Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (1/49)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

, when divided between two views, says: “The view (1) whose proponent is unknown is the truth, because it is the view of this infallible imam.” Thus, they deem lawful whatever this nonexistent figure declares lawful and forbidden whatever he declares forbidden. Yet according to (2) those who claim that he exists, no one knows him, and no one can transmit even a single word from him.

Among their follies is that they represent those whom they hate (* by means of an inanimate object (3) or an animal, and then do to that object or animal what they regard as punishment of the person they hate *) (4). For example, they take a ewe—which may be a red ewe because Aisha is called al-Humayrā (“the Little Ruddy One”) (5)—designate it as Aisha, and torture it by plucking out its wool and by other means, believing this to be a punishment of Aisha.

Likewise, they take a saddlecloth filled with clarified butter and slit (6) its belly open. The butter then flows out, and they drink it, saying, “This is like striking Umar and drinking his blood.” (7) Similarly, some of them name two mill donkeys—one Abū Bakr and the other Umar—and then punish (8) the two donkeys, regarding that punishment on their part as [punishment] (9) of Abū Bakr and Umar.

(1) B reads: “between two views, then the view…” (2) B reads: “from him”; this is an error. (3) M reads: “as an inanimate object.” (4) The passage between the asterisks is absent from A and B. (5) The passage marked 4–4 is absent from N and M. (6) A reads: “they sell”; B reads: “they cut open.” (7) In his aforementioned book, *The Shi'ite Religion* (-4), Donaldson quotes *A Dictionary of Islam* as describing what the Shia do during the Festival of al-Ghadīr: they make three figures out of dough representing Abū Bakr, Umar, and Uthmān, fill them with honey, and then stab them with knives. The honey consequently flows out, symbolizing the blood of the three usurping caliphs. (8) A and B read: “punishment.” (9) The word “punishment” is added in A and B.

إِذَا اخْتَلَفَتْ عَلَى قَوْلَيْنِ قَالُوا: الْقَوْلُ (١) الَّذِي لَا يُعْرَفُ قَائِلُهُ هُوَ الْحَقُّ؛ لِأَنَّهُ قَوْلُ هَذَا الْإِمَامِ الْمَعْصُومِ، فَيَجْعَلُونَ الْحَلَالَ مَا حَلَّلَهُ، وَالْحَرَامَ مَا حَرَّمَهُ هَذَا الَّذِي لَا يُوجَدُ، وَعِنْدَ (٢) مَنْ يَقُولُ إِنَّهُ مَوْجُودٌ لَا يَعْرِفُهُ أَحَدٌ، وَلَا يُمْكِنُ أَحَدٌ أَنْ يَنْقُلَ عَنْهُ كَلِمَةً وَاحِدَةً. وَمِنْ حَمَاقَاتِهِمْ تَمْثِيلُهُمْ لِمَنْ يُبْغِضُونَهُ (* بِالْجَمَادِ (٣) ، أَوْ حَيَوَانٍ، ثُمَّ يَفْعَلُونَ بِذَلِكَ الْجَمَادِ، وَالْحَيَوَانِ مَا يَرَوْنَهُ عُقُوبَةً لِمَنْ يُبْغِضُونَهُ *) (٤) مِثْلَ اتِّخَاذِهِمْ نَعْجَةً - وَقَدْ تَكُونُ نَعْجَةً حَمْرَاءَ لِكَوْنِ عَائِشَةَ تُسَمَّى الْحُمَيْرَاءَ (٥) - يَجْعَلُونَهَا عَائِشَةَ، وَيُعَذِّبُونَهَا بِنَتْفِ شَعْرِهَا، وَغَيْرِ ذَلِكَ، وَيَرَوْنَ أَنَّ ذَلِكَ عُقُوبَةٌ لِعَائِشَةَ. وَمِثْلُ اتِّخَاذِهِمْ حِلْسًا مَمْلُوءًا سَمْنًا، ثُمَّ يَبْعَجُونَ (٦) بَطْنَهُ، فَيَخْرُجُ السَّمْنُ، فَيَشْرَبُونَهُ، وَيَقُولُونَ: هَذَا مِثْلُ ضَرْبِ عُمَرَ، وَشُرْبِ دَمِهِ (٧) ، وَمِثْلُ تَسْمِيَةِ بَعْضِهِمْ لِحِمَارَيْنِ مِنْ حُمُرِ الرَّحَا أَحَدُهُمَا بِأَبِي بَكْرٍ، وَالْآخَرُ بِعُمَرَ، ثُمَّ يُعَاقِبُونَ (٨) الْحِمَارَيْنِ جَعَلَا مِنْهُمْ تِلْكَ الْعُقُوبَةَ [عُقُوبَةً] (٩) لِأَبِي بَكْرٍ، وَعُمَرَ. .

(١) ب: عَلَى قَوْلَيْنِ فَالْقَوْلُ. . (٢) ب: عَنْهُ؛ وَهُوَ خَطَأٌ. (٣) م: لِجَمَادٍ. (٤) مَا بَيْنَ النَّجْمَتَيْنِ سَاقِطٌ مِنْ (أ) ، (ب) . (٥) (٤ - ٤) : سَاقِطٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) . (٦) أ: يَبِيعُونَ؛ ب: يَشُقُّونَ. (٧) يَنْقُلُ Donaldson فِي كِتَابِهِ الْمُشَارِ إِلَيْهِ آنِفًا (- ٤) عَنْ قَامُوسِ الْإِسْلَامِ Dictionary of islam وَصْفًا لِمَا يَفْعَلُهُ الشِّيعَةُ فِي عِيدِ الْغَدِيرِ فَيَقُولُ: إِنَّهُمْ يَصْنَعُونَ ثَلَاثَةَ تَمَاثِيلَ مِنَ الْعَجِينِ تُمَثِّلُ أَبَا بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ وَعُثْمَانَ وَيَمْلَئُونَهَا بِالْعَسَلِ ثُمَّ يَطْعَنُونَهَا بِالْمُدَى فَيَسِيلُ مِنْهَا الْعَسَلُ لِيُرْمَزَ بِذَلِكَ إِلَى دَمِ الْخُلَفَاءِ الثَّلَاثَةِ الْغَاصِبِينَ. (٨) أ، ب: عُقُوبَةُ. (٩) عُقُوبَةٌ: زِيَادَةٌ فِي (أ) ، (ب) .