Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (2/346)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

of Allah and peace be upon him] (1) or against the caliphate of the two Shaykhs (2) without the prophethood of anyone else (3) and the caliphate of any others being open to an objection equal to it or greater (4).

[There is no proof establishing the prophethood of anyone other than Muhammad—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—or the caliphate of anyone other than those two, without the proof of Muhammad’s prophethood—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—and their caliphate being stronger than it] (5).

As for the falsehood held by the disputants (6), it becomes clear (7) that it can be countered with a comparable falsehood, and that the very method by which that counterclaim is invalidated also invalidates their own falsehood. Thus, whoever claims divinity for the Messiah, Alī, or anyone else may be countered by a claim of divinity for Moses, Adam, or Umar ibn al-Khattāb. No specious argument that he supposes establishes divinity can be advanced without its parallel—and indeed something stronger—being advanced in the other case. Once the invalidity of one of the two parallel cases (8) becomes clear to him, the invalidity of the other becomes clear as well. The soundness of the truth is thus made evident through the analogy drawn for it, while the invalidity of falsehood is made evident through the analogy drawn for it. A person may fail to discern what is praiseworthy or blameworthy in one whom he loves or hates until an analogous case is set before him, for love of a thing makes one blind and deaf.

[Allah—Glorified is He—has set forth parables for people in His Book because of the clarity they provide. A person does not see himself and his deeds unless his own self is represented to him—as when he sees it in a mirror,

(1) “May Allah bless him and grant him peace” is absent from N and M. (2) N, M: “and the caliphate of the one entitled to it”; B, A: “and the caliphate of the two Shaykhs, may Allah be pleased with them both.” (3) B, A: “anyone other than him—peace be upon him.” (4) N, M: “and greater.” (5) The passage between the square brackets is absent from N and M. (6) N, M: “which is in their hands”; ʿ: “which is in the hands of the disputants.” (7) B, ʿ: “thus it becomes clear.” (8) N, M: “the two issues.”

اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ] (١) وَخِلَافَةِ الشَّيْخَيْنِ (٢) إِلَّا وَيَرِدُ عَلَى نُبُوَّةِ غَيْرِهِ (٣) وَخِلَافَةِ غَيْرِهِمَا مَا هُوَ مِثْلُهُ أَوْ أَعْظَمُ (٤) مِنْهُ، [وَمَا مِنْ دَلِيلٍ يَدُلُّ عَلَى نُبُوَّةِ غَيْرِ مُحَمَّدٍ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - وَخِلَافَةِ غَيْرِهِمَا إِلَّا وَالدَّلِيلُ عَلَى نُبُوَّةِ مُحَمَّدٍ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - وَخِلَافَتِهِمَا أَقْوَى مِنْهُ] (٥) . وَأَمَّا الْبَاطِلُ الَّذِي بِأَيْدِي الْمُنَازِعِينَ (٦) فَتَبَيَّنَ (٧) أَنَّهُ يُمْكِنُ مُعَارَضَتُهُ بِبَاطِلٍ مِثْلِهِ، وَأَنَّ الطَّرِيقَ الَّذِي يَبْطُلُ بِهِ ذَلِكَ الْبَاطِلُ يَبْطُلُ بِهِ بَاطِلُهُمْ، فَمَنِ ادَّعَى الْإِلَهِيَّةَ فِي الْمَسِيحِ أَوْ عَلِيٍّ أَوْ غَيْرِهِمَا عُورِضَ بِدَعْوَى الْإِلَهِيَّةِ فِي مُوسَى وَآدَمَ وَعُمَرَ بْنِ الْخَطَّابِ، فَلَا يَذْكُرُ شُبْهَةً يَظُنُّ بِهَا الْإِلَهِيَّةَ إِلَّا وَيُذْكَرُ فِي الْآخَرِ نَظِيرُهَا وَأَعْظَمُ مِنْهَا، فَإِذَا تَبَيَّنَ لَهُ فَسَادُ أَحَدِ الْمَثَلَيْنِ (٨) تَبَيَّنَ لَهُ فَسَادُ الْآخَرِ، فَالْحَقُّ يَظْهَرُ صِحَّتُهُ بِالْمَثَلِ الْمَضْرُوبِ لَهُ وَالْبَاطِلُ يَظْهَرُ فَسَادُهُ بِالْمَثَلِ الْمَضْرُوبِ لَهُ، لِأَنَّ الْإِنْسَانَ قَدْ لَا يَعْلَمُ مَا فِي نَفْسِ مَحْبُوبِهِ أَوْ مَكْرُوهِهِ مِنْ حَمْدٍ وَذَمٍّ إِلَّا بِمَثَلٍ يُضْرَبُ لَهُ، فَإِنَّ حُبَّكَ الشَّيْءَ يُعْمِي وَيُصِمُّ. [وَاللَّهُ سُبْحَانَهُ ضَرَبَ الْأَمْثَالَ لِلنَّاسِ فِي كِتَابِهِ لِمَا فِي ذَلِكَ مِنَ الْبَيَانِ، وَالْإِنْسَانُ لَا يَرَى نَفْسَهُ وَأَعْمَالَهُ إِلَّا إِذَا مُثِّلَتْ لَهُ نَفْسُهُ بِأَنْ يَرَاهَا فِي مِرْآةٍ،

(١) صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) . (٢) ن، م: وَخِلَافَةِ الْمُسْتَحِقِّ ; ب، ا: وَخِلَافَةِ الشَّيْخَيْنِ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُمَا. (٣) ب، ا: غَيْرِهِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ. (٤) ن، م: وَأَعْظَمُ. (٥) مَا بَيْنَ الْمَعْقُوفَتَيْنِ سَاقِطٌ مِنْ (ن) ، (م) . (٦) ن، م: الَّذِي بِأَيْدِيهِمْ ; ع: الَّذِي بِأَيْدِي الْمُتَنَازِعِينَ. (٧) ب، ع: فَيَبِينُ. (٨) ن، م: الْمَسْأَلَتَيْنِ.