Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (2/12)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

directed, and the Christians are astray.” (1) This is because the Jews knew the truth but did not follow it, out of arrogance, envy, excess, and the pursuit of caprice. This is willful error. The Christians, however, have no knowledge to guide their worship, asceticism, or moral conduct. Rather, ignorance, excess, religious innovations, and polytheism are found among them as a result of their ignorance. This is misguidance. Although both misguidance and willful error are found in each of the two communities, willful error predominates among the Jews, while misguidance predominates among the Christians.

For this reason, Allah described the Jews as marked by arrogance and envy, the pursuit of caprice, willful error, and the desire for ascendancy on earth (2) and corruption.

Allah Most High said:

“Is it not that whenever a messenger came to you with what your souls did not desire, you grew arrogant, denying some and killing others?”

[Surah al-Baqarah: 87]

Allah Most High also said:

“Or do they envy people for what Allah has given them of His bounty?”

[Surah al-Nisā: 54]

And He said:

“I shall turn away from My signs those who behave arrogantly on earth without right. Even if they see every sign, they will not believe in it; if they see the path of right guidance, they will not take it as a path; but if they see the path of willful error, they will take it as a path.”

(1) The hadith of Adī ibn Hātim—may Allah be pleased with him—is recorded in two places in *Sunan al-Tirmidhī*, 4/271–272 (*Book of Quranic Exegesis*, chapter “Concerning Sūrat Fātihat al-Kitāb”). In the first place, it begins: “I came to the Messenger of Allah—peace and blessings be upon him—while he was in the mosque.” The hadith continues, and includes the wording: “The Jews are those who have incurred wrath, and the Christians are those who have gone astray.” Al-Tirmidhī said: “This is a *hasan gharīb* hadith. We know it only through the narration of Simāk ibn Harb. Shuba also narrated from Simāk ibn Harb, from Abbād ibn Hubaish, from Adī ibn Hātim, from the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—the hadith in full.” The hadith is also found in *al-Musnad* (al-Halabī ed.), 4/378, with the wording: “Those who have incurred wrath are the Jews, and those who have gone astray are the Christians.” Al-Tabarī cited it in his commentary on the words of Allah Most High, “not of those who have incurred wrath, nor of those who have gone astray,” together with other narrations. Shaykh Ahmad Shākir—may Allah have mercy on him—traced their sources and graded most of them authentic. See *al-Tafsīr* (al-Maārif ed.), 1/185–188, 193–195. (2) “On earth” is omitted from A and B.

عَلَيْهِمْ وَالنَّصَارَى ضَالُّونَ» (١) ". وَذَلِكَ أَنَّ الْيَهُودَ عَرَفُوا الْحَقَّ وَلَمْ يَتَّبِعُوهُ اسْتِكْبَارًا وَحَسَدًا وَغُلُوًّا وَاتِّبَاعًا لِلْهَوَى، وَهَذَا هُوَ الْغَيُّ، وَالنَّصَارَى لَيْسَ لَهُمْ عِلْمٌ بِمَا يَفْعَلُونَهُ مِنَ الْعِبَادَةِ وَالزُّهْدِ وَالْأَخْلَاقِ، بَلْ فِيهِمُ الْجَهْلُ وَالْغُلُوُّ وَالْبِدَعُ وَالشِّرْكُ جَهْلًا مِنْهُمْ، وَهَذَا هُوَ الضَّلَالُ، وَإِنْ كَانَ كُلٌّ مِنَ الْأُمَّتَيْنِ فِيهِ ضَلَالٌ وَغَيٌّ، لَكِنَّ الْغَيَّ أَغْلَبُ عَلَى الْيَهُودِ، وَالضَّلَالَ أَغْلَبُ عَلَى النَّصَارَى. وَلِهَذَا وَصَفَ اللَّهُ الْيَهُودَ بِالْكِبْرِ وَالْحَسَدِ، وَاتِّبَاعِ الْهَوَى وَالْغَيِّ وَإِرَادَةِ الْعُلُوِّ فِي الْأَرْضِ (٢) وَالْفَسَادِ. قَالَ تَعَالَى: {أَفَكُلَّمَا جَاءَكُمْ رَسُولٌ بِمَا لَا تَهْوَى أَنْفُسُكُمُ اسْتَكْبَرْتُمْ فَفَرِيقًا كَذَّبْتُمْ وَفَرِيقًا تَقْتُلُونَ} ، [سُورَةُ الْبَقَرَةِ: ٨٧] ، وَقَالَ تَعَالَى: {أَمْ يَحْسُدُونَ النَّاسَ عَلَى مَا آتَاهُمُ اللَّهُ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ} ، [سُورَةُ النِّسَاءِ: ٥٤] ، وَقَالَ: {سَأَصْرِفُ عَنْ آيَاتِيَ الَّذِينَ يَتَكَبَّرُونَ فِي الْأَرْضِ بِغَيْرِ الْحَقِّ وَإِنْ يَرَوْا كُلَّ آيَةٍ لَا يُؤْمِنُوا بِهَا وَإِنْ يَرَوْا سَبِيلَ الرُّشْدِ لَا يَتَّخِذُوهُ سَبِيلًا وَإِنْ يَرَوْا سَبِيلَ الْغَيِّ يَتَّخِذُوهُ سَبِيلًا}

(١) الْحَدِيثُ عَنْ عَدِيِّ بْنِ حَاتِمٍ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ - فِي سُنَنِ التِّرْمِذِيِّ فِي مَوْضِعَيْنِ ٤/٢٧١، ٢٧٢ (كِتَابُ تَفْسِيرِ الْقُرْآنِ، بَابُ: وَمِنْ سُورَةِ فَاتِحَةِ الْكِتَابِ) وَأَوَّلُهُ فِي الْمَوْضِعِ الْأَوَّلِ: أَتَيْتُ رَسُولَ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - وَهُوَ فِي الْمَسْجِدِ. الْحَدِيثَ وَلَفْظَهُ: " فَإِنَّ الْيَهُودَ مَغْضُوبٌ عَلَيْهِمْ وَإِنَّ النَّصَارَى ضُلَّالٌ " وَقَالَ التِّرْمِذِيُّ " هَذَا حَدِيثٌ حَسَنٌ غَرِيبٌ لَا نَعْرِفُهُ إِلَّا مِنْ حَدِيثِ سِمَاكِ بْنِ حَرْبٍ، وَرَوَى شُعْبَةُ، عَنْ سِمَاكِ بْنِ حَرْبٍ، عَنْ عَبَّادِ بْنِ حُبَيْشٍ، عَنْ عَدِيِّ بْنِ حَاتِمٍ، عَنِ النَّبِيِّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - الْحَدِيثَ بِطُولِهِ " وَالْحَدِيثُ فِي الْمُسْنَدِ (ط. الْحَلَبِيِّ) ٤/٣٧٨ وَفِيهِ: " إِنَّ الْمَغْضُوبَ عَلَيْهِمُ الْيَهُودُ وَإِنَّ الضَّالِّينَ النَّصَارَى. . " وَذَكَرَهُ الطَّبَرِيُّ فِي تَفْسِيرِ قَوْلِهِ تَعَالَى: (غَيْرِ الْمَغْضُوبِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَلَا الضَّالِّينَ) وَذَكَرَ رِوَايَاتٍ أُخْرَى، وَقَدْ خَرَّجَهَا الشَّيْخُ أَحْمَدُ شَاكِر - رَحِمَهُ اللَّهُ - وَصَحَّحَ أَكْثَرُهَا. انْظُرِ التَّفْسِيرَ (ط. الْمَعَارِفِ) ١/١٨٥ - ١٨٨ ١٩٣ - ١٩٥. (٢) فِي الْأَرْضِ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ أ، ب.