it says in its glad tidings concerning Ishmael: “And he will father twelve great men.”

Anyone who supposes that these twelve are those whom the Rāfidah recognize as imams is utterly ignorant. For none of them wielded military power except Alī ibn Abī Tālib (2). Yet even he was unable during his caliphate to wage war against the unbelievers or conquer a city, nor did he kill an unbeliever. Rather, the Muslims were occupied with fighting one another, until the unbelievers in the East and Syria—both polytheists and People of the Book—became emboldened against them. It is even said that they seized some Muslim lands (3), and that messages were conveyed to some of the unbelievers to persuade them to desist from attacking the Muslims. What might did Islam enjoy in this, when the sword was being turned against the Muslims, while their enemies had become emboldened against them and inflicted harm upon them?!

As for the imams other than Alī, none of them wielded military power, least of all the awaited imam. Indeed, according to those who affirm his imamate, he is either fearful and powerless, or a fugitive (4) who has been in hiding for more than four hundred years. He has neither guided anyone who has gone astray, nor enjoined what is right, nor forbidden what is wrong, nor aided anyone who has been wronged, nor given anyone a legal ruling on any question, nor passed judgment

(1) This hadith appeared a few pages earlier and was also cited previously at 3/533. (2) The point here is that Alī ibn Abī Tālib—may Allah be pleased with him—was the only one of the twelve imams to hold the caliphate, head the state, and exercise authority over the Muslim armies. (3) N, M: al-Islām (“Islam”). (4) M: aw hārib (“or a fugitive”)

يَزَالُ هَذَا الدِّينُ عَزِيزًا مَا تَوَلَّى اثْنَا عَشَرَ خَلِيفَةً كُلُّهُمْ مِنْ قُرَيْشٍ» " (١) . وَهَؤُلَاءِ الِاثْنَا عَشَرَ خَلِيفَةً هُمُ الْمَذْكُورُونَ فِي التَّوْرَاةِ ; حَيْثُ قَالَ فِي بِشَارَتِهِ بِإِسْمَاعِيلَ: " وَسَيَلِدُ اثْنَيْ عَشَرَ عَظِيمًا ". وَمَنْ ظَنَّ أَنَّ هَؤُلَاءِ الِاثْنَيْ عَشَرَ هُمُ الَّذِينَ تَعْتَقِدُ الرَّافِضَةُ إِمَامَتَهُمْ فَهُوَ فِي غَايَةِ الْجَهْلِ ; فَإِنَّ هَؤُلَاءِ لَيْسَ فِيهِمْ مَنْ كَانَ لَهُ سَيْفٌ إِلَّا عَلِيُّ بْنُ أَبِي طَالِبٍ (٢) ، وَمَعَ هَذَا فَلَمْ يَتَمَكَّنْ فِي خِلَافَتِهِ مِنْ غَزْوِ الْكُفَّارِ، وَلَا فَتْحِ مَدِينَةٍ، وَلَا قَتَلَ كَافِرًا، بَلْ كَانَ الْمُسْلِمُونَ قَدِ اشْتَغَلَ بَعْضُهُمْ بِقِتَالِ بَعْضٍ، حَتَّى طَمِعَ فِيهِمُ الْكُفَّارُ بِالشَّرْقِ وَالشَّامِ مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ وَأَهْلِ الْكِتَابِ، حَتَّى يُقَالَ إِنَّهُمْ أَخَذُوا بَعْضَ بِلَادِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ (٣) ، وَإِنَّ بَعْضَ الْكُفَّارِ كَانَ يُحْمَلُ إِلَيْهِ كَلَامٌ حَتَّى يَكُفَّ عَنِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ، فَأَيُّ عِزٍّ لِلْإِسْلَامِ فِي هَذَا، وَالسَّيْفُ يَعْمَلُ فِي الْمُسْلِمِينَ، وَعَدُّوهُمْ قَدْ طَمِعَ فِيهِمْ وَنَالَ مِنْهُمْ؟ ! وَأَمَّا سَائِرُ الْأَئِمَّةِ غَيْرُ عَلِيٍّ، فَلَمْ يَكُنْ لِأَحَدٍ مِنْهُمْ سَيْفٌ، لَا سِيَّمَا الْمُنْتَظَرِ، بَلْ هُوَ عِنْدَ مَنْ يَقُولُ بِإِمَامَتِهِ: إِمَّا خَائِفٌ عَاجِزٌ، وَإِمَّا هَارِبٌ (٤) مُخْتَفٍ مِنْ أَكْثَرَ مِنْ أَرْبَعِمِائَةِ سَنَةٍ، وَهُوَ لَمْ يَهْدِ ضَالًّا وَلَا أَمَرَ بِمَعْرُوفٍ، وَلَا نَهَى عَنْ مُنْكَرٍ، وَلَا نَصَرَ مَظْلُومًا، وَلَا أَفْتَى أَحَدًا فِي مَسْأَلَةٍ، وَلَا حَكَمَ

(١) سَبَقَ هَذَا الْحَدِيثُ قَبْلَ صَفَحَاتٍ، وَسَبَقَ فِيمَا مَضَى ٣/٥٣٣. (٢) الْمَقْصُودُ هُنَا أَنَّ عَلِيَّ بْنَ أَبِي طَالِبٍ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ - كَانَ هُوَ الْوَحِيدَ مِنَ الْأَئِمَّةِ الِاثْنَيْ عَشَرَ الَّذِي تُوَلَّى الْخِلَافَةَ وَكَانَتْ لَهُ رِئَاسَةُ الدَّوْلَةِ وَالسُّلْطَةِ عَلَى جُيُوشِ الْمُسْلِمِينَ. (٣) ن، م: الْإِسْلَامِ. (٤) م: أَوْ هَارِبٌ. . .