Ibn Umar’s refusal to fight in civil strife during the turmoil of Ibn al-Zubayr
Two men came to him during the turmoil of Ibn al-Zubayr and said, “The people have been neglected, and you are Ibn ʿUmar, a Companion of the Prophet ﷺ. What is preventing you from going out?” He said, “What prevents me is that Allah has forbidden the blood of my brother.” They said, “Did Allah not say, ‘Fight them until there is no fitnah’?” He said, “We fought until there was no fitnah and the religion was for Allah, while you want to fight until there is fitnah and the religion is for other than Allah.”
ʿUthmān b. Salih > Ibn Wahb > so-and-so and Ḥaywah b. Shurayḥ > Bakr b. ʿAmr al-Maʿāfirī > Bukayr b. ʿAbdullāh > Nāfiʿ, that a man came to Ibn ʿUmar and said, “O Abu ʿAbd al-Rahman, what led you to perform Hajj one year and ʿUmrah one year, and to leave jihad in the path of Allah, though you know what Allah has encouraged regarding it?” He said, “O son of my brother, Islam is built upon five: faith in Allah and His Messenger, the five prayers, fasting Ramadan, paying zakat, and pilgrimage to the House.”
He said, “O Abu ʿAbd al-Rahman, do you not hear what Allah mentions in His Book: ‘If two groups of the believers fight, then reconcile between them … until the command of Allah,’ and: ‘Fight them until there is no fitnah’?” He said, “We did that in the time of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ, when Islam was a minority. A man would be put to trial in his religion: either they would kill him or they would torture him, until Islam increased and there was no fitnah.”
He said, “Then what do you say about ʿAli and ʿUthman?” He said, “As for ʿUthman, it is as though Allah has pardoned him, while you disliked to pardon him. And as for ʿAli, he is the cousin of the Messenger of Allah ﷺ and his son-in-law,” and he gestured with his hand and said, “This is his house where you see.”
أَتَاهُ رَجُلَانِ فِي فِتْنَةِ ابْنِ الزُّبَيْرِ، فَقَالَا: إِنَّ النَّاسَ قَدْ ضُيِّعُوا، وَأَنْتَ ابْنُ عُمَرَ وَصَاحِبُ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ، فَمَا يَمْنَعُكَ أَنْ تَخْرُجَ؟ فَقَالَ: يَمْنَعُنِي أَنَّ اللَّهَ حَرَّمَ دَمَ أَخِي. فَقَالَا: أَلَمْ يَقُلِ اللَّهُ: ﴿وَقَاتِلُوهُمْ حَتَّىٰ لَا تَكُونَ فِتْنَةٌ﴾؟ فَقَالَ: قَاتَلْنَا حَتَّىٰ لَمْ تَكُنْ فِتْنَةٌ، وَكَانَ الدِّينُ لِلَّهِ، وَأَنْتُمْ تُرِيدُونَ أَنْ تُقَاتِلُوا حَتَّىٰ تَكُونَ فِتْنَةٌ، وَيَكُونَ الدِّينُ لِغَيْرِ اللَّهِ.
وَزَادَ عُثْمَانُ بْنُ صَالِحٍ، عَنِ ابْنِ وَهْبٍ، قَالَ: أَخْبَرَنِي فُلَانٌ، وَحَيْوَةُ بْنُ شُرَيْحٍ، عَنْ بَكْرِ بْنِ عَمْرٍو الْمَعَافِرِيِّ، أَنَّ بُكَيْرَ بْنَ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ حَدَّثَهُ، عَنْ نَافِعٍ، أَنَّ رَجُلًا أَتَى ابْنَ عُمَرَ، فَقَالَ: يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، مَا حَمَلَكَ عَلَى أَنْ تَحُجَّ عَامًا، وَتَعْتَمِرَ عَامًا، وَتَتْرُكَ الْجِهَادَ فِي سَبِيلِ اللَّهِ ﷻ، وَقَدْ عَلِمْتَ مَا رَغَّبَ اللَّهُ فِيهِ؟ فَقَالَ: يَا ابْنَ أَخِي، بُنِيَ الإِسْلَامُ عَلَى خَمْسٍ: إِيمَانٍ بِاللَّهِ وَرَسُولِهِ، وَالصَّلَاةِ الْخَمْسِ، وَصِيَامِ رَمَضَانَ، وَأَدَاءِ الزَّكَاةِ، وَحَجِّ الْبَيْتِ.
فَقَالَ: يَا أَبَا عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ، أَلَا تَسْمَعُ مَا ذَكَرَ اللَّهُ فِي كِتَابِهِ: ﴿وَإِنْ طَائِفَتَانِ مِنَ الْمُؤْمِنِينَ اقْتَتَلُوا فَأَصْلِحُوا بَيْنَهُمَا ... إِلَىٰ أَمْرِ اللَّهِ﴾، ﴿قَاتِلُوهُمْ حَتَّىٰ لَا تَكُونَ فِتْنَةٌ﴾؟ فَقَالَ: فَعَلْنَا عَلَىٰ عَهْدِ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ، وَكَانَ الإِسْلَامُ قَلِيلًا، فَكَانَ الرَّجُلُ يُفْتَنُ فِي دِينِهِ، إِمَّا قَتَلُوهُ وَإِمَّا يُعَذِّبُوهُ، حَتَّىٰ كَثُرَ الإِسْلَامُ، فَلَمْ تَكُنْ فِتْنَةٌ.
قَالَ: فَمَا قَوْلُكَ فِي عَلِيٍّ وَعُثْمَانَ؟ قَالَ: أَمَّا عُثْمَانُ، فَكَأَنَّ اللَّهَ عَفَا عَنْهُ، وَأَمَّا أَنْتُمْ فَكَرِهْتُمْ أَنْ تَعْفُوا عَنْهُ، وَأَمَّا عَلِيٌّ، فَابْنُ عَمِّ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ ﷺ وَخَتَنُهُ، وَأَشَارَ بِيَدِهِ فَقَالَ: هَذَا بَيْتُهُ حَيْثُ تَرَوْنَ.
Add your own reflection below:
Sign in from the top menu to add or reply to reflections.