Verse No. 21

“Indeed, Earth is not empty of a just man from the descendants of Ibrahim , whom Allah has appointed as an Imam for people.”

قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى:

﴿وَإِذِ ابْتَلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ رَبُّهُ بِكَلِمَاتٍ فَأَتَمَّهُنَّ ۖ قَالَ إِنِّي جَاعِلُكَ لِلنَّاسِ إِمَامًا ۖ قَالَ وَمِنْ ذُرِّيَّتِي ۖ قَالَ لَا يَنَالُ عَهْدِي الظَّالِمِينَ﴾[1]

Translation:

Allah Almighty has said:

And when his Lord tested Ibrahim with some words, then he fulfilled them, He said: “I appoint you as an Imam for people!” He said: “And also my descendants?” He said: “My covenant does not reach the oppressors.”

Considerations

1 . أَخْبَرَنَا عِيسَى بْنُ عَبْدِ الْحَمِيدِ الْجُوزَجَانِيُّ، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ الْمَنْصُورَ يَقُولُ: إِنَّ الْأَرْضَ لَا تَخْلُو مِنْ رَجُلٍ عَادِلٍ مِنْ ذُرِّيَّةِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ جَعَلَهُ اللَّهُ لِلنَّاسِ إِمَامًا، وَهَذَا عَهْدٌ عَهِدَهُ اللَّهُ إِلَى إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ إِذِ ابْتَلَاهُ بِكَلِمَاتٍ فَأَتَمَّهُنَّ: ﴿قَالَ إِنِّي جَاعِلُكَ لِلنَّاسِ إِمَامًا ۖ قَالَ وَمِنْ ذُرِّيَّتِي ۖ قَالَ لَا يَنَالُ عَهْدِي الظَّالِمِينَ﴾، فَمَاذَا يُنْكِرُ هَؤُلَاءِ الْجُهَّالُ الضُّلَّالُ الْمَفْتُونُونَ؟! أَيُنْكِرُونَ أَنْ يَكُونَ أَكْثَرُ الْمُسْلِمِينَ قَدْ ضَلُّوا؟! ﴿وَلَقَدْ ضَلَّ قَبْلَهُمْ أَكْثَرُ الْأَوَّلِينَ﴾[2]، وَهُمْ يَرْوُونَ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ لَهُمْ: «لَتَرْكَبُنَّ سُنَنَ مَنْ كَانَ قَبْلَكُمْ شِبْرًا بِشِبْرٍ وَذِرَاعًا بِذِرَاعٍ»![3] فَمَاذَا يُنْكِرُونَ بَعْدَ قَوْلِ اللَّهِ وَقَوْلِ رَسُولِهِ؟! أَيُنْكِرُونَ أَنْ يَكُونَ أَكْثَرُ الصَّحَابَةِ قَدْ أَخْطَأَوُا؟! وَقَدْ أَخْطَأَ أَكْثَرُهُمْ يَوْمَ أُحُدٍ، إِذْ يُصْعِدُونَ وَلَا يَلْوُونَ عَلَى أَحَدٍ وَالرَّسُولُ يَدْعُوهُمْ فِي أُخْرَاهُمْ فَأَثَابَهُمْ غَمًّا بِغَمٍّ وَقَالَ: ﴿إِنَّ الَّذِينَ تَوَلَّوْا مِنْكُمْ يَوْمَ الْتَقَى الْجَمْعَانِ إِنَّمَا اسْتَزَلَّهُمُ الشَّيْطَانُ بِبَعْضِ مَا كَسَبُوا﴾[4]، وَيَوْمَ حُنَيْنٍ، إِذْ أَعْجَبَتْهُمْ كَثْرَتُهُمْ فَلَمْ تُغْنِ عَنْهُمْ شَيْئًا وَضَاقَتْ عَلَيْهِمُ الْأَرْضُ بِمَا رَحُبَتْ ثُمَّ وَلَّوْا مُدْبِرِينَ، وَهُمْ يَرْوُونَ عَنْ رَسُولِ اللَّهِ صَلَّى اللَّهُ عَلَيْهِ وَآلِهِ وَسَلَّمَ أَنَّهُ قَالَ: «لَيَرِدَنَّ عَلَيَّ نَاسٌ مِنْ أَصْحَابِي فَيُنَحَّوْنَ عَنِ الْحَوْضِ فَلَأَقُولَنَّ: يَا رَبِّ، أَصْحَابِي، فَيَقُولُ: إِنَّكَ لَا عِلْمَ لَكَ بِمَا أَحْدَثُوا بَعْدَكَ، إِنَّهُمُ ارْتَدُّوا عَلَى أَدْبَارِهِمُ الْقَهْقَرَى»[5]، فَمَاذَا يُنْكِرُونَ بَعْدَ قَوْلِ اللَّهِ وَقَوْلِ رَسُولِهِ؟! أَمِ اتَّخَذُوا الصَّحَابَةَ وَالتَّابِعِينَ أَرْبَابًا مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ، كَمَا اتَّخَذَ الْيَهُودُ أَحْبَارَهُمْ وَرُهْبَانَهُمْ؟! ﴿وَمَا أُمِرُوا إِلَّا لِيَعْبُدُوا إِلَهًا وَاحِدًا ۖ لَا إِلَهَ إِلَّا هُوَ ۚ سُبْحَانَهُ عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ﴾![6]

Translation:

Isa ibn Abd al-Hamid al-Jowzajani informed us, he said: I heard Mansoor say: “Indeed, Earth is not empty of a just man from the descendants of Ibrahim , whom Allah has appointed as an Imam for people. And this is a covenant that Allah made with Ibrahim when He tested him with some words, then he fulfilled them. So ‘He said: “I appoint you as an Imam for people.” He said: “And also my descendants?” He said: “My covenant does not reach the oppressors.”’ So what do these trial-afflicted, misguided, ignorant people deny?! Do they deny that most Muslims have gone astray?! ‘While before them, most of the past people went astray.’ And they narrate from the Messenger of Allah that he said to them: ‘You will follow the ways of those who were before you, span by span and cubit by cubit!’ So what do they deny despite the statement of Allah and the statement of His Prophet?! Do they deny that most of the Sahabah went wrong?! While most of them went wrong on the day of Uhud, when they fled to the mountain without looking back at anyone, and the Prophet was calling them from behind. So He punished them with sorrow upon sorrow[7], and He said: ‘Undoubtedly, those among you who fled on the day when the two groups faced each other—Satan caused them to slip due to some of what they had earned.’ And on the day of Hunayn, when they took pride in their great numbers, but it availed them nothing, and Earth became narrow for them despite its vastness, so they fled[8]. And they themselves narrate from the Messenger of Allah that he said: ‘Indeed, a group of my companions will come to me (on the Day of Judgment). Then they will be driven away from around the Pond. Then I will say: “My Lord! My companions!” So He will say: “You do not know what they did after you! They turned back to their past!”’ So what do they deny despite the statement of Allah and the statement of His Prophet?! Have they taken the Sahabah and the Tabi‘un as gods besides Allah, just as Jews took their scholars and monks[9]?! ‘Whereas they were not commanded but to worship the One God. There is no god but He! Glorified is He above what they associate (with Him)!’”

2 . أَخْبَرَنَا عِيسَى بْنُ عَبْدِ الْحَمِيدِ الْجُوزَجَانِيُّ، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ الْمَنْصُورَ يَقُولُ: لَا بُدَّ لِلنَّاسِ مِنْ إِمَامٍ عَادِلٍ مِنْ ذُرِّيَّةِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ عَلَيْهِ السَّلَامُ جَعَلَهُ اللَّهُ لَهُمْ، وَذَلِكَ عَهْدٌ عَهِدَهُ اللَّهُ إِلَيْهِ إِذِ ابْتَلَاهُ بِكَلِمَاتٍ فَأَتَمَّهُنَّ: ﴿قَالَ إِنِّي جَاعِلُكَ لِلنَّاسِ إِمَامًا ۖ قَالَ وَمِنْ ذُرِّيَّتِي ۖ قَالَ لَا يَنَالُ عَهْدِي الظَّالِمِينَ﴾، فَمَنْ مَاتَ وَلَا يَعْرِفُ هَذَا الْإِمَامَ فَقَدْ مَاتَ مِيتَةً جَاهِلِيَّةً! أَلَا إِنَّهُ لَيْسَ أَبَا بَكْرٍ الْبَغْدَادِيَّ وَلَا مُحَمَّدعُمَرَ الْقَنْدَهَارِيَّ وَلَا فُلَانًا وَلَا فُلَانًا -فَمَا أَبْقَى رَجُلًا مِنْ أَئِمَّةِ الْقَوْمِ إِلَّا سَمَّاهُ- وَلَكِنَّهُ الْمَهْدِيُّ! ثُمَّ تَمَثَّلَ بِقَوْلِ دِعْبِلِ بْنِ عَلِيٍّ الْخُزَاعِيِّ فَقَالَ:

خُرُوجُ إِمَامٍ لَا مَحَالَةَ خَارِجٌ ... يَقُومُ عَلَى اسْمِ اللَّهِ وَالْبَرَكَاتِ

يَمِيزُ فِينَا كُلَّ حَقٍّ وَبَاطِلٍ ... وَيَجْزِي عَلَى النَّعْمَاءِ وَالنَّقَمَاتِ

فَيَا نَفْسُ طَيِّبِي ثُمَّ يَا نَفْسُ أَبْشِرِي ... فَغَيْرُ بَعِيدٍ مَا هُوَ آتٍ!

Translation:

Isa ibn Abd al-Hamid al-Jowzajani informed us, he said: I heard Mansoor say: “People have no choice but a just Imam from the descendants of Ibrahim , whom Allah has appointed. And this is a covenant that Allah made with him when He tested him with some words, then he fulfilled them: ‘He said: “I am going to appoint you as an Imam for people.” He said: “And also my descendants?” He said: “My covenant does not reach the oppressors.”’ So whoever dies without knowing this Imam has died a death of (the age of) ignorance! Know that he is not Abu Bakr al-Baghdadi or Muhammad Umar al-Qandahari or so-and-so”—then he did not leave out any of the leaders of the people except that he mentioned them by name—“Rather, he is the Mahdi!” Then he cited the poem of Di‘bal ibn Ali al-Khuza‘i and said: “The emergence of an Imam who will inevitably emerge; he will rise in the name of Allah and with His blessings. Among us, he will distinguish every truth from falsehood; and he will recompense every good and every evil. So, O soul! Be at peace and rejoice; for whatever is bound to come is not far away!”