Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (2/86)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

in agreement that Abū Bakr and Umar take precedence.

(1 These men, who were the most knowledgeable and devout of people, affirmed his superiority, to say nothing of his caliphate. 1) (1).

Al-Bayhaqī narrated through his chain of transmission that al-Shāfiī said:

“The Companions and the Followers did not differ concerning the precedence of Abū Bakr and Umar.”

Sharīk [ibn Abd Allāh] ibn Abī Namir (2) was asked by a man:

“Who is superior, Abū Bakr or Alī?”

He replied [to him] (3):

“Abū Bakr.” (4)

The questioner said to him:

“Do you say (5) this even though you are one of Alī’s partisans?”

He replied:

“Yes. A true partisan of Alī is precisely one who says this. By Allah, Alī ascended this very pulpit and said, ‘Know that the best of this nation after its Prophet are Abū Bakr and Umar.’ Were we then to reject his words? Were we to accuse him of lying? By Allah, he was no liar.”

Qādī Abd al-Jabbār also mentioned this in his book Tathbīt al-Nubuwwah (Establishing Prophethood), attributing it to the book that Abū al-Qāsim al-Balkhī composed in refutation of Ibn al-Rāwandī’s objections to al-Jāhiz (6).

(1) The passage marked (1–1) is omitted from A and B. (2) All the manuscripts read: “Sharīk ibn Abī Namir.” The correct reading is the one I have established in the text. His biography appeared previously at 1:15. (3) A and B add: “to him.” (4) M reads: “Alī”; this is an error. (5) A and B read: “you say.” (6) The entire passage from “And Sharīk ibn Abd Allāh ibn Abī Namir said…” through “…against al-Jāhiz” appeared, with slight variations in wording, in the first volume of this edition, pp. 13–15. I provided extensive commentary on it there, to which the reader should refer. Sharīk’s name is incomplete in both manuscripts here. See also his biography in *al-Jarh wa al-Tadīl*, vol. [0–9], pt. [0–9], pp. 363–364; *Tahdhīb al-Tahdhīb*, 4:337–338.

مُتَّفِقُونَ عَلَى تَقْدِيمِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ، (١ فَهَؤُلَاءِ الَّذَيْنِ هُمْ أَعْلَمُ النَّاسِ وَأَدْيَنُ النَّاسِ يَرَوْنَ تَفْضِيلَهُ فَضْلًا عَنْ خِلَافَتِهِ ١) (١) . وَرَوَى الْبَيْهَقِيُّ بِإِسْنَادِهِ عَنِ الشَّافِعِيِّ قَالَ: لَمْ يَخْتَلِفِ الصَّحَابَةُ وَالتَّابِعُونَ فِي تَقْدِيمِ أَبِي بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ. وَقَالَ شَرِيكُ [بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ] بْنِ أَبِي نَمِرٍ (٢) ، وَقَالَ لَهُ قَائِلٌ: أَيُّمَا أَفْضَلُ أَبُو بَكْرٍ أَوْ عَلِيٌّ؟ فَقَالَ [لَهُ] (٣) : أَبُو بَكْرٍ (٤) . فَقَالَ لَهُ السَّائِلُ: أَتَقُولُ (٥) هَذَا وَأَنْتَ مِنَ الشِّيعَةِ؟ فَقَالَ: نَعَمْ، إِنَّمَا الشِّيعِيُّ مَنْ يَقُولُ هَذَا، وَاللَّهِ لَقَدْ رَقَّى عَلِيُّ هَذِهِ الْأَعْوَادِ، فَقَالَ: أَلَا إِنَّ خَيْرَ هَذِهِ الْأُمَّةِ بَعْدَ نَبِيِّهَا أَبُو بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرُ، أَفَكُنَّا نَرُدُّ قَوْلَهُ؟ أَفَكُنَّا نُكَذِّبُهُ؟ وَاللَّهِ مَا كَانَ كَذَّابًا. وَذَكَرَ هَذَا الْقَاضِي عَبْدُ الْجَبَّارِ فِي كِتَابِ " تَثْبِيتِ النُّبُوَّةِ " لَهُ، وَعَزَاهُ إِلَى كِتَابِ أَبِي الْقَاسِمِ الْبَلْخِيِّ الَّذِي صَنَّفَهُ فِي النَّقْضِ عَلَى ابْنِ الرَّاوِنْدِيِّ اعْتِرَاضَهُ عَلَى الْجَاحِظِ (٦) .

(١) (١ - ١) سَاقِطٌ مَنْ (أ) ، (ب) . (٢) فِي جَمِيعِ النُّسَخِ: شَرِيكُ بْنُ أَبِي نَمِرٍ. وَالصَّوَابُ مَا أَثْبَتُّهُ وَسَبَقَتْ تَرْجَمَتُهُ ١/١٥. (٣) لَهُ: زِيَادَةٌ فِي (أ) ، (ب) . (٤) م: عَلِيٌّ، وَهُوَ خَطَأٌ. (٥) أ، ب: تَقُولُ. (٦) وَقَالَ شَرِيكُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ بْنِ أَبِي نَمِرٍ. . عَلَى الْجَاحِظِ. وَرَدَ هَذَا الْكَلَامُ كُلُّهُ مَعَ اخْتِلَافٍ يَسِيرٍ فِي الْعِبَارَاتِ فِي الْجُزْءِ الْأَوَّلِ مِنْ هَذِهِ الطَّبْعَةِ، ص [٠ - ٩] ٣ - ١٥، وَعَلَّقْتُ عَلَيْهِ هُنَاكَ تَعْلِيقًا وَافِيًا فَارْجِعْ إِلَيْهِ. وَوَرَدَ اسْمُ شَرِيكٍ نَاقِصًا فِي النُّسْخَتَيْنِ هُنَا. وَانْظُرْ تَرْجَمَةَ شَرِيكٍ أَيْضًا فِي: الْجَرْحِ وَالتَّعْدِيلِ، ج [٠ - ٩] ، ق [٠ - ٩] ، ص [٠ - ٩] ٦٣ - ٣٦٤ ; تَهْذِيبِ التَّهْذِيبِ ٤/٣٣٧ - ٣٣٨.