said to the Messenger, «Say: . . . I follow only that which has been revealed to me»;48 «By the star when it sets, your comrade errs not, nor is he mad, nor does he speak out of whim. It is only an inspiration inspired, taught him by one strong of powers»;49 and «Say: If I have gone astray, then I stray only at my own expense, and if I am guided aright, then it is by what my Lord inspires in me.»50 He did not say, “by what I have thought up and deduced for myself.” God said: «Follow what has been sent down to you from your Lord»;51 «This is a Book that We have sent down, blessed. So follow it, and fear God. Perhaps you will be shown mercy»;52 «Judge among them by what God has sent down»;53 «Whoever judges not by what God has sent down, they are the unbelievers»;54 «Whoever judges not by what God has sent down, they are the unjust»;55 «Whoever judges not by what God has sent down, they are the sinners»;56 «O David, We have made you a representative in the Earth, so judge among the people by the truth, and do not follow your whim, lest it lead you astray from the path of God»;57 «They follow nothing but a guess, and a guess can never take the place of the truth»;58 and «They follow only surmise and that which their minds desire, but guidance has come to them from their Lord.»59
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وسئل رسول الله صلّى الله عليه و على آله وسلّم عن كثير من الأشياء ممّا لم يكن الله عزّ وجلّ أنزل عليه فيها شيئًا فتوقّف عن الجواب فيها ولم يقل فيها برأيه ولا بقياسه ولا بشيء ممّا قال هؤلاء حتّى أنزل الله سبحانه عليه جواب ما سئل عنه. فلو جاز الجواب لأحد بغير ما في الكتاب لجاز له صلّى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلّم لأنّه١ كان أصحّ خلق الله تمييزًا٢ وأصدق ظنًّا وأجود رأيًا وقياسًا واستحسانًا واستدلالًا. قال الله تعالى {وَيَسْـَٔلُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلْمَحِيضِ ۖ قُلْ هُوَ أَذًى فَٱعْتَزِلُوا ٱلنِّسَآءَ فِى ٱلْمَحِيضِ}، و{وَيَسْـَٔلُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلرُّوحِ ۖ قُلِ ٱلرُّوحُ مِنْ أَمْرِ رَبِّى}، و{وَيَسْـَٔلُونَكَ مَاذَا يُنفِقُونَ قُلِ ٱلْعَفْوَ}، و{وَيَسْـَٔلُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلْيَتَٰمَىٰ ۖ قُلْ إِصْلَاحٌ لَّهُمْ خَيْرٌ}، {يَسْـَٔلُونَكَ عَنِ ٱلشَّهْرِ ٱلْحَرَامِ قِتَالٍ فِيهِ ۖ قُلْ قِتَالٌ فِيهِ كَبِيرٌ ۖ وَصَدٌّ عَن سَبِيلِ ٱللهِ وَكُفْرٌۢ بِهِۦ} في كثير ممّا أخبر عزّ وجلّ أنّهم سألوا عنه رسول الله صلّى الله إليه وعلی آله وسلّم فلم يجبهم فيه بشيء حتّى أنزل الله جواب ما سألوا عنه.
١ ز: أنه. ٢ كذا في خ، و في ز، ل: تميّزًا.
The Messenger of God was asked about many things concerning which God had not revealed anything, but he refrained from answering and did not say about them anything based merely on his opinion, analogy, or any of the other methods which those jurists have adopted, until God revealed to him the answer to what he had been asked. If it were permissible for anyone to give an answer using something that is not in the Book, then it would have been permissible for him, because he was the most discriminating and perceptive of people, endowed with the most excellent faculties of judgment, analogy, discernment, and inference. God said: «They ask you about menstruation. Answer: “It is harmful, so stay away from women during menstruation”»;60 «They ask you about the Spirit. Answer: “The Spirit is from the command of my Lord”»;61 «They ask you what they should spend. Answer: “Forgiveness”»;62 «They ask you about orphans. Answer: “Anything done to remedy their situation is a part of goodness”»;63 and «They ask you, concerning the forbidden month, about fighting therein. Answer: “Fighting therein is a grave sin, a blocking of the path of God, and disbelief in him.”»64 In these and in many additional examples, God reported that they posed questions to the Messenger of God but that he did not answer until God revealed the answer to their questions.
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وقد أخبر الله بأنّه أكمل دينه فكيف يزعم هؤلاء أنّه لم يكمله حتّى أكملوه١ وزعموا أنّ الله عزّ وجلّ لم يبعث نبيّه إلى الناس بكلّ ما يحتاجون إليه وأنّ كتابه قد فرّط فيه حتّى أتمّوا هم ذلك وأكملوه وأتوا الناس بما احتاجوا إليه . ورسول الله صلّى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلّم يقول: اتّبعوا ولا تبتدعوا فكلّ بدعة ضلالة، وكلّ ضلالة في النار.
١ ز: كملوه.
God reported that He perfected His religion, so how could those people claim that He did not perfect it, such that they had to perfect it themselves? How could they claim that God did not send His Prophet to the people with everything that they needed, and that He rendered His Book deficient so that they had to complete and perfect it and provide the people with what they needed? The Messenger of God said: “Follow, and do not innovate, for every innovation is an error, and every error leads into the Fire.”65
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هذا مع الحديث المشهور الذي رواه عنه أمير المؤمنين١ عليّ صلوات الله عليه الذي يؤيّد ما ذكرناه أنّ كتاب الله عزّ وجلّ جامع لكلّ٢ ما يحتاج إليه. رواه٣ الحارث الأعور عنه قال الحارث : دخلت المسجد فإذا الناس قد وقّعوا في الأحاديث فأتيت عليًّا صلوات الله عليه فقلت: يا أمير المؤمنين إنّ الناس قد وقّعوا في الأحاديث. فقال: وقد فعّلوها؟ قلت: نعم. قال: أما إنّي سمعت النبيّ٤ صلّى الله عليه وعلى آله وسلّم يقول: أما إنّها ستكون فتنة. قلت: ما المخرج منها يا رسول الله؟ قال: كتاب الله تعالى.
