Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (8/519)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

is evidence against them that fighting the disbelievers under all rulers is obligatory. Once this is established, Abū Bakr, ‘Umar, and ‘Uthmān are the best of those rulers who fought the disbelievers after the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him.

Furthermore, it is impossible that everyone under whom Allah commanded the Muslims to fight the disbelievers after the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, should be nothing but an unjust, wicked aggressor whom they are not obliged to obey in anything whatsoever. This contradicts the Quran, in which Allah promised a good reward for obeying him and threatened painful punishment for turning away from obedience to him (1).

The verse may also be cited as evidence of the caliphs’ justice, because Allah promised a good reward simply for obeying them when they called people to battle, and declared that whoever turned away from this, as he had turned away before, would suffer painful punishment.

It is well known that when a ruler leading a military campaign is wicked, obedience to him in battle is not obligatory without qualification, but only in what Allah and His Messenger have commanded. Turning away from obedience to him is not like turning away from obedience to the Messenger. This differs from turning away from obedience to the Rightly Guided Caliphs: it may be said that such a person has turned away as he did before, if the command of the Rightly Guided Caliphs accords with the command of the Messenger of Allah, peace and blessings be upon him.

In short, this line of argument requires scrutiny and involves subtle distinctions. We have no need of it, for other evidence suffices in its place.

(1) م: wa-wa‘ada ‘alā al-tawallī min tā‘atihi (“and promised [punishment] for turning away from obedience to him”); س: wa-wa‘ada ‘alā al-mutawallī ‘an tā‘atihi (“and promised [punishment] for the one who turns away from obedience to him”); ب: wa-wa‘ada al-mutawallī ‘an tā‘atihi (“and promised the one who turns away from obedience to him [punishment]”).

حُجَّةٌ عَلَيْهِمْ فِي وُجُوبِ غَزْوِ الْكُفَّارِ مَعَ جَمِيعِ الْأُمَرَاءِ، وَإِذَا ثَبَتَ هَذَا فَأَبُو بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرُ وَعُثْمَانُ أَفْضَلُ مَنْ غَزَا الْكُفَّارَ مِنْ هَؤُلَاءِ الْأُمَرَاءِ بَعْدَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ. ثُمَّ مِنَ الْمُحَالِ أَنْ يَكُونَ كُلُّ مَنْ أَمَرَ اللَّهُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ أَنْ يُجَاهِدُوا مَعَهُ الْكُفَّارَ بَعْدَ النَّبِيِّ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ لَا يَكُونُ إِلَّا ظَالِمًا فَاجِرًا مُعْتَدِيًا، لَا تَجِبُ طَاعَتُهُ فِي شَيْءٍ مِنَ الْأَشْيَاءِ، فَإِنَّ هَذَا خِلَافُ الْقُرْآنِ حَيْثُ وَعَدَ عَلَى طَاعَتِهِ بِأَنْ يُؤْتِي أَجْرًا حَسَنًا، وَوَعَدَ عَلَى التَّوَلِّي عَنْ طَاعَتِهِ (١) بِالْعَذَابِ الْأَلِيمِ. وَقَدْ يُسْتَدَلُّ بِالْآيَةِ عَلَى عَدْلِ الْخُلَفَاءِ ; لِأَنَّهُ وَعَدَ بِالْأَجْرِ الْحَسَنِ عَلَى مُجَرَّدِ الطَّاعَةِ إِذَا دَعَوْا إِلَى الْقِتَالِ، وَجَعَلَ الْمُتَوَلِّي عَنْ ذَلِكَ كَمَا تَوَلَّى مِنْ قَبْلُ مُعَذَّبًا عَذَابًا أَلِيمًا. وَمَعْلُومٌ أَنَّ الْأَمِيرَ الْغَازِيَ إِذَا كَانَ فَاجِرًا لَا تَجِبُ طَاعَتُهُ فِي الْقِتَالِ مُطْلَقًا، بَلْ فِيمَا أَمَرَ اللَّهُ بِهِ وَرَسُولُهُ وَالْمُتَوَلِّي عَنْ طَاعَتِهِ لَا يَتَوَلَّى كَمَا تَوَلَّى عَنْ طَاعَةِ الرَّسُولِ بِخِلَافِ الْمُتَوَلِّي عَنْ طَاعَةِ الْخُلَفَاءِ الرَّاشِدِينَ، فَإِنَّهُ قَدْ يُقَالُ: إِنَّهُ تَوَلَّى كَمَا تَوَلَّى مِنْ قَبْلُ إِذَا كَانَ أَمْرُ الْخُلَفَاءِ الرَّاشِدِينَ مُطَابِقًا لِأَمْرِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ. وَفِي الْجُمْلَةِ فَهَذَا الْمَوْضِعُ فِي الِاسْتِدْلَالِ بِهِ نَظَرٌ وَدِقَّةٌ، وَلَا حَاجَةَ بِنَا إِلَيْهِ فَفِي غَيْرِهِ مَا يُغْنِي عَنْهُ.

(١) م: وَوَعَدَ عَلَى التَّوَلِّي مِنْ طَاعَتِهِ، س: وَوَعَدَ عَلَى الْمُتَوَلِّي عَنْ طَاعَتِهِ، ب: وَوَعَدَ الْمُتَوَلِّي عَنْ طَاعَتِهِ.