Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (2/14)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

and both (1) are obligatory. No person can prosper and attain salvation without them. This Ummah is the best of nations, and its best generation is the first (2). The first generation was the most accomplished of all people in beneficial knowledge and righteous deeds.

These fabricators, however, described them as the very opposite, denying that they combined knowledge of the truth with adherence to it. Rather, in their view, most of them knew the truth but opposed it—as they allege regarding the three caliphs, the majority of the Companions, and the Ummah—while many others, according to them, did not know the truth at all, but blindly followed the wrongdoers because they had failed to undertake the inquiry that leads to knowledge. A person who did not investigate may have refrained from doing so because of personal desire and the pursuit of worldly gain, or because of his limitations and deficient understanding.

He also claimed that one of them rightfully sought authority for himself—meaning Ali (3)—yet we know with certainty that this never occurred. On their view, it therefore follows that the entire Ummah [was] (4) astray after its Prophet (5), without a single rightly guided person among it. The Jews and Christians, even after abrogation and alteration, would then be better than them; for [they were] (6), as Allah [Most High] (7) said:

“Among the people of Moses is a community that guides by the truth and thereby establishes justice.”

[Surah al-Arāf: 157]. Moreover, “the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—reported that the Jews and Christians

(1) N and M read: “upon it, both of them.” (2) N and M read: “The best generation is the first.” (3) M reads: “Alī—peace be upon him.” (4) The word “was” is absent from N and M. (5) N reads: *thabtihā*, which is a corruption. (6) The words “they were” are absent from N and M. (7) The honorific “Most High” is absent from N.

وَكِلَاهُمَا (١) وَاجِبٌ، لَا يَكُونُ الْإِنْسَانُ مُفْلِحًا نَاجِيًا إِلَّا بِذَلِكَ، وَهَذِهِ الْأُمَّةُ خَيْرُ الْأُمَمِ، وَخَيْرُهَا الْقَرْنُ الْأَوَّلُ (٢) ، كَانَ الْقَرْنُ الْأَوَّلُ أَكْمَلَ النَّاسِ فِي الْعِلْمِ النَّافِعِ وَالْعَمَلِ الصَّالِحِ. وَهَؤُلَاءِ الْمُفْتَرُونَ وَصَفُوهُمْ بِنَقِيضِ ذَلِكَ، بِأَنَّهُمْ لَمْ يَكُونُوا يَعْلَمُونَ الْحَقَّ وَيَتَّبِعُونَهُ، بَلْ كَانَ أَكْثَرُهُمْ عِنْدَهُمْ يَعْلَمُونَ الْحَقَّ وَيُخَالِفُونَهُ، كَمَا يَزْعُمُونَهُ فِي الْخُلَفَاءِ الثَّلَاثَةِ وَجُمْهُورِ الصَّحَابَةِ وَالْأُمَّةِ، وَكَثِيرٌ مِنْهُمْ عِنْدَهُمْ لَا يَعْلَمُ الْحَقَّ، بَلِ اتَّبَعَ الظَّالِمِينَ تَقْلِيدًا لِعَدَمِ نَظَرِهِمُ الْمُفْضِي إِلَى الْعِلْمِ، وَالَّذِي لَمْ يَنْظُرْ قَدْ يَكُونُ تَرْكُهُ النَّظَرَ لِأَجْلِ الْهَوَى وَطَلَبِ الدُّنْيَا، وَقَدْ يَكُونُ لِقُصُورِهِ وَنَقْصِ إِدْرَاكِهِ. وَادَّعَى أَنَّ مِنْهُمْ مَنْ طَلَبَ الْأَمْرَ لِنَفْسِهِ بِحَقٍّ، يَعْنِي عَلِيًّا (٣) ، وَهَذَا مِمَّا عَلِمْنَا بِالِاضْطِرَارِ أَنَّهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ، فَلَزِمَ مِنْ ذَلِكَ - عَلَى قَوْلِ هَؤُلَاءِ - أَنْ تَكُونَ الْأُمَّةُ كُلُّهَا [كَانَتْ] (٤) ضَالَّةً بَعْدَ نَبِيِّهَا (٥) لَيْسَ فِيهَا مُهْتَدٍ، فَتَكُونُ الْيَهُودُ وَالنَّصَارَى بَعْدَ النَّسْخِ وَالتَّبْدِيلِ خَيْرًا مِنْهُمْ ; لِأَنَّهُمْ [كَانُوا] (٦) ، كَمَا قَالَ اللَّهُ [تَعَالَى] (٧) : {وَمِنْ قَوْمِ مُوسَى أُمَّةٌ يَهْدُونَ بِالْحَقِّ وَبِهِ يَعْدِلُونَ} ، [سُورَةُ الْأَعْرَافِ: ١٥٧] ، وَقَدْ «أَخْبَرَ النَّبِيُّ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - أَنَّ الْيَهُودَ وَالنَّصَارَى

(١) ن، م: بِهِ كِلَاهُمَا. (٢) ن، م: وَخَيْرُ الْقُرُونِ الْأَوَّلُ. (٣) م: عَلِيًّا عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ. (٤) كَانَتْ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) . (٥) ن: ثَبْتِهَا، وَهُوَ تَحْرِيفٌ. (٦) كَانُوا: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) . (٧) تَعَالَى: لَيْسَتْ فِي (ن) .