Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (8/347)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

Therefore, if they testify that Abū Bakr has the greater right to leadership, they must be truthful in this testimony and know what they are testifying to. Likewise, if they testify that one person is obedient to Allah and another disobedient to Him, or that one has done something deserving reward and another something deserving punishment, their testimony must be accepted. For bearing witness over people includes testifying to their blameworthy and praiseworthy deeds. Testifying that one person is obedient and another disobedient entails testifying to their actions, the rulings governing those actions, and their qualities. This is the point we sought to establish.

In the two Sahīh collections, it is reported from ‘Umar concerning the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace:

“A funeral procession passed by him, and the people spoke well of the deceased. He said, ‘It is assured.’ Another funeral procession passed by him, and they spoke ill of the deceased. He said, ‘It is assured.’ He was asked, ‘O Messenger of Allah, what do you mean by saying, “It is assured”?’ He replied, ‘You spoke well of this deceased person, so I said that Paradise was assured for him. You spoke ill of the other deceased person, so I said that the Fire was assured for him. You are Allah’s witnesses on earth.’” (1)

Further evidence is provided by His words:

“And whoever opposes the Messenger after guidance has become clear to him and follows a path other than that of the believers, We will leave him to what he has turned to”—to the end of the verse. [Surah al-Nisā’: 115]

He threatens punishment for opposing the Messenger and following a path other than that of the believers. This implies that each is blameworthy, for opposing the Messenger alone is blameworthy by consensus. Thus, if the other were not

(1) This hadith was cited earlier (3/498), where I noted that it is narrated from Anas ibn Mālik—may Allah be pleased with him—in the collections of al-Bukhārī and Muslim and the Sunan collections of al-Tirmidhī, al-Nasā'ī, and Ibn Mājah. Another hadith conveying the same meaning is narrated from Abū Hurayra in the Sunan of Abū Dāwūd and in al-Musnad. However, after citing the hadith of Anas—may Allah be pleased with him—al-Tirmidhī said: “On this topic, there are also reports from 'Umar, Ka'b ibn 'Ujra, and Abū Hurayra.”

فَإِذَا شَهِدُوا أَنَّ أَبَا بَكْرٍ أَحَقُّ بِالْإِمَامَةِ وَجَبَ أَنْ يَكُونُوا صَادِقِينَ فِي هَذِهِ الشَّهَادَةِ عَالِمِينَ بِمَا شَهِدُوا بِهِ، وَكَذَلِكَ إِذَا شَهِدُوا أَنَّ هَذَا مُطِيعٌ لِلَّهِ وَهَذَا عَاصٍ لِلَّهِ وَهَذَا فَعَلَ مَا يَسْتَحِقُّ عَلَيْهِ الثَّوَابَ وَهَذَا فَعَلَ مَا يَسْتَحِقُّ عَلَيْهِ الْعِقَابَ وَجَبَ قَبُولُ شَهَادَتِهِمْ، فَإِنَّ الشَّهَادَةَ عَلَى النَّاسِ تَتَنَاوَلُ الشَّهَادَةَ بِمَا فَعَلُوهُ مِنْ مَذْمُومٍ وَمَحْمُودٍ. وَالشَّهَادَةُ بِأَنَّ هَذَا مُطِيعٌ وَهَذَا عَاصٍ هِيَ تَتَضَمَّنُ الشَّهَادَةَ بِأَفْعَالِهِمْ وَأَحْكَامَ أَفْعَالِهِمْ وَصِفَاتِهِمْ وَهُوَ الْمَطْلُوبُ. وَفِي الصَّحِيحَيْنِ عَنْ عُمَرَ أَنَّ النَّبِيَّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - «مَرَّ عَلَيْهِ بِجِنَازَةٍ فَأَثْنَوْا عَلَيْهَا خَيْرًا، فَقَالَ: " وَجَبَتْ " وَمَرَّ عَلَيْهِ بِجِنَازَةٍ فَأَثْنَوْا عَلَيْهَا شَرًّا فَقَالَ وَجَبَتْ فَقِيلَ: يَا رَسُولَ اللَّهِ مَا قَوْلُكَ: وَجَبَتْ؟ قَالَ: " هَذِهِ الْجِنَازَةُ أَثْنَيْتُمْ عَلَيْهَا خَيْرًا فَقُلْتُ وَجَبَتْ لَهَا الْجَنَّةُ، وَهَذِهِ الْجِنَازَةُ أَثْنَيْتُمْ عَلَيْهَا شَرًّا، فَقُلْتُ: وَجَبَتْ لَهَا النَّارُ أَنْتُمْ شُهَدَاءُ اللَّهِ فِي الْأَرْضِ» " (١) . وَأَيْضًا فَقَوْلُهُ: {وَمَنْ يُشَاقِقِ الرَّسُولَ مِنْ بَعْدِ مَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُ الْهُدَى وَيَتَّبِعْ غَيْرَ سَبِيلِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ نُوَلِّهِ مَا تَوَلَّى} الْآيَةَ [سُورَةُ النِّسَاءِ: ١١٥] فَإِنَّهُ تَوَعَّدَ عَلَى الْمُشَاقَّةِ لِلرَّسُولِ وَاتِّبَاعِ غَيْرِ سَبِيلِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ؛ وَذَلِكَ يَقْتَضِي أَنَّ كُلًّا مِنْهُمَا مَذْمُومٌ؛ فَإِنَّ مُشَاقَّةَ الرَّسُولِ وَحْدَهَا مَذْمُومَةٌ بِالْإِجْمَاعِ، فَلَوْ لَمْ يَكُنِ الْآخَرُ

(١) سَبَقَ هَذَا الْحَدِيثُ فِيمَا مَضَى ٣/٤٩٨، وَذَكَرْتُ هُنَاكَ أَنَّ الْحَدِيثَ عَنْ أَنَسِ بْنِ مَالِكٍ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ -، فِي الْبُخَارِيِّ وَمُسْلِمٍ وَسُنَنِ التِّرْمِذِيِّ وَالنَّسَائِيِّ وَابْنِ مَاجَهْ، وَأَنَّ حَدِيثًا آخَرَ جَاءَ عَنْ أَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ بِمَعْنَاهُ فِي سُنَنِ أَبِي دَاوُدَ وَفِي الْمُسْنَدِ، إِلَّا أَنَّ التِّرْمِذِيَّ قَالَ بَعْدَ إِيرَادِهِ لِحَدِيثِ أَنَسٍ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ -: " وَفِي الْبَابِ عَنْ عُمَرَ وَكَعْبِ بْنِ عُجْرَةَ وَأَبِي هُرَيْرَةَ "