16
—Ali to be an unbeliever and say, “He is an infallible imam” (1). A faction of the Marwānites declares him a sinner and says, “He is an unjust aggressor” (2). A faction of the Mu‘tazilites says, “Either he or those who fought him sinned, though it is not known which of them did so.” Another faction among them declares Muāwiya and Amr sinners, but not Talha, al-Zubayr, or Aisha (3).
(1) Al-Asharī states in *al-Maqālāt*, 1/122, that one Shia faction declares anyone who fought Ali an unbeliever and misguided. A second faction maintains that anyone who fought Ali was a sinner, not an unbeliever, unless he fought Ali out of obstinate opposition to the Messenger—peace and blessings be upon him—and in repudiation of him, in which case such people are unbelievers. In *Minhāj al-Sharī‘a fī al-Radd alā Ibn Taymiyya*, the author attempts to prove that no one who fought Ali—may Allah be pleased with him—at the Battles of the Camel and Siffīn may be considered a Muslim. He states in this regard (vol. [0–9], p. [0–9]3): “The report, ‘Support whoever supports him, and forsake whoever forsakes him,’ proves the hypocrisy even of one who neither fought alongside him nor fought against him, for one whom Allah forsakes is not a Muslim. Thus, by judging a person who fought Ali to be a Muslim, they contradict and disregard all these prophetic traditions.”
(2) The word *mu‘tadin* (aggressor) is omitted in A and B. N reads *muta‘addin*. The adopted reading follows M.
(3) Ibn Tāhir al-Baghdādī states in *Usūl al-Dīn*, pp. [0–9]90–291: “Wāsil ibn Atā, Amr ibn Ubayd, al-Nazzām, and most of the Qadariyya said: ‘We affirm our loyalty to Ali and his companions when considered on their own, and to Talha, al-Zubayr, and their followers when considered on their own. If Ali and one of his companions testified together, their testimony would be accepted; and if Talha or al-Zubayr testified with one of his companions, their testimony would be accepted. But if Ali and Talha testified concerning even a bundle of greens, we would not rule on the basis of their testimony, because one of them is a sinner, and a sinner will abide eternally in the Fire and is neither a believer nor an unbeliever.’” Al-Asharī states in *al-Maqālāt*, 2/130, that al-Nazzām held that Ali was correct, whereas Talha, al-Zubayr, Aisha, and Muāwiya were in error. Dirār, Abū al-Hudhayl, and Muammar said: “We know that one side was correct and the other was in error. We therefore affirm our loyalty to each side when considered separately.” They treated the two sides like a married couple engaged in mutual imprecation: it is known that one of them is in error, but not which one. This was their position regarding Ali, Talha, al-Zubayr, and Aisha. As for Muāwiya, they held him to be in error and did not recognize him as imam. See also al-Khayyāt, *al-Intisār*, pp. 97–98; *al-Farq bayn al-Firaq*, pp. [0–9]1–73; and *al-Milal wa-l-Nihal*, 1/52–53.
عَلِيًّا وَيَقُولُونَ:
هُوَ إِمَامٌ مَعْصُومٌ
(١)
،
وَطَائِفَةٌ مِنَ الْمَرْوَانِيَّةِ تُفَسِّقُهُ وَتَقُولُ:
إِنَّهُ ظَالِمٌ مُعْتَدٍ
(٢)
،
وَطَائِفَةٌ مِنَ الْمُعْتَزِلَةِ تَقُولُ:
قَدْ فَسَقَ إِمَّا هُوَ وَإِمَّا مَنْ قَاتَلَهُ، لَكِنْ لَا يُعْلَمُ عَيْنُهُ، وَطَائِفَةٌ أُخْرَى مِنْهُمْ تُفَسِّقُ مُعَاوِيَةَ وَعَمْرًا دُونَ طَلْحَةَ وَالزُّبَيْرِ وَعَائِشَةَ
(٣)
.
(١) يَذْكُرُ الْأَشْعَرِيُّ (الْمَقَالَاتِ ١/١٢٢) أَنَّ فِرْقَةً مِنَ الشِّيعَةِ تُكَفِّرُ مَنْ حَارَبَ عَلِيًّا وَتُضَلِّلُهُ، وَالْفِرْقَةُ الثَّانِيَةُ مِنْهُمْ يَزْعُمُونَ أَنَّ مَنْ حَارَبَ عَلِيًّا فَاسِقٌ لَيْسَ بِكَافِرٍ، إِلَّا أَنْ يَكُونَ حَارَبَ عَلِيًّا عِنَادًا لِلرَّسُولِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - وَرَدًّا عَلَيْهِ فَهُمْ كُفَّارٌ. وَفِي " مِنْهَاجِ الشَّرِيعَةِ فِي الرَّدِّ عَلَى ابْنِ تَيْمِيَّةَ " يُحَاوِلُ الْمُؤَلِّفُ الْبَرْهَنَةَ عَلَى أَنَّ كُلَّ مَنْ حَارَبَ عَلِيًّا - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ - فِي مَوْقِعَتَيِ الْجَمَلِ وَصِفِّينَ لَا يُعَدُّ مُسْلِمًا، وَمِنْ قَوْلِهِ فِي ذَلِكَ (ج [٠ - ٩] ، ص [٠ - ٩] ٣) : " وَخَبَرُ: وَانْصُرْ مَنْ نَصَرَهُ، وَاخْذُلْ مَنْ خَذَلَهُ، دَلِيلٌ عَلَى نِفَاقِ حَتَّى مَنْ لَمْ يُحَارِبْ مَعَهُ وَلَمْ يُحَارِبْهُ، فَإِنَّ مَنْ خَذَلَهُ اللَّهُ لَيْسَ بِمُسْلِمٍ، فَعُلِمَ مُخَالَفَتُهُمْ وَتَرْكُهُمْ لِهَذِهِ السُّنَنِ جَمِيعًا فِي حُكْمِهِمْ بِأَنَّ مَنْ حَارَبَ عَلِيًّا مُسْلِمٌ ".
(٢) مُعْتَدٍ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (أ) ، (ب) . وَفِي (ن) : مُتَعَدٍّ. وَالْمُثْبَتُ مِنْ (م) .
(٣) فِي كِتَابِ " أُصُولِ الدِّينِ لِابْنِ طَاهِرٍ الْبَغْدَادِيِّ، ص [٠ - ٩] ٩٠ - ٢٩١: " وَقَالَ وَاصِلُ بْنُ عَطَاءٍ وَعَمْرُو بْنُ عُبَيْدٍ وَالنَّظَّامُ وَأَكْثَرُ الْقَدَرِيَّةِ: نَتَوَلَّى عَلِيًّا وَأَصْحَابَهُ عَلَى انْفِرَادِهِمْ، وَنَتَوَلَّى طَلْحَةَ وَالزُّبَيْرَ وَأَتْبَاعَهُمَا عَلَى انْفِرَادِهِمَا، وَلَكِنْ لَوْ شَهِدَ عَلِيٌّ مَعَ رَجُلٍ مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ قُبِلَتْ شَهَادَتُهُمَا وَلَوْ شَهِدَ طَلْحَةُ أَوِ الزُّبَيْرُ مَعَ وَاحِدٍ مِنْ أَصْحَابِهِ قُبِلَتْ شَهَادَتُهُمَا، وَلَوْ شَهِدَ عَلِيٌّ مَعَ طَلْحَةَ عَلَى بَاقَةِ بَقْلٍ لَمْ نَحْكُمْ بِشَهَادَتِهِمَا: لِأَنَّ أَحَدَهُمَا فَاسِقٌ، وَالْفَاسِقُ مُخَلَّدٌ فِي النَّارِ، وَلَيْسَ بِمُؤْمِنٍ وَلَا كَافِرٍ ". وَذَكَرَ الْأَشْعَرِيُّ (الْمَقَالَاتِ ٢/١٣٠) أَنَّ النَّظَّامَ كَانَ مِمَّنْ يَقُولُ بِأَنَّ عَلِيًّا كَانَ مُصِيبًا، فِي حِينِ أَنَّ طَلْحَةَ وَالزُّبَيْرَ وَعَائِشَةَ وَمُعَاوِيَةَ كَانُوا مُخْطِئِينَ. وَقَالَ ضِرَارٌ وَأَبُو الْهُذَيْلِ وَمَعْمَرٌ: نَعْلَمُ أَنَّ أَحَدَهُمَا مُصِيبٌ وَالْآخَرَ مُخْطِئٌ، فَنَحْنُ نَتَوَلَّى كُلَّ وَاحِدٍ مِنَ الْفَرِيقَيْنِ عَلَى الِانْفِرَادِ، وَأَنْزَلُوا الْفَرِيقَيْنِ مَنْزِلَةَ الْمُتَلَاعِنَيْنِ الَّذِينَ يَعْلَمُونَ أَنَّ أَحَدَهُمَا مُخْطِئٌ، وَلَا يَعْلَمُونَ الْمُخْطِئَ مِنْهُمَا. هَذَا قَوْلُهُمْ فِي عَلِيٍّ، وَطَلْحَةَ، وَالزُّبَيْرِ، وَعَائِشَةَ؛ فَأَمَّا مُعَاوِيَةُ فَهُمْ لَهُ مُخَطِّئُونَ غَيْرُ قَائِلِينَ بِإِمَامَتِهِ. وَانْظُرْ أَيْضًا: الِانْتِصَارَ لِلْخَيَّاطِ، ص ٩٧ - ٩٨؛ الْفَرْقَ بَيْنَ الْفِرَقِ، ص [٠ - ٩] ١ - ٧٣؛ الْمِلَلَ وَالنِّحَلَ ١/٥٢ - ٥٣.