Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (2/394)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

Al-Asharī said in al-Maqālāt (1): “The Rāfidīs differed (2) concerning the Messenger (3): Is it possible for him to disobey, or not? They are divided into two groups:

“The first group claims that it is possible for the Messenger to disobey Allah and that the Prophet disobeyed by accepting ransom on the day of Badr. As for the Imāms, this is not possible for them, because if the Messenger disobeys, revelation comes to him from Allah, whereas the Imāms receive no revelation and the angels do not descend upon them. They are protected from error; therefore, they cannot forget, [nor] can they err (4), even though it is possible for the Messenger to disobey.”

He said (5): “The proponent of this view is Hishām ibn al-Hakam.

“The second group claims that it is not possible for the Messenger to disobey Allah, Mighty and Majestic, nor is it possible for the Imāms, because they are all Allah’s proofs and are protected from lapses. If it were possible for them to forget and deliberately intend and commit sins (6), they would be no different from their followers in this respect, since it is possible (7) for the followers. The followers (8) would then be no more in need of the Imāms than the Imāms themselves would be, if this were possible for them all (9).” (10)

[Moreover, many of the leading Rāfidīs attribute imperfections to Allah Most High

(1) *Maqālāt al-Islāmiyyīn*, 1/115–116. (2) B, A, M: *wa-ikhtalafa* (“and differed”). (3) *Al-Maqālāt*, 1/115: “the Messenger, peace be upon him.” (4) N, M: *wa-yaghlatu* (“and err”). (5) “He said” is omitted from B and A. (6) “And committing them” is omitted from B and A. (7) Ayn: “this was possible.” (8) B, A: “the follower,” in the singular. (9) N: “if that were possible for them”; M: “if that were possible for them,” with a different word order. After this passage, B and A contain the statement: “It is therefore not possible that Allah should leave them uncorrected in any error concerning anything they conveyed from them.” This statement is out of place here and will appear below (p. 396), where we shall point it out, Allah willing. (10) The passage following the opening bracket appears only in manuscript Ayn and ends on p. 396.

قَالَ الْأَشْعَرِيُّ فِي " الْمَقَالَاتِ " (١) : وَاخْتَلَفَتْ (٢) الرَّوَافِضُ فِي الرَّسُولِ (٣) هَلْ يَجُوزُ عَلَيْهِ أَنْ يَعْصِيَ أَمْ لَا؟ وَهُمْ فِرْقَتَانِ: فَالْفِرْقَةُ الْأُولَى مِنْهُمْ: يَزْعُمُونَ أَنَّ الرَّسُولَ جَائِزٌ عَلَيْهِ أَنْ يَعْصِيَ اللَّهَ، وَأَنَّ النَّبِيَّ قَدْ عَصَى فِي أَخْذِ الْفِدَاءِ يَوْمَ بَدْرٍ، فَأَمَّا الْأَئِمَّةُ فَلَا يَجُوزُ ذَلِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ، فَإِنَّ الرَّسُولَ إِذَا عَصَى فَإِنَّ الْوَحْيَ يَأْتِيهِ مِنْ قِبَلِ اللَّهِ، وَالْأَئِمَّةُ لَا يُوحَى إِلَيْهِمْ وَلَا تَهْبِطُ الْمَلَائِكَةُ عَلَيْهِمْ، وَهُمْ مَعْصُومُونَ، فَلَا يَجُوزُ عَلَيْهِمْ أَنْ يَسْهُوا وَ [لَا] يَغْلَطُوا (٤) وَإِنْ جَازَ عَلَى الرَّسُولِ الْعِصْيَانُ ". قَالَ (٥) : " وَالْقَائِلُ بِهَذَا الْقَوْلِ هِشَامُ بْنُ الْحَكَمِ. وَالْفِرْقَةُ الثَّانِيَةُ مِنْهُمْ: يَزْعُمُونَ أَنَّهُ لَا يَجُوزُ عَلَى الرَّسُولِ أَنْ يَعْصِيَ اللَّهَ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، وَلَا يَجُوزُ ذَلِكَ عَلَى الْأَئِمَّةِ، لِأَنَّهُمْ جَمِيعًا حُجَجُ اللَّهِ، وَهُمْ مَعْصُومُونَ مِنَ الزَّلَلِ وَلَوْ جَازَ عَلَيْهِمُ السَّهْوُ وَاعْتِمَادُ الْمَعَاصِي وَرُكُوبُهَا (٦) لَكَانُوا قَدْ سَاوَوُا الْمَأْمُومِينَ فِي جَوَازِ ذَلِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ، كَمَا جَازَ (٧) عَلَى الْمَأْمُومِينَ وَلَمْ يَكُنِ الْمَأْمُومُونَ (٨) أَحْوَجَ إِلَى الْأَئِمَّةِ مِنَ الْأَئِمَّةِ لَوْ كَانَ ذَلِكَ جَائِزًا عَلَيْهِمْ جَمِيعًا (٩) ". (١٠) [وَأَيْضًا، فَكَثِيرٌ مِنْ شُيُوخِ الرَّافِضَةِ مَنْ يَصِفُ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى بِالنَّقَائِصِ

(١) (مَقَالَاتِ الْإِسْلَامِيِّينَ) ١/١١٥ - ١١٦. (٢) ب، ا، م: وَاخْتَلَفَ. (٣) الْمَقَالَاتِ ١/١١٥: الرَّسُولِ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ. (٤) ن، م: وَيَغْلَطُوا. (٥) قَالَ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ب) ، (أ) . (٦) وَرُكُوبُهَا: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ب) ، (أ) . (٧) ع: جَازَ ذَلِكَ. (٨) ب، ا: الْمَأْمُومُ. (٩) ن: لَوْ جَازَ عَلَيْهِمْ ذَلِكَ ; م: لَوْ جَازَ ذَلِكَ عَلَيْهِمْ وَبَعْدَ هَذَا الْكَلَامِ تُوجَدُ فِي (ب) ، (أ) عِبَارَةُ: " فَلَا يَجُوزُ أَنْ يُقِرَّهُمُ اللَّهُ عَلَى الْخَطَأِ فِي شَيْءٍ مِمَّا بَلَّغُوهُ مِنْهُمْ "، وَهِيَ فِي غَيْرِ مَوْضِعِهَا وَسَتِرُدُ فِيمَا بَعْدُ (ص ٣٩٦) وَسَنُشِيرُ إِلَيْهَا بِإِذْنِ اللَّهِ. (١٠) الْكَلَامُ بَعْدَ الْقَوْسِ فِي (ع) فَقَطْ وَيَنْتَهِي ص ٣٩٦.