Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (2/94)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

and observe more fasts than the Companions of Muhammad, yet they were better than you.”

They asked, “Why, Abū Abd al-Rahmān?”

He replied, “Because they were less attached to this world and more desirous of the Hereafter.”

[These, then, are the ones (1) who fear no critic’s reproach in Allah’s cause. The Rāfidah, by contrast, are the people most afraid of critics’ reproach and of their enemies. They are as Allah Most High says:

“They think every shout is directed against them. They are the enemy, so beware of them. May Allah destroy them! How are they deluded?”

[Surah al-Munāfiqūn: 4]

They can live among the People of the Qiblah only in the same manner as the Jews live among the various religious communities.

It may then be said: Who are these people—among those who did not pledge allegiance to Abū Bakr, Umar, and Uthmān, may Allah be pleased with them, but pledged allegiance to Alī—who were detached from this world and feared no critic’s reproach in Allah’s cause? It is well known that during the time of the three, no one stood apart from them while openly opposing them and pledging allegiance to Alī. Rather, everyone had pledged allegiance to them. At most, it can be claimed that they concealed their belief that Alī should have been given precedence. Yet this is not the condition of one who fears no critic’s reproach in Allah’s cause.

As for the period of Alī’s rule, he—may Allah be pleased with him—was among those who most often [reproached] (2) his supporters for their insufficient striving and their reluctance to fight. So where among these Shīʿah are those who fear no critic’s reproach in Allah’s cause?

Even if they lie about Abū Dharr, one of the Companions, and about Salmān, Ammār, and others, it is established by mass transmission that these men were among those who most greatly revered Abū Bakr and Umar and followed them. The only thing reported of some of them is severity toward Uthmān, not toward Abū Bakr—

(1) Beginning with the phrase “These, then, are the ones …,” a substantial passage is missing from N and M. I shall indicate where the omission ends, Allah willing. (2) “Reproach”: omitted from A.

وَصِيَامًا مِنْ أَصْحَابِ مُحَمَّدٍ وَهُمْ كَانُوا خَيْرًا مِنْكُمْ. قَالُوا: وَلِمَ يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ؟ قَالَ: لِأَنَّهُمْ كَانُوا أَزْهَدَ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَأَرْغَبَ فِي الْآخِرَةِ. [فَهَؤُلَاءِ هُمُ الَّذِينَ (١) لَا تَأْخُذُهُمْ فِي اللَّهِ لَوْمَةُ لَائِمٍ ; بِخِلَافِ الرَّافِضَةِ فَإِنَّهُمْ أَشَدُّ النَّاسِ خَوْفًا مِنْ لَوْمِ اللَّائِمِ وَمِنْ عَدُّوِهِمْ. وَهُمْ كَمَا قَالَ تَعَالَى: {يَحْسَبُونَ كُلَّ صَيْحَةٍ عَلَيْهِمْ هُمُ الْعَدُوُّ فَاحْذَرْهُمْ قَاتَلَهُمُ اللَّهُ أَنَّى يُؤْفَكُونَ} [سُورَةُ الْمُنَافِقُونَ: ٤] ، وَلَا يَعِيشُونَ فِي أَهْلِ الْقِبْلَةِ إِلَّا مِنْ جِنْسِ الْيَهُودِ فِي أَهْلِ الْمِلَلِ. ثُمَّ يُقَالُ: مَنْ هَؤُلَاءِ الَّذِينَ زَهِدُوا فِي الدُّنْيَا وَلَمْ تَأْخُذْهُمْ فِي اللَّهِ لَوْمَةُ لَائِمٍ، مِمَّنْ لَمْ يُبَايِعْ أَبَا بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ وَعُثْمَانَ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمْ - وَبَايَعَ عَلِيًّا؟ فَإِنَّهُ مِنَ الْمَعْلُومِ أَنَّ فِي زَمَنِ الثَّلَاثَةِ لَمْ يَكُنْ أَحَدٌ مُنْحَازًا عَنِ الثَّلَاثَةِ، مُظْهِرًا لِمُخَالَفَتِهِمْ وَمُبَايَعَةِ عَلِيٍّ، بَلْ كُلُّ النَّاسِ كَانُوا مُبَايِعِينَ لَهُمْ، فَغَايَةُ مَا يُقَالُ إِنَّهُمْ كَانُوا يَكْتُمُونَ تَقْدِيمَ عَلِيٍّ، وَلَيْسَتْ هَذِهِ حَالُ مَنْ لَا تَأْخُذُهُ فِي اللَّهِ لَوْمَةُ لَائِمٍ. وَأَمَّا فِي حَالِ وِلَايَةِ عَلِيٍّ، فَقَدْ كَانَ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ - مِنْ أَكْثَرِ النَّاسِ [لَوْمًا] (٢) لِمَنْ مَعَهُ عَلَى قِلَّةِ جِهَادِهِمْ وَنُكُولِهِمْ عَنِ الْقِتَالِ، فَأَيْنَ هَؤُلَاءِ الَّذِينَ لَا تَأْخُذُهُمْ فِي اللَّهِ لَوْمَةُ لَائِمٍ مِنْ هَؤُلَاءِ الشِّيعَةِ؟ . وَإِنْ كَذَبُوا عَلَى أَبِي ذَرٍّ مِنَ الصَّحَابَةِ وَسَلْمَانَ وَعَمَّارِ وَغَيْرِهِمْ، فَمِنَ الْمُتَوَاتِرِ أَنَّ هَؤُلَاءِ كَانُوا مِنْ أَعْظَمِ النَّاسِ تَعْظِيمًا لِأَبِي بَكْرٍ وَعُمَرَ وَاتِّبَاعًا لَهُمَا، وَإِنَّمَا يُنْقَلُ عَنْ بَعْضِهِمُ التَّعَنُّتَ عَلَى عُثْمَانَ لَا عَلَى أَبِي بَكْرٍ

(١) ابْتِدَاءً مِنْ عِبَارَةِ " فَهَؤُلَاءِ هُمُ الَّذِينَ. . . إِلَخْ " يُوجَدُ سَقْطٌ كَبِيرٌ فِي (ن) ، (م) سَأُشِيرُ إِلَى نِهَايَتِهِ بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ. (٢) لَوْمًا: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (أ) .