Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (2/63)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

to do so during *) (1) his lifetime and the lifetimes of the three caliphs, until he sought to have the third caliph killed and stoked the civil strife until he was able to (2) kill Muhammad’s Companions and members of his community out of hatred and enmity toward him. He was secretly allied with the hypocrites who claimed divinity and prophethood for him, while outwardly displaying (3) the opposite of what he concealed, because his religion was dissimulation. Thus, when he burned them with fire, he outwardly repudiated their claims, while inwardly he was actually with them. This is why the Bātiniyyah were among his followers and possessed his secret; they transmit from him the esoteric doctrine they profess.”

A Kharijite may advance arguments of this sort, and they can win acceptance among many people to a greater (4) extent than the Rāfidah’s arguments against the three caliphs. This is because the specious arguments (5) of the Rāfidah are more manifestly unsound than those (6) of the Kharijites and the Nāsibis (7). The Kharijites (8) are sounder than they in reason and intent, while the Rāfidah are more mendacious and more corrupt in religion.

If they seek to establish his faith and uprightness through an explicit Quranic text (9) concerning him, they are told (10): “The Quran is general in scope, and its applicability to him is no greater (11) than its applicability to others. (* There is no verse they claim to apply exclusively to him without it being possible to claim that it applies exclusively—

(1) The text between the asterisks is absent from A and B. (2) A reads: “until he went to excess through [killing]”; B reads: “until he went to excess in [killing].” (3) N and M read: “and he outwardly displays.” (4) N and M read: “more.” (5) A and B have the singular: “specious argument.” (6) A and B have the singular: “specious argument.” (7) “And the Nāsibis” is absent from A and B. (8) A and B read: “while they are.” (9) N and M read: “through a report in the Quran concerning him.” (10) “To them” is an addition found only in N. (11) N and M read: “is not greater.”

يَتَمَكَّنْ مِنْ ذَلِكَ فِي *) (١) حَيَاتِهِ وَحَيَاةِ الْخُلَفَاءِ الثَّلَاثَةِ ; حَتَّى سَعَى فِي قَتْلِ الْخَلِيفَةِ الثَّالِثِ وَأَوْقَدَ الْفِتْنَةَ حَتَّى تَمَكَّنَ مِنْ (٢) قَتْلِ أَصْحَابِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَأُمَتِّهِ بُغْضًا لَهُ وَعَدَاوَةً، وَأَنَّهُ كَانَ مُبَاطِنًا لِلْمُنَافِقِينَ الَّذِينَ ادَّعَوْا فِيهِ الْإِلَهِيَّةَ وَالنُّبُوَّةَ، وَكَانَ يُظْهِرُ (٣) خِلَافَ مَا يُبْطِنُ ; لِأَنَّ دِينَهُ التَّقِيَّةُ، فَلَمَّا أَحْرَقَهُمْ بِالنَّارِ أَظْهَرَ إِنْكَارَ ذَلِكَ، وَإِلَّا فَكَانَ فِي الْبَاطِنِ مَعَهُمْ، وَلِهَذَا كَانَتِ الْبَاطِنِيَّةُ مِنْ أَتْبَاعِهِ وَعِنْدَهُمْ سِرُّهُ، وَهُمْ يَنْقُلُونَ عَنْهُ الْبَاطِنَ الَّذِينَ يَنْتَحِلُونَهُ. وَيَقُولُ الْخَارِجِيُّ مِثْلَ هَذَا الْكَلَامِ الَّذِي يُرَوَّجُ عَلَى كَثِيرٍ مِنَ النَّاسِ أَعْظَمَ (٤) مِمَّا يُرَوِّجُ كَلَامَ الرَّافِضَةِ فِي الْخُلَفَاءِ الثَّلَاثَةِ ; لِأَنَّ شُبَهَ (٥) الرَّافِضَةِ أَظْهَرُ فَسَادًا مِنْ شُبَهِ (٦) الْخَوَارِجِ وَالنَّوَاصِبِ (٧) ، وَالْخَوَارِجِ (٨) أَصَحُّ مِنْهُمْ عَقْلًا وَقَصْدًا، وَالرَّافِضَةُ أَكْذِبُ وَأَفْسَدُ دِينًا. وَإِنْ أَرَادُوا إِثْبَاتَ إِيمَانِهِ وَعَدَالَتِهِ بِنَصِّ (٩) الْقُرْآنِ عَلَيْهِ، قِيلَ لَهُمْ (١٠) : الْقُرْآنُ عَامٌّ، وَتَنَاوُلُهُ لَهُ لَيْسَ بِأَعْظَمَ (١١) مِنْ تَنَاوُلِهِ لِغَيْرِهِ، (* وَمَا مِنْ آيَةٍ يَدَّعُونَ اخْتِصَاصَهَا بِهِ إِلَّا أَمْكَنَ أَنْ يُدَّعَى اخْتِصَاصُهَا

(١) : مَا بَيْنَ النَّجْمَتَيْنِ سَاقِطٌ مِنْ (أ) ، (ب) . (٢) أ: حَتَّى غَلَا مِنْ ; ب: حَتَّى غَلَا فِي. (٣) ن، م: وَيُظْهِرُ. (٤) ن، م: أَكْثَرُ. (٥) أ، ب: شُبْهَةَ. (٦) أ، ب: شُبْهَةِ. (٧) وَالنَّوَاصِبِ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (أ) ، (ب) . (٨) أ، ب: وَهُمْ. (٩) ن، م: بِنَبَأِ. (١٠) لَهُمْ: زِيَادَةٌ فِي (ن) فَقَطْ. (١١) ن، م: لَيْسَ أَعْظَمَ.