Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (1/493)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

concerning his being put forward to lead the prayer, as well as other hadiths that I have not mentioned because hadith scholars do not deem them established (1).

[Ibn Hazm’s Proofs That the Messenger Explicitly Designated Abu Bakr as Caliph]

Abū Muhammad ibn Hazm wrote in his book on (2) Religious Communities and Sects (3):

People differed concerning the imamate after the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace. One group (4) maintained that the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—had not appointed anyone as his successor. They then differed among themselves (5). Some said: “[However] (6), since he appointed Abū Bakr (7) to lead the prayer, this indicated that he was the most entitled of them to the imamate and the caliphate over the community’s affairs (8).”

Others said: “No. Rather, he was the one among them whose excellence was most evident (9), and for that reason they put him forward.”

Another group said: “Rather, the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—explicitly designated Abū Bakr to succeed him in administering the people’s affairs.”

Abū Muhammad said: “This is also our position, based on several proofs. One of them is the unanimous agreement of all the people,”

(1) (N) alone reads: “makes it clear.” (2) “In” is omitted from (A) and (B). (3) *Al-Fisal fī al-Milal wa-al-Ahwā wa-al-Nihal*. The passage that follows appears at 4:176, ed. Dr Muhammad Ibrāhīm Nasr and Dr Abd al-Rahmān Umayra, Ukāz ed., Riyadh, 1402/1982. (4) (F) and *Al-Fisal* read: “People differed concerning this, and [one group] said …” (5) “They then differed” is absent from (F). (6) “However” is omitted from (N) and (M). (7) (F) reads: “Abū Bakr—may Allah be pleased with him—.” (8) (F) reads: “affairs.” (9) “The one among them whose excellence was most evident”: thus in (M) and (F). (N), (M), and (A) read: “the one among them whose excellence was most firmly established.”

تَقْدِيمِهِ فِي الصَّلَاةِ، وَأَحَادِيثَ أُخَرَ لَمْ أَذْكُرْهَا لِكَوْنِهَا لَيْسَتْ مِمَّا يُثْبِتُهُ (١) أَهْلُ الْحَدِيثِ. [أدلة ابن حزم على أن الرسول نص على خلافة أبي بكر نصا جليا] وَقَالَ أَبُو مُحَمَّدِ بْنُ حَزْمٍ فِي كِتَابِهِ فِي (٢) " الْمِلَلِ وَالنِّحَلِ " (٣) اخْتَلَفَ النَّاسُ فِي الْإِمَامَةِ بَعْدَ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ -، فَقَالَتْ (٤) طَائِفَةٌ: إِنَّ النَّبِيَّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - لَمْ يَسْتَخْلِفْ أَحَدًا، ثُمَّ اخْتَلَفُوا (٥) فَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ: [لَكِنْ] (٦) لَمَّا اسْتَخْلَفَ أَبَا بَكْرٍ (٧) عَلَى الصَّلَاةِ كَانَ ذَلِكَ دَلِيلًا عَلَى أَنَّهُ أَوْلَاهُمْ بِالْإِمَامَةِ وَالْخِلَافَةِ عَلَى الْأَمْرِ (٨) . وَقَالَ بَعْضُهُمْ: لَا، وَلَكِنْ كَانَ أَبْيَنَهُمْ (٩) فَضْلًا فَقَدَّمُوهُ لِذَلِكَ. وَقَالَتْ طَائِفَةٌ: بَلْ نَصَّ رَسُولُ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - عَلَى اسْتِخْلَافِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ بَعْدَهُ عَلَى أُمُورِ النَّاسِ نَصًّا جَلِيًّا. قَالَ أَبُو مُحَمَّدٍ: وَبِهَذَا نَقُولُ لِبَرَاهِينَ، أَحَدُهَا إِطْبَاقُ النَّاسِ كُلُّهُمْ،

(١) ن (فَقَطْ) : يُبَيِّنُهُ. (٢) فِي سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (أ) ، (ب) . (٣) الْفِصَلُ فِي الْمِلَلِ وَالْأَهْوَاءِ وَالنِّحَلِ " وَالْكَلَامُ التَّالِي فِي ٤/١٧٦ تَحْقِيقُ د. مُحَمَّد إِبْرَاهِيم نَصْر، د. عَبْدُ الرَّحْمَنِ عُمَيْرَة، ط. عُكَاظٍ، الرِّيَاضُ ١/٤٠٢ \ ١٩٨٢. (٤) : ف الْفِصَلُ: قَدِ اخْتَلَفَ النَّاسُ فِي هَذَا فَقَالَتْ. . (٥) ثُمَّ اخْتَلَفُوا: لَيْسَتْ فِي (ف) . (٦) لَكِنْ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) . (٧) ف: أَبَا بَكْرٍ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ - (٨) ف: الْأُمُورِ. (٩) أَبْيَنَهُمْ: كَذَا فِي (م) ، (ف) ، وَفِي (ن) ، (م) ، (أ) : أَثْبَتَهُمْ.