Minhaj as-Sunnah - Ibn Taimiya - (2/398)

Minhaj as-SunnahIbn Taimiya

Whoever believes that every person who never disbelieved or sinned is superior to every person who came to faith after disbelief and repented after sin (1) contradicts what is necessarily known in Islam. It is well known that the Companions who believed in the Messenger of Allah—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—after their disbelief, whom Allah guided through him (2) after their misguidance, and who repented to Allah after their sins were superior to their children who were born (3) into Islam. Who but an ignorant person would compare the children of the Helpers with the Helpers themselves, or the children (4) of the Emigrants with the Emigrants themselves?

How can one who personally (5) moved from evil deeds to good deeds through reflection, reasoning from evidence, patience (6), strenuous effort, the abandonment of his customary ways, [his hostility] (7) toward those who had been his allies (8), [and his alliance with those who had been his enemies] (9), be compared with another who did not (10) experience (11) such a state? Umar ibn al-Khattāb—may Allah be pleased with him—said: “The bonds of Islam will be undone one by one when there arises within Islam someone who does not know the Jāhiliyya (the pre-Islamic Age of Ignorance).”

Allah Most High has said:

{Those who invoke no other deity beside Allah, take no life that Allah has made sacred except by right, and do not commit adultery—and whoever does so will face the penalty. His punishment will be multiplied on the Day of Resurrection, and he will remain therein, disgraced—except those who repent, believe, and perform righteous deeds. Allah will change their evil deeds into good deeds. Allah is Ever-Forgiving, Most Merciful.}

[Surah al-Furqān: 68–70].

(1) B, A: “or repented after a sin.” (2) *Bihi* (“through him”) is omitted from B, A, and M. (3) ʿ: “in.” (4) N: “the sons of the Ansār, the Ansār, or the sons of”; M: “the sons of the Ansār with the Ansār, and the sons of.” (5) “Personally” is omitted from ʿ. (6) N: “and his steadfast endurance.” (7) “And his hostility” is omitted from N. (8) B, A, N: “toward his friends.” (9) The text within square brackets occurs only in ʿ. (10) B, A: “not.” (11) N, M: “from him.”

وَمَنِ اعْتَقَدَ أَنَّ كُلَّ مَنْ لَمْ يَكْفُرْ وَلَمْ يُذْنِبْ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ كُلِّ مَنْ آمَنَ بَعْدَ كُفْرِهِ وَتَابَ بَعْدَ ذَنْبِهِ (١) فَهُوَ مُخَالِفٌ مَا عُلِمَ بِالِاضْطِرَارِ مِنْ دِينِ الْإِسْلَامِ، فَإِنَّهُ مِنَ الْمَعْلُومِ أَنَّ الصَّحَابَةَ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِرَسُولِ اللَّهِ - صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَسَلَّمَ - بَعْدَ كُفْرِهِمْ وَهَدَاهُمُ اللَّهُ بِهِ (٢) بَعْدَ ضَلَالِهِمْ، وَتَابُوا إِلَى اللَّهِ بَعْدَ ذُنُوبِهِمْ أَفْضَلُ مِنْ أَوْلَادِهِمُ الَّذِينَ وُلِدُوا (٣) عَلَى الْإِسْلَامِ. وَهَلْ يُشَبِّهُ بَنِي الْأَنْصَارِ بِالْأَنْصَارِ، أَوْ بَنِي (٤) الْمُهَاجِرِينَ بِالْمُهَاجِرِينَ إِلَّا مَنْ لَا عِلْمَ لَهُ؟ وَأَيْنَ الْمُنْتَقِلُ بِنَفْسِهِ (٥) مِنَ السَّيِّئَاتِ إِلَى الْحَسَنَاتِ بِنَظَرِهِ وَاسْتِدْلَالِهِ وَصَبْرِهِ (٦) وَاجْتِهَادِهِ وَمُفَارَقَتِهِ عَادَاتِهِ [وَمُعَادَاتِهِ] (٧) لِأَوْلِيَائِهِ (٨) [وَمُوَالَاتِهِ لِأَعْدَائِهِ] (٩) إِلَى آخَرَ لَمْ (١٠) يَحْصُلْ لَهُ (١١) مِثْلُ هَذِهِ الْحَالِ؟ وَقَدْ قَالَ عُمَرُ بْنُ الْخَطَّابِ - رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ -: إِنَّمَا تُنْقَضُ عُرَى الْإِسْلَامِ عُرْوَةً عُرْوَةً إِذَا نَشَأَ فِي الْإِسْلَامِ مَنْ لَمْ يَعْرِفِ الْجَاهِلِيَّةَ. وَقَدْ قَالَ تَعَالَى: {وَالَّذِينَ لَا يَدْعُونَ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَهًا آخَرَ وَلَا يَقْتُلُونَ النَّفْسَ الَّتِي حَرَّمَ اللَّهُ إِلَّا بِالْحَقِّ وَلَا يَزْنُونَ وَمَنْ يَفْعَلْ ذَلِكَ يَلْقَ أَثَامًا - يُضَاعَفْ لَهُ الْعَذَابُ يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ وَيَخْلُدْ فِيهِ مُهَانًا - إِلَّا مَنْ تَابَ وَآمَنَ وَعَمِلَ عَمَلًا صَالِحًا فَأُولَئِكَ يُبَدِّلُ اللَّهُ سَيِّئَاتِهِمْ حَسَنَاتٍ وَكَانَ اللَّهُ غَفُورًا رَحِيمًا} [سُورَةُ الْفُرْقَانِ: ٦٨ - ٧٠] .

(١) ب، ا: أَوْ تَابَ بَعْدَ ذَنْبٍ. (٢) بِهِ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ب) ، (أ) ، (م) . (٣) ع: فِي. (٤) ن: بَنُو الْأَنْصَارِ الْأَنْصَارَ أَوْ بَنُو ; م: بَنُو الْأَنْصَارِ بِالْأَنْصَارِ وَبَنُو. (٥) بِنَفْسِهِ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ع) . (٦) ن: وَاصْطِبَارِهِ. (٧) وَمُعَادَاتِهِ: سَاقِطَةٌ مِنْ (ن) . (٨) ب، ا، ن: لِأَصْدِقَائِهِ. (٩) مَا بَيْنَ الْمَعْقُوفَتَيْنِ فِي (ع) فَقَطْ. (١٠) ب، ا: مَا. (١١) ن، م: مِنْهُ.