Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (8/455)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

panic?!

Moreover, his undertaking to fight (1) the apostates and those who withheld zakah, and to strengthen the believers while preparing Usāma’s expedition, shows that he possessed greater composure and certainty than anyone else. It is reported that he was told:

“What has befallen you would have shattered the mountains and drained the seas had it befallen them. Yet we do not see that you have weakened.”

He replied:

“No fear has entered my heart since the night in the cave. When the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—saw my grief—or words to that effect—he said: ‘Do not worry, Abū Bakr, for Allah has guaranteed that this cause will be brought to completion.’”

It may further be said: whoever equates Abū Bakr’s certainty and patience with those of another Companion—‘Umar, ‘Uthmān or ‘Alī—thereby reveals his ignorance. A Sunni does not dispute his superiority over ‘Umar and ‘Uthmān. But the Rāfidī (2) who claimed that ‘Alī surpassed all three in these qualities has made a claim (3) that is a slander, a lie and a fabrication. Anyone who reflects on the lives of ‘Umar and ‘Uthmān knows that they surpassed ‘Alī in patience, steadfastness and freedom from panic in times of adversity. They besieged ‘Uthmān and sought to depose him from the caliphate or kill him (4), and they persisted until they killed him. Throughout this, he prevented people from fighting them, until he was killed as a martyr, without defending himself. Is this not among the greatest examples of patience in adversity?!

It is well known that ‘Alī’s patience was not like ‘Uthmān’s. Rather, he would display such distress at his own troops, who fought alongside him, and at the troops whom

(1) m, n: fī qitāl (“in fighting”). (2) b only: wa-lākinna da‘wā al-Rāfidī… (“But the Rāfidī’s claim…”). (3) m: da‘wā (“a claim”); n, s: hiya da‘wā (“it is a claim”). The reading adopted here may be correct. (4) m: min khilāfatihi (“from his caliphate”).

الْجَزَعِ؟ ! . وَأَيْضًا فَقِيَامُهُ بِقِتَالِ (١) الْمُرْتَدِّينَ وَمَانِعِي الزَّكَاةِ، وَتَثْبِيتِ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ مَعَ تَجْهِيزِ أُسَامَةَ، مِمَّا يُبَيِّنُ أَنَّهُ أَعْظَمُ النَّاسِ طُمَأْنِينَةً وَيَقِينًا، وَقَدْ رُوِيَ أَنَّهُ قِيلَ لَهُ قَدْ نَزَلَ بِكَ مَا لَوْ نَزَلَ بِالْجِبَالِ لَهَاضَهَا، وَبِالْبِحَارِ لَغَاضَهَا، وَمَا نَرَاكَ ضَعُفْتَ فَقَالَ: مَا دَخَلَ قَلْبِي رُعْبٌ بَعْدَ لَيْلَةِ الْغَارِ، فَإِنَّ النَّبِيَّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَمَّا رَأَى حُزْنِي - أَوْ كَمَا قَالَ - قَالَ: لَا عَلَيْكَ يَا أَبَا بَكْرٍ، فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ قَدْ تَكَفَّلَ لِهَذَا الْأَمْرِ بِالتَّمَامِ. ثُمَّ يُقَالُ: مَنْ شَبَّهَ يَقِينَ أَبِي بَكْرٍ وَصَبْرَهُ بِغَيْرِهِ مِنَ الصَّحَابَةِ: عُمَرَ أَوْ عُثْمَانَ أَوْ عَلِيٍّ فَإِنَّهُ يَدُلُّ عَلَى جَهْلِهِ وَالسُّنِّيُّ لَا يُنَازِعُ فِي فَضْلِهِ عَلَى عُمَرَ وَعُثْمَانَ، وَلَكِنَّ الرَّافِضِيَّ (٢) الَّذِي ادَّعَى أَنَّ عَلِيًّا كَانَ أَكْمَلَ مِنَ الثَّلَاثَةِ فِي هَذِهِ الصِّفَاتِ دَعْوَاهُ (٣) بُهْتٌ وَكَذِبٌ وَفِرْيَةٌ، فَإِنَّ مَنْ تَدَبَّرَ سِيرَةَ عُمَرَ وَعُثْمَانَ عَلِمَ أَنَّهُمَا كَانَا فِي الصَّبْرِ وَالثَّبَاتِ وَقِلَّةِ الْجَزَعِ فِي الْمَصَائِبِ أَكْمَلَ مِنْ عَلِيٍّ، فَعُثْمَانُ حَاصَرُوهُ وَطَلَبُوا خَلْعَهُ مِنَ الْخِلَافَةِ، أَوْ قَتْلَهُ (٤) وَلَمْ يَزَالُوا بِهِ حَتَّى قَتَلُوهُ، وَهُوَ يَمْنَعُ النَّاسَ مِنْ مُقَاتَلَتِهِمْ إِلَى أَنْ قُتِلَ شَهِيدًا وَمَا دَافَعَ عَنْ نَفْسِهِ فَهَلْ هَذَا إِلَّا مِنْ أَعْظَمِ الصَّبْرِ عَلَى الْمَصَائِبِ؟ ! . وَمَعْلُومٌ أَنَّ عَلِيًّا لَمْ يَكُنْ صَبْرُهُ كَصَبْرِ عُثْمَانَ، بَلْ كَانَ يَحْصُلُ لَهُ مِنْ إِظْهَارِ التَّأَذِّي مِنْ عَسْكَرِهِ الَّذِينَ يُقَاتِلُونَ مَعَهُ، وَمِنَ الْعَسْكَرِ الَّذِينَ

(١) م، ن: فِي قِتَالِ. (٢) ب (فَقَطْ) : وَلَكِنَّ دَعْوَى الرَّافِضِي. . . (٣) م: دَعْوَى، ن، س: هِيَ دَعْوَى. وَلَعَلَّ الصَّوَابَ مَا أَثْبَتُّهُ. (٤) م: مِنْ خِلَافَتِهِ.