أَخْبَرَنَا يُونُسُ بْنُ عَبْدِ اللَّهِ الْخَتْلَانِيُّ، قَالَ: كُنْتُ عِنْدَ الْمَنْصُورِ الْهَاشِمِيِّ الْخُرَاسَانِيِّ، فَأَشَارَ إِلَيَّ وَقَالَ: تَعَالَ يَا يُونُسُ حَتَّى أُعَلِّمَكَ دِينَكَ! فَاقْتَرَبْتُ إِلَيْهِ حَتَّى جَلَسْتُ فِي جَنْبِهِ، فَأَخَذَ بِيَدِي كَوَالِدٍ رَحِيمٍ، ثُمَّ قَالَ: اعْلَمْ يَا بُنَيَّ أَنَّ هَذَا الدِّينَ نِظَامٌ كَنِظَامِ الْخَرَزِ، يَتْبَعُ بَعْضُهُ بَعْضًا، وَلَا يَكْمُلُ بَعْضُهُ إِلَّا بِبَعْضٍ، أَلَمْ تَرَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ تَعَالَى لَمَّا أَقَامَ وَلِيَّهُ قَالَ: ﴿الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الْإِسْلَامَ دِينًا﴾[1]؟! فَوَاللَّهِ مَا كَانَ الدِّينُ كَامِلًا وَلَا الْإِسْلَامُ مَرْضِيًّا حَتَّى أَقَامَ اللَّهُ وَلِيَّهُ، فَلَمَّا خَرَجَ النَّاسُ مِنْ وِلَايَتِهِ انْتَقَصَ دِينُهُمْ وَعَادَ الْإِسْلَامُ كَمَا كَانَ غَيْرَ مَرْضِيٍّ، وَهُوَ الْيَوْمَ كَذَلِكَ، أَلَا وَالَّذِي نَفْسِي بِيَدِهِ لَنْ يَكْمُلَ الدِّينُ أَبَدًا وَلَنْ يُغْنِيَ الْإِسْلَامُ شَيْئًا إِلَّا بِوِلَايَةِ وَلِيٍّ أَقَامَهُ اللَّهُ عَزَّ وَجَلَّ، فَمَنْ زَعَمَ أَنَّ اللَّهَ يُدَانُ بِدُونِ وِلَايَةِ وَلِيِّهِ فَقَدْ ضَلَّ ضَلَالًا بَعِيدًا، ثُمَّ قَالَ: اعْلَمْ يَا بُنَيَّ أَنَّ هَذَا الدِّينَ سِلْسِلَةٌ يَتَعَلَّقُ بَعْضُهَا بِبَعْضٍ، فَإِذَا انْتَقَصَ مِنْهَا جُزْءٌ وَاحِدٌ انْتَقَصَ سَائِرُ الْأَجْزَاءِ، وَلَا تَزِيدُكَ حِينَئِذٍ إِلَّا خَسَارًا، قُلْتُ: جُعِلْتُ فِدَاكَ، إِنَّهُمْ يَقُولُونَ مَا لَا يُدْرَكُ كُلُّهُ لَا يُتْرَكُ كُلُّهُ، قَالَ: كَذَبُوا الْجُهَّالُ الْحَمْقَى كَأَشْبَاهِ الْحُمُرِ! مَا جَعَلَ اللَّهُ دِينًا إِلَّا وَجَعَلَ لَهُ مَنْ أَدْرَكَ كُلَّهُ، فَإِنْ عَجَزُوا عَنْ إِدْرَاكِ كُلِّهِ فَلْيَذْهَبُوا وَلْيَأْتِ مَنْ يَقْدِرُ عَلَى ذَلِكَ، لِأَنَّهُ لَا يُغْنِي إِلَّا كُلُّهُ وَلَا يَزِيدُهُمْ جُزْئُهُ غَيْرَ تَخْسِيرٍ، قُلْتُ: أَلَيْسَ فِي ذَلِكَ تَعْلِيقُ حُدُودِ اللَّهِ؟ قَالَ: لَا يَذْهَبَنَّ بِكَ الْمَذَاهِبُ يَا بُنَيَّ! إِنَّ حُدُودَ اللَّهِ لَا يُجْرِيهَا غَيْرُ وَلِيِّهِ، فَلَا بُدَّ مِنْ أَنْ يُحَكِّمُوهُ، وَذَلِكَ بِأَنَّ اللَّهَ مَا جَعَلَ حَدًّا إِلَّا بِاعْتِبَارِ دَوْلَةِ الْعَدْلِ، وَأَمَّا دَوْلَةُ الْجَوْرِ فَلَيْسَ لَهَا أَنْ تُجْرِيَ حَدًّا، بَلْ لِلَّهِ عَلَيْهَا حُدُودٌ سَوْفَ تُجْرَى عَلَيْهَا.

Translation of the saying:

Yunus ibn Abdullah al-Khatlani informed us, he said: I was with Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani. Then he pointed at me and said: “Come, O Yunus, so that I teach you your religion!” So I approached him until I sat beside him. Then he took my hand like a compassionate father and said: “Know, my child, that this religion is a system like that of beads, some of which follow some others, and some of which are not perfected except with some others. Did you not see that when Allah Almighty appointed His guardian, He said: ‘This day I perfected your religion for you, completed My blessing upon you, and chose Islam for you as religion’?! So by Allah, religion was not perfect, nor was Islam chosen until Allah appointed His guardian. Then, when people deviated from his guardianship, their religion became deficient and Islam returned to the same state that was not yet chosen, and it is still in the same state today. Be aware, by Allah in Whose hand is my life, that religion is never perfected and Islam does not suffice for anything except with the guardianship of a guardian whom Allah the Exalted, the Majestic has appointed. So whoever thinks that one can be devout to Allah’s religion without the guardianship of His guardian has gone far astray.” Then he said: “Know, my child, that this religion is a chain, some of which are dependent on some others. So when a part of it is reduced, its other parts are also reduced, and then it increases you nothing but loss.” I said: “May I be sacrificed for you, they say that what cannot be attained in its entirety should not be left in its entirety.” He said: “They are lying, the fool ignorant ones who are like donkeys! Allah has not set a religion unless He has appointed someone for it who can attain it in its entirety. So if they are unable to attain it in its entirety, then they must go and someone shall come who is able to do so; because it does not suffice except in its entirety, and a single part of it increases them in nothing but loss.” I said: “Does it not suspend the limits set by Allah?” He said: “Do not let various sects take you away, my child! Indeed, the limits set by Allah shall be implemented by none but the guardian appointed by Him, so there is no choice but to bring him to power, and this is because Allah has not set any limit except in consideration of the government of justice. As for the government of oppression, it is not allowed to implement any limit, but rather Allah has some limits for it that soon will be implemented upon it.”

Explanation of the saying:

To better understand this wisdom and good advice, refer to the topic “Establishing some parts of Islam is contingent on establishing the entirety of it” from the invaluable book Return to Islam.