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وقد اختلفت العامّة في أهل الذكر الذين أمر الله بسؤالهم وأولي الأمر الذين أمر الله عزّ وجلّ بطاعتهم. فقال قوم منهم هم الفقهاء يعنون أصحابهم. فيقال لهم إنّ هؤلاء الذين تعنونهم١ فيما يُسألون عنه مختلفون، يحلّ بعضهم ما حرّمه الآخرون. فهل يجوز عندكم أن يأمر الله بسؤال من علم أنّهم مختلفون؟ وإذا سئلوا فاختلفوا فبقول من يأخذ السائل منهم ؟ وهل يجوز أن يكون الحقّ في قولهم كلّهم أو في قول بعضهم ؟ وفي هذا كلام يطول وليس هذا الباب موضع استقصائه. وسوف نذكر إن شاء الله تعالى ما يتهيّأ ذكره منه عند الردّ على من قال بالاجتهاد وقد ذكرنا من قول الله عزّ وجلّ فيما تقدّم ما ذمّ به الاختلاف ونهى عنه. فكيف يجوز أن يأمر عزّ وجلّ عباده بالأخذ عن المختلفين في دينه وهو يعيبهم في كتابه ؟
١ ز: يعنونهم.
The Sunnis have differed in opinion regarding the identity of the People of Knowledge whom God commanded believers to consult, and concerning the Ones in Authority whom God commanded the believers to obey. One group of them said that they are the jurists, meaning their colleagues. One should respond to them: Those whom you have indicated differ concerning that about which they are asked, and some of them consider lawful what others of them consider forbidden. So is it permissible, in your view, that God might command that those who are known to differ in opinion be consulted? If they are asked and then issue differing opinions in response, whose opinion among them should be accepted by the petitioner as correct? Is it permissible that the truth lie in all their opinions, or only in the opinions of some of them? Regarding this point a lengthy discussion is required, and this chapter is not the place to treat it exhaustively. God willing, we will present as much of it as is appropriate in the refutation of those who espouse the use of legal interpretation. We have already mentioned above the words of God in which He censured and prohibited difference of opinion, so how could He possibly command His worshipers to accept opinions from those who differ concerning His religion, when He faults them in His Book?
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وقال آخرون أولو الأمر الذين أمر الله عزّ وجلّ بطاعتهم هم أمراء السرايا. فيقال لهم طاعة أمراء السرايا واجبة اذا أقامهم من تجب طاعته وأمر من أمّرهم عليهم بالسمع والطاعة لهم في الحقّ على من قدّموا عليه ولا يعدوهم في١ ذلك إلى غيرهم ممّن لم يؤمّروا عليه. وهذا القول من الله عامّ لجميع المؤمنين. قال الله عزّ وجلّ {أَطِيعُوا ٱللهَ وَأَطِيعُوا ٱلرَّسُولَ وَأُولِى ٱلْأَمْرِ مِنكُمْ} فعمّ بالأمر بطاعة أولي الأمر جميع المؤمنين. فكيف يجوز أن يخصّ بذلك بعضهم وهم أمراء السرايا كما زعمتم ؟ أوليس طاعة الإمام الذي٢ يخرج السريّة ويؤمّر عليها أحقّ وأولى من طاعة الذي يؤمّره؟ وليس يجوز أن يسمّى أولي٣ الأمر في الحقيقة إلّا من يكون الأمر له، وصاحب السريّة إنّما له من الأمر ما يجعله الإمام له.
١ ساقطة في ز. ٢ ساقطة في ل. ٣ ب ل: أولو، خ: ولي.
Others said: «The Ones in Authority» whom God ordered be obeyed are the commanders of military expeditions.82 One should respond to them: Obedience to commanders of military expeditions is necessary if they are appointed by someone to whom obedience is obligatory. An order that commanders must be obeyed issued by the one who appoints them commanders over their men actually applies only to the men over whom they were appointed; it should not go beyond them to apply to anyone else who does not belong to the military expedition. This statement by God, however, is generally applicable to all the believers. God said: «O ye who believe! Obey God and obey the Messenger and the Ones in Authority among you.»83 He included all the believers in the command to obey the Ones in Authority, so how could He possibly have meant this command to apply only to some of them—the commanders of military expeditions—as you have claimed? Would not obedience to the Imam who sends out the military expedition and appoints a commander over it be more fitting and appropriate than obedience to the commander whom he appointed? Indeed, one may only call the Ones in Authority those who actually possess authority, and the commander of the military expedition has only that authority which the Imam delegates to him.
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والقول في تثبيت الإمامة يخرج عن حدّ هذا الكتاب. وإنّما قصدنا في هذا الباب إلى البيان عن مذهب أهل الحقّ فيما اختلفت١ العامّة فيه ممّا لم يجدوا نصّه في ظاهر القرآن ولا في سنّة الرسول. فقال أهل الحقّ فيه نردّ إلى أولي الأمر كما أمر الله عزّ وجلّ فيه ونسأل أهل الذكر عنه. وقالت العامّة ونستنبطه من قبل أنفسنا. وقد ذكرنا خلافهم في ذلك لكتاب الله عزّ وجلّ وسنّة رسوله صلّى الله عليه وعلى آله وبيّنّا أنّ الله عزّ وجلّ قد أكمل دينه وجمع كلّ شيء تعبّد به خلقه في كتابه. عرف ذلك من عرفه وجهله من جهله.
١ ل: اختلف.
The argument for the validity of the Imamate goes beyond the scope of this book, but in this chapter we have merely sought to set forth the doctrine of the People of the Truth concerning the Sunnis’ disputes over what to do when they do not find an explicit statement concerning something in the plain text of the Qurʾan or the Practice of the Messenger. The People of the Truth say, concerning this, “We refer the matter to the Ones in Authority, as God commanded in that regard, and we ask the People of Knowledge about it,” while the Sunnis say, “We deduce it on our own.” We have shown that in adopting this view they contradict the Book of God and the Practice of His Messenger, and we have explained that God perfected His religion and included all things