Verse No. 12

“There is no time without a man from the people of remembrance, whom people ask about what they do not know, and he gives them a correct answer.”

قَالَ اللَّهُ تَعَالَى:

﴿فَاسْأَلُوا أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ﴾[1]

Translation:

Allah Almighty has said:

“Ask the people of remembrance if you do not know.”

Considerations

1 . أَخْبَرَنَا أَبُو إِبْرَاهِيمَ السَّمَرْقَنْدِيُّ، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ الْمَنْصُورَ يَقُولُ: مَا أَنْزَلَ اللَّهُ فِي الْكِتَابِ شَيْئًا لَا يَسَعُ النَّاسَ الْقِيَامُ بِهِ، وَقَدْ أَنْزَلَ فِيهِ: ﴿فَاسْأَلُوا أَهْلَ الذِّكْرِ إِنْ كُنْتُمْ لَا تَعْلَمُونَ﴾، فَلَا يَخْلُو زَمَانٌ مِنْ رَجُلٍ مِنْ أَهْلِ الذِّكْرِ يَسْأَلُهُ النَّاسُ عَمَّا لَا يَعْلَمُونَ فَيُجِيبُهُمْ بِالصَّوَابِ، وَلَئِنْ قُلْتَ لِهَؤُلَاءِ الْجُهَّالِ: اعْرِفُوا هَذَا الرَّجُلَ وَاسْأَلُوهُ لَيَقُولُنَّ: «إِنْ أَنْتُمْ إِلَّا مُبْتَدِعُونَ»! قُلْتُ: جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ، إِنَّهُمْ يَقُولُونَ أَنَّ الْعُلَمَاءَ كُلَّهُمْ أَهْلُ الذِّكْرِ، فَقَالَ: أَكُلُّهُمْ يُصِيبُونَ فِي الْجَوَابِ إِذَا سُئِلُوا؟! قُلْتُ: لَا، قَالَ: لَا يَأْمُرُ اللَّهُ بِسُؤَالِ قَوْمٍ قَدْ لَا يُصِيبُونَ فِي الْجَوَابِ!

Translation:

Abu Ibrahim al-Samarqandi informed us, he said: I heard Mansoor say: “Allah has not revealed in the Book anything that people are unable to do. And He has revealed in it: ‘Ask the people of remembrance if you do not know.’ So there is no time without a man from the people of remembrance, whom people ask about what they do not know, and he gives them a correct answer. And if you tell these ignorant ones to know this man and ask him, they will say, ‘You are but the people of innovation!’” I said: “May I be sacrificed for you, they say that all scholars are people of remembrance.” So, he said: “Do all of them give a correct answer whenever they are asked?!” I said: “No.” He said: “Allah does not command asking a group who may not give a correct answer!”

2 . أَخْبَرَنَا صَالِحُ بْنُ مُحَمَّدٍ السَّبْزَوَارِيُّ، قَالَ: كُنَّا عِنْدَ الْعَبْدِ الصَّالِحِ فِي مَسْجِدٍ وَكَانَ مَعَنَا رِجَالٌ مِنَ السَّلَفِيَّةِ، فَأَقْبَلَ عَلَيْهِمْ وَقَالَ: إِنَّ اللَّهَ قَدْ أَحْدَثَ لَكُمْ ذِكْرًا فَاتَّبِعُوهُ، وَلَا تَتَّبِعُوا السَّلَفَ، فَإِنَّ السَّلَفَ لَمْ يَتَّبِعُوا السَّلَفَ، وَلَكِنِ اتَّبَعُوا ذِكْرَهُمْ، وَإِنَّ مَنْ وَقَفَ عَلَى سَلَفٍ وَلَمْ يَتَّبِعْ مَا أَحْدَثَ اللَّهُ لَهُ مِنْ ذِكْرٍ فَقَدْ قَطَعَ مَا أَمَرَ اللَّهُ بِهِ أَنْ يُوصَلَ وَضَلَّ عَنْ سَبِيلِهِ، ﴿أُولَئِكَ يُنَادَوْنَ مِنْ مَكَانٍ بَعِيدٍ﴾[2]! قَالَ رَجُلٌ مِنَ السَّلَفِيَّةِ: أَلَيْسَ كُلُّ مُحْدَثٍ بِدْعَةً؟! فَالْتَفَتَ إِلَيْهِ وَقَالَ: الْبِدْعَةُ مَا أَحْدَثَ النَّاسُ فِي الدِّينِ، وَالذِّكْرُ مَا أَحْدَثَ اللَّهُ، ثُمَّ قَرَأَ: ﴿مَا يَأْتِيهِمْ مِنْ ذِكْرٍ مِنْ رَبِّهِمْ مُحْدَثٍ إِلَّا اسْتَمَعُوهُ وَهُمْ يَلْعَبُونَ﴾[3]، قَالَ الرَّجُلُ: وَمَا ذِكْرٌ مُحْدَثٌ؟! قَالَ: إِمَامٌ يُحْدِثُهُ اللَّهُ فِي كُلِّ قَرْنٍ يَهْدِي بِأَمْرِهِ، لِيُنْذِرَ مَنْ كَانَ حَيًّا وَيُحِقَّ الْقَوْلَ عَلَى الْكَافِرِينَ، قَالَ الرَّجُلُ: مَا سَمِعْنَا بِهَذَا فِي الْقُرُونِ الثَّلَاثَةِ، إِنْ هَذَا إِلَّا بِدْعَةٌ! قَالَ: وَيْحَكَ، أَتَأْبَى إِلَّا أَنْ تُضَاهِئَ قَوْلَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا؟! قَالُوا: ﴿مَا سَمِعْنَا بِهَذَا فِي الْمِلَّةِ الْآخِرَةِ إِنْ هَذَا إِلَّا اخْتِلَاقٌ﴾[4]! وَاللَّهِ مَا كُنْتُ أَظُنُّ أَنَّ مُسْلِمًا يَقُولُ بِهَذَا حَتَّى سَمِعْتُكُمْ تَقُولُونَ بِهِ يَا مَعْشَرَ السَّلَفِيَّةِ!

Translation:

Salih ibn Muhammad al-Sabzawari informed us, he said: We were in the presence of the righteous servant (meaning Mansoor) in a mosque, and there were men from the Salafiyyah with us. He then turned toward them and said: “Indeed, Allah has renewed a remembrance for you, so follow it and do not follow the predecessors; for the predecessors did not follow past generations, but rather followed their remembrance. And indeed, whoever stops at the predecessors and does not follow the remembrance that Allah has renewed for him has cut off what Allah has commanded to be kept constant and has gone astray from His path. ‘They are those who are called from a distant place!’” A man from the Salafiyyah said: “Is it not that every renewed thing is an innovation?!” So he turned toward him and said: “An innovation is something that people have renewed in religion, and remembrance is something that Allah has renewed.” Then he recited this verse: “No renewed remembrance comes to them from their Lord unless they listen to it and play with it.” The man said: “What is the renewed remembrance?!” He said: “An Imam whom Allah renews in every generation, who guides by His command, so that he warns everyone who is alive and justifies the word against disbelievers.” The man said: “We have not heard this in the early generations. This is nothing but an innovation!” He said: “Woe to you! Do you want nothing but to speak like those who disbelieved?! They said: ‘We have not heard this in the religion of past generations! This is nothing but a fabrication.’ By Allah, I did not think a Muslim would say this until I heard you say it, O group of Salafiyyah!”