Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (8/345)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

on opposing the Messenger and following a path other than that of the believers (1), although opposing the Messenger alone warrants the threat of punishment. The two, however, are inseparable; therefore (2) He made the threat contingent on both, just as He makes it contingent on disobeying Allah and His Messenger, which are likewise inseparable.

The caliphate of al-Siddīq falls into this category. Numerous scriptural texts indicate that it was rightful and correct, and scholars have not differed over this. They have differed over whether it was established through an explicit designation of a successor, as was the caliphate of ʿUmar, or through consensus and selection.

As for the scriptural texts indicating that it was rightful and correct, I know of no Sunni scholar who has disputed this; all of them cite those texts as evidence of its validity. If we explain that whatever has been established by consensus is indicated by a scriptural text, then consensus is cited because it is evidence of that text and is never separate from it.

Nevertheless, we shall mention some of the evidence used to establish the authority of consensus generally, and to argue against those who say that it may not be accompanied by a scriptural text. Such evidence includes the words of Allah Most High:

“You are the best nation produced for mankind. You enjoin what is right and forbid what is wrong.” [Surah Āl ʿImrān: 110]

This entails that they enjoin everything that is right and forbid everything that is wrong. It is well known that declaring obligatory what Allah has made obligatory, and declaring forbidden what Allah has forbidden, falls within enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong. Indeed, it is itself enjoining what is right and forbidding what is wrong. They must therefore declare obligatory everything that Allah and His Messenger have made obligatory, and declare forbidden everything that Allah and His Messenger have forbidden. Consequently, it is necessarily impossible for them to declare something forbidden obligatory, or something obligatory forbidden, for they cannot remain silent about

(1) (4 - 4): Omitted in (س), (ب). (2) ب: wa-li-hādhā (and for this reason).

بِمُشَاقَّةِ الرَّسُولِ وَاتِّبَاعِ غَيْرِ سَبِيلِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ (١) مَعَ الْعِلْمِ بِأَنَّ مُجَرَّدَ مُشَاقَّةِ الرَّسُولِ تُوجِبُ الْوَعِيدَ وَلَكِنْ هُمَا مُتَلَازِمَانِ؛ فَلِهَذَا (٢) عَلَّقَهُ بِهِمَا، كَمَا يُعَلِّقُهُ بِمَعْصِيَةِ اللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ، وَهُمَا مُتَلَازِمَانِ أَيْضًا. وَخِلَافَةُ الصِّدِّيقِ مِنْ هَذَا الْبَابِ، فَإِنَّ النُّصُوصَ الْكَثِيرَةَ دَلَّتْ عَلَى أَنَّهَا حَقٌّ وَصَوَابٌ، وَهَذَا مِمَّا لَمْ يَخْتَلِفِ الْعُلَمَاءُ فِيهِ، وَاخْتَلَفُوا: هَلِ انْعَقَدَتْ بِالنَّصِّ الَّذِي هُوَ الْعَهْدُ كَخِلَافَةِ عُمَرَ، أَوْ بِالْإِجْمَاعِ وَالِاخْتِيَارِ؟ . وَأَمَّا دَلَالَةُ النُّصُوصِ عَلَى أَنَّهَا حَقٌّ وَصَوَابٌ؛ فَمَا عَلِمْتُ أَحَدًا نَازَعَ فِيهِ مِنْ عُلَمَاءِ السُّنَّةِ؛ كُلُّهُمْ يَحْتَجُّ عَلَى صِحَّتِهَا بِالنُّصُوصِ، إِذَا كُنَّا نُبَيِّنُ أَنَّ مَا انْعَقَدَ عَلَيْهِ الْإِجْمَاعُ فَهُوَ مَنْصُوصٌ عَلَيْهِ كَانَ ذِكْرَ الْإِجْمَاعِ ; لِأَنَّهُ دَلِيلٌ عَلَى النَّصِّ لَا يُفَارِقُهُ الْبَتَّةَ. وَمَعَ هَذَا فَنَحْنُ نَذْكُرُ بَعْضَ مَا يُسْتَدَلُّ بِهِ عَلَى الْإِجْمَاعِ مُطْلَقًا وَيُسْتَدَلُّ بِهِ عَلَى مَنْ يَقُولُ: قَدْ لَا يَكُونُ مَعَهُ نَصٌّ. كَقَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: {كُنْتُمْ خَيْرَ أُمَّةٍ أُخْرِجَتْ لِلنَّاسِ تَأْمُرُونَ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَتَنْهَوْنَ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ} [سُورَةُ آلِ عِمْرَانَ: ١١٠] ، فَهَذَا يَقْتَضِي أَنَّهُمْ يَأْمُرُونَ بِكُلِّ مَعْرُوفٍ وَيَنْهَوْنَ عَنْ كُلِّ مُنْكَرٍ. وَمِنَ الْمَعْلُومِ أَنَّ إِيجَابَ مَا أَوْجَبَهُ اللَّهُ وَتَحْرِيمَ مَا حَرَّمَهُ اللَّهُ هُوَ مِنَ الْأَمْرِ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَالنَّهْيِ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ، بَلْ هُوَ نَفْسُهُ الْأَمْرُ بِالْمَعْرُوفِ وَالنَّهْيُ عَنِ الْمُنْكَرِ، فَيَجِبُ أَنْ يُوجِبُوا كُلَّ مَا أَوْجَبَهُ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ، وَيُحَرِّمُوا كُلَّ مَا حَرَّمَهُ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ؛ وَحِينَئِذٍ فَيَمْتَنِعُ أَنْ يُوجِبُوا حَرَامًا، وَيُحَرِّمُوا وَاجِبًا بِالضَّرُورَةِ، فَإِنَّهُ لَا يَجُوزُ عَلَيْهِمُ السُّكُوتُ عَنْ

(١) (٤ - ٤) : سَاقِطٌ مِنْ (س) ، (ب) . (٢) ب: وَلِهَذَا