Disagreements of the Jurists. al-Qadi al-Nu'man

Since they were incapable of proper knowledge of the Book and the Practice, they disagreed and derived legal rulings for the Muslim nation on their own. For they were loath to refer the questions over which they disagreed to those whom God had ordered them to consult, out of a desire to maintain their superior position and so that those over whom they claimed authority would not view them as incompetent and consequently turn away from them.

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      فهذه^١ جملة من القول في سبب اختلافهم إلى أن قام مهديّ الأمّة من أهل بيت نبيّ الله أهل بيت الرحمة الذي جاءت الأخبار عن الرسول صلّى الله عليه وعلى آله بالبشرى بقيامه ، وذكر ما يكون من إقامة دين الله على يديه وفي أيّامه ما يطول ويخرج عن حدّ هذا الكتاب. منها قوله صلوات الله عليه وآله: المهديّ من ولدي محيي سنّتي ومتمّم أمري وطالب ثأر أهل بيتي يملأ الأرض عدلاً وقسطًا^٢ كما ملئت جورًا وظلمًا. فقام المهديّ صلوات الله عليه فأحيى السنن وأمات البدع وأسكت المبطلين^٣ المختلفين في الدين فأقام مناره ونصب أعلامه وشرع شرائعه وقوّم أحكامه وحمل الأمّة على منهاجه^٤ وقطع الأحداث والبدع منه والتغاير والاختلاف فيه^٥.

      ١ ل: فهذا. ٢ ساقطة في ز. ٣ ز: المبتدعين. ٤ ز: من هاجه. ٥ ل: والاختلاف فيه والتغاير.

      This is a summary statement of the cause of their disagreement up until the advent of al-Mahdī, the Divinely Guided One²⁴ of the nation, a member of the Family of the Prophet, the stock of the House of Mercy. Reports from the Messenger of God that convey the glad tidings of his uprising and relate what would occur—the establishment of the faith of God at his hands and during his days—are so numerous that to present them would take too long and exceed the scope of this book. Among them is the Prophet’s statement: “The Divinely Guided One will be from among my descendants. He will revive my practice, fulfill my command, and demand revenge for the people of my House. He will fill the earth with justice and equity, just as it is now filled with tyranny and injustice.”²⁵ The Divinely Guided One, the Mahdī, arose, and he revived the practices of old, put an end to innovations, and silenced the concoctors of lies who were in disagreement over the religion. He erected the light tower of the faith and raised its standard. He instituted its laws and made its rulings straight, compelling the nation to its path and eradicating innovations and heresies from it as well as disagreement and dispute concerning it.²⁶

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      ولقد دسّ إليه بعض الملحدين رقعة كالمنتصح له من غير أن يظهر له نفسه بقول^١: لو أنّ أمير المؤمنين أخذ العامّة بمذهب زيد الذي أكثرهم يذهبون^٢ إليه في المواريث لدفع إلى بيت المال من ذلك المال^٣ مالاً عظيمًا. فلمّا وقف على قوله استشاط غيظًا^٤ وأمر بطلبه والفحص عنه ليعاقبه عقوبة مُثلة^٥ فلم يوجد وخفي أمره إذ^٦ لم يكن يبدي نفسه وإنّما دسّ رقعته . فقال المهديّ صلوات الله عليه: أراد هذا الفاسق أن يُري الناس أنّا خالفنا حكم الله بعرض من أعراض الدنيا. إنّما تعبّدنا الله عزّ وجلّ بإقامة دينه والحكم بالحقّ بين عباده، ولم يُقِمْنا للجمع من حطام الدنيا من غير حلّه ووجهه، ولهذا^٧ بذلنا أنفسنا ومهجنا في ذاته لنقيم دينه ونظهر حقّه ونحيي سنّة جدّنا نبيّه صلوات الله عليه وعلى آله.

      ١ ل: تقول. ٢ ل: يذهبونه. ٣ ساقطة في ل. ٤ كذا في خ، وتزيد ز بعد هذه الكلمة: عظيمًا. ٥ ل: مثله. ٦ ز: إذا. ٧ ساقطة في ل.

      A certain miscreant surreptitiously slipped al-Mahdī a petition, as if to advise him without revealing himself, on which was written, “If the Commander of the Faithful had only treated the common people according to the doctrine of Zayd,²⁷ which most of them adopt concerning inheritance, then from this he could pay into the treasury a tremendous sum.” When al-Mahdī read his statement, he became quite furious and ordered that the man be sought out and tracked down, so that he might make an example of his punishment. The man could not be found, and his identity remained a mystery, for he had not shown himself but had delivered his petition by stealth. Al-Mahdī, God’s blessings be upon him, observed: “This sinner wanted the people to witness us violating God’s ruling on account of worldly greed. We, however, obey God by upholding His faith and by ruling according to what is right among his worshipers. God did not cause us to rise up in order to hoard the goods of the world without His permission or for the sake of something other than Him. We have expended our lives and our blood for His sake alone, so that we might uphold His faith and champion His truth, and revive the Practice of our forefather, His Prophet.”

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      وأمر عليه السلام بأن لا يلتقي اثنان على مفاوضة في حلال ولا حرام إلّا ما أقامه من مذهب الحقّ على كتاب الله وسنّة نبيّه محمّد صلوات الله عليه وآله. وتابعه على ذلك أمراء المؤمنين من ولده صلوات الله عليه، فأخذوا الناس به من بعده، فعاد الدين على ابتدائه، وانتظم في نظام أوليائه، وظهر تأويل حديث الرسول وقد ذكر المهديّ فقال: هو من ولد هذا وأومأ إلى الحسين صلوات الله عليه ثمّ قال بنا فتح الله هذا الدين وبنا يختمه، كالذي رُوي عنه أنّه قال بدأ الدّين غريبًا، وسيعود غريبًا كما بدأ، فطوبى يومئذ للغرباء، في أخبار طويلة وأحاديث كثيرة من مثل هذا تركناها اختصارًا.

      Al-Mahdī, peace be upon him, commanded that no two subjects meet to negotiate concerning something lawful or forbidden except according to what he had established, the true doctrine according to the Book of God and the Practice of His Prophet Muḥammad. The Commanders of the Faithful among his descendants,²⁸