Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (8/262)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

Likewise, many of them claim that al-Khidr is still alive, although this claim has brought them no benefit, either in their religious or their worldly affairs.

The most that anyone making such a claim can assert is that some of what Allah decrees (1) comes about through the agency (2) of people like these. Yet, despite the fact that (3) they have no need of this, they have no need (4) to know about it either. They would gain no benefit from it even if it were true; how much less, then, if what they claim is false!

To some of these people, a jinn appears in a particular form and says, “I am al-Khidr,” though he is lying. Likewise, those who speak of the “men of the unseen” and of seeing them have only seen jinn. These are beings hidden from sight, whom they may suppose to be human. We have explained this elsewhere, drawing on accounts that have reached us through numerous channels; recounting them here would take too long.

This person whose existence the Rāfidah claim is either missing, according to them, or nonexistent, according to rational people. In either case, he benefits no one, whether in religious affairs or [in] worldly affairs (5). Anyone who bases his religion on him, relying on unknown matters whose truth is not established (6), is astray in his religion: the validity of what he has based his religion on is unknown, and he has gained no benefit from it. Would anyone but an ignorant person do such a thing?

Yet those who believe that al-Khidr is still alive do not say that people are obliged to obey him, even though al-Khidr did indeed live and exist.

(1) N, S, B: mā yuqaddiru (“what He decrees”). (2) M: ‘alā yadi (“through the hand of”). (3) S, B: annahum (“that they”). (4) The passage marked (4–4) is omitted in S and B. (5) N: wa-lā dunyā (“nor worldly affairs”). (6) S, B: mawtuhā (“their death”), which is a corrupt reading. In N and M, the word is undotted; I believe the reading I have adopted is correct.

وَكَمَا يَدَّعِي كَثِيرٌ مِنْهُمْ حَيَاةَ الْخَضِرِ، مَعَ أَنَّهُمْ لَمْ يَسْتَفِيدُوا بِهَذِهِ الدَّعْوَى مَنْفَعَةً: لَا فِي دِينِهِمْ، وَلَا فِي دُنْيَاهُمْ. وَإِنَّمَا غَايَةُ مَنْ يَدَّعِي ذَلِكَ أَنْ يَدَّعِيَ جَرَيَانَ بَعْضِ مَا يُقَدِّرُهُ (١) اللَّهُ عَلَى يَدَيْ (٢) مِثْلِ هَؤُلَاءِ. وَهَذَا مَعَ أَنَّهُ (٣) لَا حَاجَةَ لَهُمْ بِهِ، فَلَا حَاجَةَ بِهِمْ (٤) إِلَى مَعْرِفَتِهِ، وَلَمْ يَنْتَفِعُوا بِذَلِكَ لَوْ كَانَ حَقًّا، فَكَيْفَ إِذَا كَانَ مَا يَدَّعُونَهُ بَاطِلًا؟ ! وَمِنْ هَؤُلَاءِ مَنْ يَتَمَثَّلُ لَهُ الْجِنِّيُّ فِي صُورَةٍ، وَيَقُولُ: أَنَا الْخَضِرُ، وَيَكُونُ كَاذِبًا. وَكَذَلِكَ الَّذِينَ يَذْكُرُونَ رِجَالَ الْغَيْبِ وَرُؤْيَتَهُمْ إِنَّمَا رَأَوُا الْجِنَّ، وَهُمْ رِجَالٌ غَائِبُونَ، وَقَدْ يَظُنُّونَ أَنَّهُمْ إِنْسٌ. وَهَذَا قَدْ بَيَّنَّاهُ فِي مَوَاضِعَ تَطُولُ حِكَايَتُهَا مِمَّا تَوَاتَرَ عِنْدَنَا. وَهَذَا الَّذِي تَدَّعِيهِ الرَّافِضَةُ إِمَّا مَفْقُودٌ عِنْدَهُمْ، وَإِمَّا مَعْدُومٌ عِنْدَ الْعُقَلَاءِ. وَعَلَى التَّقْدِيرَيْنِ فَلَا مَنْفَعَةَ لِأَحَدٍ بِهِ، لَا فِي دِينٍ وَلَا [فِي] دُنْيَا (٥) . فَمَنْ عَلَّقَ بِهِ دِينَهُ بِالْمَجْهُولَاتِ الَّتِي لَا يُعْلَمُ ثُبُوتُهَا (٦) كَانَ ضَالًّا فِي دِينِهِ ; لِأَنَّ مَا عَلَّقَ بِهِ دِينَهُ لَمْ يُعْلَمْ صِحَّتُهُ، وَلَمْ يَحْصُلْ لَهُ بِهِ مَنْفَعَةٌ، فَهَلْ يَفْعَلُ مِثْلَ هَذَا إِلَّا جَاهِلٌ؟ ! لَكِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَعْتَقِدُونَ حَيَاةَ الْخَضِرِ لَا يَقُولُونَ: إِنَّهُ يَجِبُ عَلَى النَّاسِ طَاعَتُهُ، مَعَ أَنَّ الْخَضِرَ كَانَ حَيًّا مَوْجُودًا.

(١) ن، س، ب: مَا يُقَدِّرُ. (٢) م: عَلَى يَدِ. (٣) س، ب: أَنَّهُمْ. (٤) (٤ - ٤) سَاقِطٌ مِنْ (س) (ب) . (٥) ن: وَلَا دُنْيَا. (٦) س، ب: مَوْتُهَا وَهُوَ تَحْرِيفٌ، ن، م: الْكَلِمَةُ غَيْرُ مَنْقُوطَةٍ وَأَحْسَبُ أَنَّ الصَّوَابَ مَا أَثْبَتُّهُ.