Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (8/261)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

Third (1): This infallible imam, whose existence they claim at some point in time, was born, according to their account, more than (2) 450 years ago. They maintain that he entered the cellar in the year 260 AH, when he was five years old according to some of them, and younger according to others (3). Yet nothing has been seen from him of what even the least influential people do (4)—what individual governors, judges, and scholars do—let alone what an infallible imam would do. What benefit would there be in the existence (5) of someone like this, even if he existed? What, then, if he does not exist?!

As for those who believe in this infallible imam, what grace and what benefit (6) have they received from him personally in their religious or worldly affairs?!

Is this not even more unsound than the claims many ordinary people make about the qutb, the ghawth, and similar titles, whose bearers they venerate, ascribing to them (7) what surpasses the rank (8) of prophethood, without identifying any particular person from whom one could obtain the benefit claimed for those who bear these titles?

(1) All manuscripts read: “Second: al-qawl bi-l-mūjib (accepting what the argument entails); third …” The second argument has already been given. The wording in the manuscripts makes no sense; the passage may contain an omission or textual corruption, and I considered it preferable to omit it. (2) N, S: lahu qad wulida ʿindahum aktharu min (“for him, he was born, according to them, more than …”), which is corrupt. B: qad wulida ʿindahum li-akthara min (“he was born, according to them, more than … ago”). The adopted reading is from M and is correct. (3) N, M, S: wa-ʿinda baʿdihim aqallu min dhālika ʿinda ākharīn (“and according to some of them, less than that according to others”). The correct reading is the one I have adopted from B. (4) N: taʾbīran; S, B: taʾmīran. (5) Li-l-wujūd (“in existence”) is omitted in M. (6) M: maslahatin (“benefit”). (7) The phrase wa-yaddaʿūna fī musammāhā (“and they make claims about those designated by these titles”) is omitted in S and B. (8) N: rībati (“doubt”), which is corrupt.

الثَّالِثُ (١) : أَنَّ هَذَا الْمَعْصُومَ الَّذِي يَدَّعُونَهُ فِي وَقْتٍ مَا لَهُ مُذْ وُلِدَ عِنْدَهُمْ أَكْثَرُ مِنْ (٢) أَرْبَعِمِائَةٍ وَخَمْسِينَ سَنَةً ; فَإِنَّهُ دَخَلَ السِّرْدَابَ عِنْدَهُمْ سَنَةَ سِتِّينَ وَمِائَتَيْنِ، وَلَهُ خَمْسُ سِنِينَ عِنْدَ بَعْضِهِمْ، وَأَقَلُّ مِنْ ذَلِكَ عِنْدَ آخَرِينَ (٣) ، وَلَمْ يَظْهَرْ عَنْهُ شَيْءٌ مِمَّا يَفْعَلُهُ أَقَلُّ النَّاسِ تَأْثِيرًا (٤) ، مِمَّا يَفْعَلُهُ آحَادُ الْوُلَاةِ وَالْقُضَاةِ وَالْعُلَمَاءِ، فَضْلًا عَمَّا يَفْعَلُهُ الْإِمَامُ الْمَعْصُومُ. فَأَيُّ مَنْفَعَةٍ لِلْوُجُودِ (٥) فِي مِثْلِ هَذَا لَوْ كَانَ مَوْجُودًا؟ فَكَيْفَ إِذَا كَانَ مَعْدُومًا؟ ! وَالَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِهَذَا الْمَعْصُومِ، أَيُّ لُطْفٍ وَأَيُّ مَنْفَعَةٍ (٦) حَصَلَتْ لَهُمْ بِهِ نَفْسِهِ فِي دِينِهِمْ أَوْ دُنْيَاهُمْ؟ ! وَهَلْ هَذَا إِلَّا أَفْسَدُ مِمَّا يَدَّعِيهِ كَثِيرٌ مِنَ الْعَامَّةِ فِي الْقُطْبِ وَالْغَوْثِ وَنَحْوِ ذَلِكَ مِنْ أَسْمَاءٍ يُعَظِّمُونَ مُسَمَّاهَا، وَيَدَّعُونَ فِي مُسَمَّاهَا (٧) مَا هُوَ أَعْظَمُ مِنْ رُتْبَةِ (٨) النُّبُوَّةِ، مِنْ غَيْرِ تَعْيِينٍ لِشَخْصٍ مُعَيَّنٍ يُمْكِنُ أَنْ يُنْتَفَعَ بِهِ الِانْتِفَاعُ الْمَذْكُورُ فِي مُسَمَّى هَذِهِ الْأَسْمَاءِ.

(١) فِي جَمِيعِ النُّسَخِ: الثَّانِي الْقَوْلُ بِالْمُوجِبِ، الثَّالِثُ. . إِلَخْ وَسَبَقَ الْوَجْهُ الثَّانِي، وَمَا ذُكِرَ فِي النُّسَخِ لَا مَعْنَى لَهُ وَلَعَلَّ فِي الْكَلَامِ نَقْصًا أَوْ تَحْرِيفًا، وَرَأَيْتُ أَنَّ حَذْفَهُ أَوْلَى. (٢) ن، س: لَهُ قَدْ وُلِدَ عِنْدَهُمْ أَكْثَرُ مِنْ، وَهُوَ تَحْرِيفٌ، ب: قَدْ وُلِدَ عِنْدَهُمْ لِأَكْثَرَ مِنْ. وَالْمُثْبَتُ مِنْ (م) وَهُوَ الصَّوَابُ. (٣) ن، م، س وَعِنْدَ بَعْضِهِمْ أَقَلُّ مِنْ ذَلِكَ عِنْدَ آخَرِينَ. وَالصَّوَابُ مَا أَثْبَتُّهُ مِنْ (ب) . (٤) ن: تَأْبِيرًا، س، ب: تَأْمِيرًا. (٥) لِلْوُجُودِ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (م) . (٦) م: مَصْلَحَةٍ. (٧) عِبَارَةُ: " وَيَدَّعُونَ فِي مُسَمَّاهَا ": سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (س) ، (ب) . (٨) ن: رِيبَةِ، وَهُوَ تَحْرِيفٌ.