Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (1/553)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

Even supposing that the Rāfidah’s claim of an explicit designation were indeed true and established, and that the people failed to appoint the person explicitly designated, they would merely have passed over the person who ought to have been appointed and appointed someone else. In that case, the imam who fulfilled (1) the purpose of the imamate would be the person actually appointed, rather than that (2) obstructed and overpowered person. The latter did indeed deserve to be appointed, but he was not. The sin therefore rests upon whoever denied him his right and passed him over, not upon anyone who neither denied him his right nor transgressed.

They say:

Appointing an imam is obligatory because he is an act of grace and a benefit to His servants. Yet if Allah—and His Messenger—know that the people will not appoint this particular person when commanded to place him in authority, then commanding them to appoint someone whom they will actually appoint and from whose rule they will benefit is more fitting than commanding them to appoint someone whom they will neither appoint nor benefit from having in authority. The same has been said concerning leading the prayer, administering justice, and similar matters. How much more so, then, when their alleged explicit designation is among the gravest lies and fabrications?

The Prophet—may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him—informed his community of what would happen and of the divisions that would arise after him. If he were to designate as imam for his community a person whom he knew they would not appoint, but would instead pass over in favor of someone else whose rule would fulfill the purposes (3) of governance; and if, when authority eventually passed to the designated person, there occurred such shedding of the blood of [the Muslim community] as had not (4) occurred before (5), while the purposes of governance were not achieved to the extent they had been under someone not explicitly designated—then it would have been obligatory to turn away from the person so designated.

(1) N and M read: “In that case, the one who fulfilled...” (2) “That” is omitted from A and B. (3) A and B read: “the purpose.” (4) N and M read: “such shedding of blood as had not...” (5) B alone reads: “what had not occurred under someone other than the explicitly designated person.”

فَلَوْ قُدِّرَ أَنَّ مَا تَدَّعِيهِ الرَّافِضَةُ مِنَ النَّصِّ هُوَ حَقٌّ مَوْجُودٌ، وَأَنَّ النَّاسَ لَمْ يُوَلُّوا الْمَنْصُوصَ عَلَيْهِ، لَكَانُوا قَدْ تَرَكُوا مَنْ يَجِبُ تَوْلِيَتُهُ وَوَلَّوْا غَيْرَهُ. وَحِينَئِذٍ فَالْإِمَامُ الَّذِي قَامَ (١) بِمَقْصُودِ الْإِمَامَةِ هُوَ هَذَا الْمُوَلَّى دُونَ ذَلِكَ (٢) الْمَمْنُوعِ الْمَقْهُورِ. نَعَمْ ذَلِكَ يَسْتَحِقُّ أَنْ يُوَلَّى، لَكِنْ مَا وُلِّيَ، فَالْإِثْمُ عَلَى مَنْ ضَيَّعَ حَقَّهُ وَعَدَلَ عَنْهُ، لَا عَلَى مَنْ لَمْ يُضَيِّعْ حَقَّهُ وَلَمْ يَعْتَدِ. وَهُمْ يَقُولُونَ: إِنِ الْإِمَامَ وَجَبَ نَصْبُهُ لِأَنَّهُ لُطْفٌ وَمَصْلَحَةٌ لِلْعِبَادِ، فَإِذَا كَانَ اللَّهُ - وَرَسُولُهُ - يَعْلَمُ أَنَّ النَّاسَ لَا يُوَلُّونَ هَذَا الْمُعَيَّنَ إِذَا أُمِرُوا بِوِلَايَتِهِ، كَانَ أَمْرُهُمْ بِوِلَايَةِ مَنْ يُوَلُّونَهُ وَيَنْتَفِعُونَ بِوِلَايَتِهِ، أَوْلَى مِنْ أَمْرِهِمْ بِوِلَايَةِ مَنْ لَا يُوَلُّونَهُ وَلَا يَنْتَفِعُونَ بِوِلَايَتِهِ، كَمَا قِيلَ فِي إِمَامَةِ الصَّلَاةِ وَالْقَضَاءِ وَغَيْرِ ذَلِكَ، فَكَيْفَ إِذَا كَانَ مَا يَدَّعُونَهُ مِنَ النَّصِّ مِنْ أَعْظَمِ الْكَذِبِ وَالِافْتِرَاءِ؟ . وَالنَّبِيُّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - قَدْ أَخْبَرَ أُمَّتَهُ بِمَا سَيَكُونُ وَمَا يَقَعُ بَعْدَهُ مِنَ التَّفَرُّقِ، فَإِذَا نَصَّ لِأُمَّتِهِ عَلَى إِمَامَةِ شَخْصٍ يَعْلَمُ أَنَّهُمْ لَا يُوَلُّونَهُ، بَلْ يَعْدِلُونَ عَنْهُ وَيُوَلُّونَ غَيْرَهُ يَحْصُلُ لَهُمْ بِوِلَايَتِهِ مَقَاصِدُ (٣) الْوِلَايَةِ، وَأَنَّهُ إِذَا أَفْضَتِ النَّوْبَةُ إِلَى الْمَنْصُوصِ حَصَلَ مِنْ سَفْكِ دِمَاءِ [الْأُمَّةِ] مَا لَمْ (٤) يَحْصُلْ قَبْلَ ذَلِكَ (٥) وَلَمْ يَحْصُلْ مِنْ مَقَاصِدِ الْوِلَايَةِ مَا حَصَلَ بِغَيْرِ الْمَنْصُوصِ، كَانَ الْوَاجِبُ الْعُدُولَ عَنِ الْمَنْصُوصِ.

(١) ن، م: وَحِينَئِذٍ فَالَّذِي قَامَ. (٢) ذَلِكَ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (أ) ، (ب) . (٣) أ، ب: مَقْصُودُ. (٤) ن، م: مِنْ سَفْكِ الدِّمَاءِ مَا لَمْ. . . (٥) ب (فَقَطْ) : مَا لَمْ يَحْصُلْ بِغَيْرِ الْمَنْصُوصِ.