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وَكَذَ ٰلِكَ جَعَلۡنَـٰكُمۡ أُمَّةࣰ وَسَطࣰا لِّتَكُونُوا۟ شُهَدَاۤءَ عَلَى ٱلنَّاسِ وَیَكُونَ ٱلرَّسُولُ عَلَیۡكُمۡ شَهِیدࣰاۗ وَمَا جَعَلۡنَا ٱلۡقِبۡلَةَ ٱلَّتِی كُنتَ عَلَیۡهَاۤ إِلَّا لِنَعۡلَمَ مَن یَتَّبِعُ ٱلرَّسُولَ مِمَّن یَنقَلِبُ عَلَىٰ عَقِبَیۡهِۚ وَإِن كَانَتۡ لَكَبِیرَةً إِلَّا عَلَى ٱلَّذِینَ هَدَى ٱللَّهُۗ وَمَا كَانَ ٱللَّهُ لِیُضِیعَ إِیمَـٰنَكُمۡۚ إِنَّ ٱللَّهَ بِٱلنَّاسِ لَرَءُوفࣱ رَّحِیمࣱ
بابٌ القَوْلُ في صِحَّةِ الإجْماعِ قَوْلُهُ تَعالى: ﴿وكَذَلِكَ جَعَلْناكم أُمَّةً وسَطًا لِتَكُونُوا شُهَداءَ عَلى النّاسِ﴾ قالَ أهْلُ اللُّغَةِ: الوَسَطُ: العَدْلُ، وهو الَّذِي بَيْنَ المُقَصِّرِ والغالِي. وقِيلَ: هو الخِيارُ والمَعْنى واحِدٌ؛ لِأنَّ العَدْلَ هو الخِيارُ، قالَ زُهَيْرٌ:
Chapter: The Statement on the Validity of Consensus. His, the Exalted’s, statement: {And thus We have made you a just nation that you may be witnesses over the people}. The people of the language said: Al-Wasaṭ (the middle) is al-ʿadl (the just), and it is that which is between the deficient and the excessive. And it was said: It is the choicest. And the meaning is one, because the just is the choicest. Zuhayr said:
هم وسَطٌ يَرْضى الأنامُ بِحُكْمِهِمْ إذا طَرَقَتْ إحْدى اللَّيالِي بِمُعْظَمِ
They are a just people with whose judgment mankind is pleased, when one of the nights brings a momentous event.
وقَوْلُهُ تَعالى: ﴿لِتَكُونُوا شُهَداءَ عَلى النّاسِ﴾ مَعْناهُ كَيْ تَكُونُوا، ولَأنْ تَكُونُوا كَذَلِكَ. وقِيلَ في الشُّهَداءِ: إنَّهم يَشْهَدُونَ عَلى النّاسِ بِأعْمالِهِمُ الَّتِي خالَفُوا الحَقَّ فِيها في الدُّنْيا والآخِرَةِ، كَقَوْلِهِ تَعالى: ﴿وجِيءَ بِالنَّبِيِّينَ والشُّهَداءِ﴾ [الزمر: ٦٩] وقِيلَ فِيهِ: إنَّهم يَشْهَدُونَ لِلْأنْبِياءِ عَلَيْهِمُ السَّلامُ وعَلى أُمَمِهِمُ المُكَذِّبِينَ بِأنَّهم قَدْ بَلَّغُوهم لِإعْلامِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ إيّاهم وقِيلَ: لِتَكُونُوا حُجَّةً فِيما تَشْهَدُونَ كَما أنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ شَهِيدٌ بِمَعْنى حُجَّةٍ دُونَ كُلِّ واحِدٍ مِنها.
And His, the Exalted’s, statement: {that you may be witnesses over the people}, its meaning is “so that you may be,” and “in order for you to be so.” And it was said regarding the “witnesses”: that they bear witness against the people for their deeds in which they opposed the truth in this world and the Hereafter, like His, the Exalted’s, statement: {and the prophets and the witnesses are brought} [Az-Zumar: 69]. And it was said regarding it: that they bear witness for the Prophets, peace be upon them, and against their disbelieving nations that they had indeed conveyed the message to them, due to the Prophet’s ﷺ informing them of that. And it was said: that you may be a proof (ḥujjah) in what you witness, just as the Prophet ﷺ is a witness (shahīd) with the meaning of a proof (ḥujjah), not every single one of them.
قالَ أبُو بَكْرٍ: وكُلُّ هَذِهِ المَعانِي يَحْتَمِلُها اللَّفْظُ، وجائِزٌ أنْ يَكُونَ بِأجْمَعِها مُرادُ اللَّهِ تَعالى، فَيَشْهَدُونَ عَلى النّاسِ بِأعْمالِهِمْ في الدُّنْيا والآخِرَةِ، ويَشْهَدُونَ لِلْأنْبِياءِ عَلَيْهِمُ السَّلامُ عَلى أُمَمِهِمْ بِالتَّكْذِيبِ لِإخْبارِ اللَّهِ تَعالى إيّاهم بِذَلِكَ وهم مَعَ ذَلِكَ حُجَّةٌ عَلى مَن جاءَ بَعْدَهم في نَقْلِ الشَّرِيعَةِ وفِيما حَكَمُوا بِهِ واعْتَقَدُوهُ مِن أحْكامِ اللَّهِ تَعالى وفي هَذِهِ الآيَةِ دَلالَةٌ عَلى صِحَّةِ إجْماعِ الأُمَّةِ مِن وجْهَيْنِ:
Abu Bakr said: And the wording accommodates all of these meanings, and it is possible that all of them are intended by Allah the Exalted. So they bear witness against the people for their deeds in this world and the Hereafter, and they bear witness for the Prophets, peace be upon them, against their nations for their disbelief, due to Allah the Exalted’s informing them of that. And they are, along with that, a proof (ḥujjah) against those who come after them in the transmission of the law and in what they have ruled upon and believed of the rulings of Allah the Exalted. And in this verse is an indication of the validity of the consensus of the Ummah from two aspects:
أحَدُهُما: وصْفُهُ إيّاها بِالعَدالَةِ وأنَّها خِيارٌ، وذَلِكَ يَقْتَضِي تَصْدِيقَها والحُكْمَ بِصِحَّةِ قَوْلِها ونافٍ لِإجْماعِها عَلى الضَّلالِ.
The first of them: His describing it with justice (al-ʿadālah) and that it is the choicest. And that necessitates affirming its truthfulness and ruling its statement to be valid, and it negates its consensus upon error.
والوَجْهُ الآخَرُ قَوْلُهُ: ﴿لِتَكُونُوا شُهَداءَ عَلى النّاسِ﴾ بِمَعْنى الحُجَّةِ عَلَيْهِمْ، كَما أنَّ الرَّسُولَ لَمّا كانَ حُجَّةً عَلَيْهِمْ وصَفَهُ بِأنَّهُ شَهِيدٌ عَلَيْهِمْ، ولَمّا جَعَلَهُمُ اللَّهُ تَعالى شُهَداءَ عَلى غَيْرِهِمْ فَقَدْ حَكَمَ لَهم بِالعَدالَةِ وقَبُولِ القَوْلِ؛ لِأنَّ شُهَداءَ اللَّهِ تَعالى لا يَكُونُونَ كُفّارًا ولا ضُلّالًا، فاقْتَضَتِ الآيَةُ أنْ يَكُونُوا شُهَداءَ في الآخِرَةِ عَلى مَن شاهَدُوا في كُلِّ عَصْرٍ بِأعْمالِهِمْ دُونَ مَن ماتَ قَبْلَ زَمَنِهِمْ، كَما جُعِلَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ شَهِيدًا عَلى مَن كانَ في عَصْرِهِ.
And the other aspect is His statement: {that you may be witnesses over the people} with the meaning of being a proof (ḥujjah) against them. Just as the Messenger, since he was a proof against them, He described him as being a witness against them. And since Allah the Exalted made them witnesses over others, He has ruled them to have justice and for their statement to be accepted, because the witnesses of Allah the Exalted cannot be disbelievers or astray. So the verse necessitated that they be witnesses in the Hereafter against those whom they observed in every era for their deeds, but not against those who died before their time, just as the Prophet ﷺ was made a witness against those who were in his era.
هَذا إذا أُرِيدَ بِالشَّهادَةِ عَلَيْهِمْ بِأعْمالِهِمْ في الآخِرَةِ، فَأمّا إذا أُرِيدَ بِالشَّهادَةِ الحُجَّةُ فَذَلِكَ حُجَّةٌ عَلى مَن شاهَدُوهم مِن أهْلِ العَصْرِ الثّانِي وعَلى مَن جاءَ بَعْدَهم إلى يَوْمِ القِيامَةِ، كَما كانَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ حُجَّةً عَلى جَمِيعِ الأُمَّةِ أوَّلِها وآخِرِها ولِأنَّ حُجَّةَ اللَّهِ إذا ثَبَتَتْ في وقْتٍ فَهي ثابِتَةٌ أبَدًا.
This is if what is meant by “witnessing” is against them for their deeds in the Hereafter. But if what is meant by “witnessing” is being a proof (ḥujjah), then that is a proof against those whom they observed from the people of the second era and against those who come after them until the Day of Resurrection, just as the Prophet ﷺ was a proof against the entire Ummah, its first and its last. And because the proof of Allah, when it is established at a time, it is established forever.
ويَدُلُّكَ عَلى فَرْقِ ما بَيْنَ الشَّهادَةِ عَلى الأعْمالِ في الآخِرَةِ والشَّهادَةِ الَّتِي هي الحُجَّةُ قَوْلُهُ تَعالى: ﴿فَكَيْفَ إذا جِئْنا مِن كُلِّ أُمَّةٍ بِشَهِيدٍ وجِئْنا بِكَ عَلى هَؤُلاءِ شَهِيدًا﴾ [النساء: ٤١] لَمّا أرادَ الشَّهادَةَ عَلى أعْمالِهِمْ خَصَّ أهْلَ عَصْرِهِ ومَن شاهَدَهُ بِها، وكَما قالَ تَعالى حاكِيًا عَنْ عِيسى صَلَواتُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِ: ﴿وكُنْتُ عَلَيْهِمْ شَهِيدًا ما دُمْتُ فِيهِمْ فَلَمّا تَوَفَّيْتَنِي كُنْتَ أنْتَ الرَّقِيبَ عَلَيْهِمْ﴾ [المائدة: ١١٧] فَتَبَيَّنَ أنَّ الشَّهادَةَ بِالأعْمالِ إنَّما هي مَخْصُوصَةٌ بِحالِ الشَّهادَةِ، وأمّا الشَّهادَةُ الَّتِي هي الحُجَّةُ فَلا تَخْتَصُّ بِها أوَّلُ الأُمَّةِ وآخِرُها في كَوْنِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ حُجَّةً عَلَيْهِمْ.
And what shows you the difference between the witnessing of deeds in the Hereafter and the witnessing that is the proof (ḥujjah) is His, the Exalted’s, statement: {So how [will it be] when We bring from every nation a witness and We bring you as a witness against these?} [An-Nisa: 41]. When He intended the witnessing of their deeds, He specified the people of his era and those who observed him with it. And as Allah the Exalted said, narrating from Jesus, the blessings of Allah be upon him: {And I was a witness over them as long as I was among them; but when You took me up, You were the Observer over them} [Al-Ma’idah: 117]. So it becomes clear that witnessing of deeds is specific to the state of observation, but as for the witnessing that is the proof (ḥujjah), it is not specific, as the first of the Ummah and its last are equal in the Prophet ﷺ being a proof against them.
كَذَلِكَ أهْلُ كُلِّ عَصْرٍ لَمّا كانُوا شُهَداءَ اللَّهِ مِن طَرِيقِ الحُجَّةِ وجَبَ أنْ يَكُونُوا حُجَّةً عَلى أهْلِ عَصْرِهِمُ الدّاخِلِينَ مَعَهم في إجْماعِهِمْ وعَلى مَن بَعْدَهم مِن سائِرِ أهْلِ الأعْصارِ.
Likewise, the people of every era, since they are the witnesses of Allah by way of being a proof (ḥujjah), it is necessary that they be a proof against the people of their own era who are included with them in their consensus, and against those after them from all other eras.
فَهُوَ يَدُلُّ عَلى أنَّ أهْلَ عَصْرٍ إذا أجْمَعُوا عَلى شَيْءٍ ثُمَّ خَرَجَ بَعْضُهم عَنِ اجْماعِهِمْ أنَّهُ مَحْجُوجٌ بِالإجْماعِ المُتَقَدِّمِ؛ لِأنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ قَدْ شَهِدَ لِهَذِهِ الجَماعَةِ بِصِحَّةِ قَوْلِها وجَعَلَها حُجَّةً ودَلِيلًا، فالخارِجُ عَنْها بَعْدَ ذَلِكَ تارِكٌ لِحُكْمِ دَلِيلِهِ وحُجَّتِهِ؛ إذْ غَيْرُ جائِزٍ وُجُودُ دَلِيلِ اللَّهِ تَعالى عارِيًا مِن مَدْلُولِهِ، ويَسْتَحِيلُ وُجُودُ النَّسْخِ بَعْدَ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ فَيُتْرَكُ حُكْمُهُ مِن طَرِيقِ النَّسْخِ، فَدَلَّ ذَلِكَ عَلى أنَّ الإجْماعَ في أيِّ حالٍ حَصَلَ مِنَ الأُمَّةِ فَهو حُجَّةُ الِلَّهِ عَزَّ وجَلَّ غَيْرُ سائِغٍ لِأحَدٍ تَرْكُهُ ولا الخُرُوجُ عَنْهُ.
So it indicates that if the people of an era reach a consensus on something, then some of them depart from their consensus, that he is refuted by the preceding consensus. This is because the Prophet ﷺ has testified to the validity of the statement of this group and made it a proof and an evidence. So the one who departs from it after that is abandoning the ruling of his evidence and his proof; since it is not permissible for a proof of Allah the Exalted to exist devoid of what it proves, and the existence of abrogation after the Prophet ﷺ is impossible, such that its ruling would be abandoned by way of abrogation. This indicates that consensus, in whatever state it occurs from the Ummah, is a proof of Allah, the Mighty and Majestic, which is impermissible for anyone to abandon or depart from.
ومِن حَيْثُ دَلَّتِ الآيَةُ عَلى صِحَّةِ إجْماعِ الصَّدْرِ الأوَّلِ، فَهي دالَّةٌ عَلى صِحَّةِ إجْماعِ أهْلِ الأعْصارِ، إذْ لَمْ يُخَصَّصْ بِذَلِكَ أهْلُ عَصْرٍ دُونَ عَصْرٍ. ولَوْ جازَ الِاقْتِصارُ بِحُكْمِ الآيَةِ عَلى إجْماعِ الصَّدْرِ الأوَّلِ دُونَ أهْلِ سائِرِ الأعْصارِ لَجازَ الِاقْتِصارُ بِهِ عَلى إجْماعِ أهْلِ سائِرِ الأعْصارِ دُونَ الصَّدْرِ الأوَّلِ.
And just as the verse indicated the validity of the consensus of the first generation, it also indicates the validity of the consensus of the people of all eras, since it did not specify with that the people of one era over another era. And if it were permissible to restrict the ruling of the verse to the consensus of the first generation to the exclusion of the people of all other eras, it would be permissible to restrict it to the consensus of the people of all other eras to the exclusion of the first generation.
فَإنْ قالَ قائِلٌ: لَمّا قالَ: ﴿وكَذَلِكَ جَعَلْناكم أُمَّةً وسَطًا﴾ فَوَجَّهَ الخِطابَ إلى المَوْجُودِينَ في حالِ نُزُولِهِ، دَلَّ ذَلِكَ عَلى أنَّهم هُمُ المَخْصُوصُونَ بِهِ دُونَ غَيْرِهِمْ، فَلا يَدْخُلُونَ في حُكْمِهِمْ إلّا بِدَلالَةِ قِيلَ لَهُ: هَذا غَلَطٌ؛ لِأنَّ قَوْلَهُ تَعالى: ﴿وكَذَلِكَ جَعَلْناكم أُمَّةً وسَطًا﴾ هو خِطابٌ لِجَمِيعِ الأُمَّةِ: أوَّلِها وآخِرِها، مَن كانَ مِنهم مَوْجُودًا في وقْتِ نُزُولِ الآيَةِ ومَن جاءَ بَعْدَهم إلى قِيامِ السّاعَةِ، كَما أنَّ قَوْلَهُ تَعالى: ﴿كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ الصِّيامُ كَما كُتِبَ عَلى الَّذِينَ مِن قَبْلِكُمْ﴾ [البقرة: ١٨٣] وقَوْلَهُ: ﴿كُتِبَ عَلَيْكُمُ القِصاصُ﴾ [البقرة: ١٧٨] ونَحْوَ ذَلِكَ مِنَ الآيِ خِطابٌ لِجَمِيعِ الأُمَّةِ، كَما كانَ النَّبِيُّ ﷺ مَبْعُوثًا إلى جَمِيعِها: مَن كانَ مِنهم مَوْجُودًا في عَصْرِهِ ومَن جاءَ بَعْدَهُ.
If a speaker says: Since He said: {And thus We have made you a just nation}, and He directed the address to those present at the time of its revelation, this indicates that they are the ones specified by it, to the exclusion of others, so they [others] do not enter into their ruling except with an indication. It is said to him: This is a mistake, because His, the Exalted’s, statement: {And thus We have made you a just nation} is an address to the entire Ummah: its first and its last, those of them who were present at the time of the verse’s revelation and those who came after them until the establishment of the Hour. This is just as His, the Exalted’s, statement: {Fasting is prescribed for you as it was prescribed for those before you} [Al-Baqarah: 183] and His statement: {Prescribed for you is retribution} [Al-Baqarah: 178] and similar verses are an address to the entire Ummah, just as the Prophet ﷺ was sent to all of it: those of them who were present in his era and those who came after him.
قالَ اللَّهُ تَعالى: ﴿إنّا أرْسَلْناكَ شاهِدًا ومُبَشِّرًا ونَذِيرًا﴾ [الأحزاب: ٤٥] ﴿وداعِيًا إلى اللَّهِ بِإذْنِهِ وسِراجًا مُنِيرًا﴾ [الأحزاب: ٤٦] وقالَ تَعالى: ﴿وما أرْسَلْناكَ إلا رَحْمَةً لِلْعالَمِينَ﴾ [الأنبياء: ١٠٧] وما أحْسِبُ مُسْلِمًا يَسْتَجِيزُ إطْلاقَ القَوْلِ بِأنَّ النَّبِيَّ ﷺ لَمْ يَكُنْ مَبْعُوثًا إلى جَمِيعِ الأُمَّةِ أوَّلِها وآخِرِها، وأنَّهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ حُجَّةً عَلَيْها وشاهِدًا، وأنَّهُ لَمْ يَكُنْ رَحْمَةً لِكافَّتِها.
Allah the Exalted said: {Indeed, We have sent you as a witness and a bringer of good tidings and a warner} [Al-Ahzab: 45] {And one who invites to Allah, by His permission, and an illuminating lamp} [Al-Ahzab: 46]. And the Exalted said: {And We have not sent you except as a mercy to the worlds} [Al-Anbiya: 107]. And I do not think any Muslim would permit the statement to be made that the Prophet ﷺ was not sent to the entire Ummah, its first and its last, and that he was not a proof and a witness against it, and that he was not a mercy for all of it.
فَإنْ قالَ قائِلٌ: لَمّا قالَ اللَّهُ تَعالى: ﴿وكَذَلِكَ جَعَلْناكم أُمَّةً وسَطًا﴾ واسْمُ الأُمَّةِ يَتَناوَلُ المَوْجُودِينَ في عَصْرِ النَّبِيِّ ﷺ ومَن جاءَ بَعْدَهم إلى قِيامِ السّاعَةِ، فَإنَّما حُكْمُ لِجَماعَتِها بِالعَدالَةِ وقَبُولِ الشَّهادَةِ، ولَيْسَ فِيهِ حُكْمٌ لِأهْلِ عَصْرٍ واحِدٍ بِالعَدالَةِ وقَبُولِ الشَّهادَةِ، فَمِن أيْنَ حَكَمْتَ لِأهْلِ كُلِّ عَصْرٍ بِالعَدالَةِ حَتّى جَعَلْتَهم حُجَّةً عَلى مَن بَعْدَهم ؟
If a speaker says: Since Allah the Exalted said: {And thus We have made you a just nation}, and the name “ummah” encompasses those present in the era of the Prophet ﷺ and those who come after them until the establishment of the Hour, then He has only ruled for the entirety of it to have justice and for its testimony to be accepted. There is no ruling in it for the people of a single era to have justice and for their testimony to be accepted. So from where have you ruled that the people of every era have justice, such that you made them a proof against those after them?
قِيلَ لَهُ: لَمّا جُعِلَ مَن حُكِمَ لَهُ بِالعَدالَةِ حُجَّةً عَلى غَيْرِهِ فِيما يُخْبِرُ بِهِ أوْ يَعْتَقِدُهُ مِن أحْكامِ اللَّهِ تَعالى، وكانَ مَعْلُومًا أنَّ ذَلِكَ صِفَةٌ قَدْ حَصَلَتْ لَهُ في الدُّنْيا وأخْبَرَ تَعالى بِأنَّهم شُهَداءُ عَلى النّاسِ، فَلَوِ اعْتُبِرَ أوَّلُ الأُمَّةِ وآخِرُها في كَوْنِها حُجَّةً لَهُ عَلَيْهِمْ، لَعَلِمْنا أنَّ المُرادَ أهْلُ كُلِّ عَصْرٍ؛ لِأنَّ أهْلَ كُلِّ عَصْرٍ يَجُوزُ أنْ يُسَمَّوْا أُمَّةً؛ إذْ كانَتِ الأُمَّةُ اسْمًا لِلْجَماعَةِ الَّتِي تَؤُمُّ جِهَةً واحِدَةً، وأهْلُ كُلِّ عَصْرٍ عَلى حِيالِهِمْ يَتَناوَلُهم هَذا الِاسْمُ، ولَيْسَ يَمْنَعُ إطْلاقَ لَفْظِ الأُمَّةِ والمُرادُ أهْلُ عَصْرٍ، ألا تَرى أنَّكَ تَقُولُ أجْمَعَتِ الأُمَّةِ عَلى تَحْرِيمِ اللَّهِ تَعالى الأُمَّهاتِ والأخَواتِ، ونَقَلَتِ الأُمَّةُ القُرْآنَ.
It is said to him: Since whoever is ruled to have justice is made a proof against others in what he reports or believes of the rulings of Allah the Exalted, and it is known that this is a quality that he has obtained in this world, and He the Exalted informed that they are witnesses over the people; so if the first of the Ummah and its last were to be considered in its being a proof for Him against them, we would know that what is meant is the people of every era. This is because the people of every era may be called an ummah, since ummah is a name for a group that heads in a single direction, and the people of every era, on their own, are encompassed by this name. And it is not precluded to use the word ummah while meaning the people of an era. Do you not see that you say, “The Ummah has agreed upon Allah the Exalted’s prohibition of mothers and sisters,” and “The Ummah has transmitted the Quran”?
ويَكُونُ ذَلِكَ إطْلاقًا صَحِيحًا قَبْلَ أنْ يُوجَدَ آخِرُ القَوْمِ ؟ فَثَبَتَ بِذَلِكَ أنَّ مُرادَ اللَّهِ تَعالى بِذَلِكَ أهْلُ كُلِّ عَصْرٍ. وأيْضًا فَإنَّما قالَ اللَّهُ تَعالى: ﴿جَعَلْناكم أُمَّةً وسَطًا﴾ فَعَبَّرَ عَنْهم بِلَفْظٍ مُنَكَّرٍ حِينَ وصَفَهم بِهَذِهِ الصِّفَةِ وجَعْلَهم حُجَّةً، وهَذا يَقْتَضِي أهْلَ كُلِّ عَصْرٍ؛ إذْ كانَ قَوْلُهُ: ﴿جَعَلْناكُمْ﴾ خِطابًا لِلْجَمِيعِ، والصِّفَةُ لاحِقَةٌ بِكُلِّ أُمَّةٍ مِنَ المُخاطَبِينَ.
And is that not a correct usage before the last of the people has come into existence? So it is established by this that the intent of Allah the Exalted by that is the people of every era. Also, Allah the Exalted only said: {We have made you a just nation (ummatan wasaṭan)}, so He expressed it with an indefinite noun when He described them with this quality and made them a proof. And this necessitates the people of every era, since His statement: {We have made you} is an address to all, and the quality applies to every ummah from among those addressed.
ألا تَرى إلى قَوْلِهِ: ﴿ومِن قَوْمِ مُوسى أُمَّةٌ يَهْدُونَ بِالحَقِّ﴾ [الأعراف: ١٥٩] وجَمِيعُ قَوْمِ مُوسى أُمَّةٌ لَهُ وسَمّى بَعْضَهم عَلى الِانْفِرادِ أُمَّةً لِما وصَفَهم بِما وصَفَهم بِهِ ؟ فَثَبَتَ بِذَلِكَ أنَّ أهْلَ كُلِّ عَصْرٍ جائِزٌ أنْ يُسَمَّوْا أُمَّةً وإنْ كانَ الِاسْمُ قَدْ يَلْحَقُ أوَّلَ الأُمَّةِ وآخِرَها وفي الآيَةِ دَلالَةٌ عَلى أنَّ مَن ظَهَرَ كُفْرُهُ نَحْوُ المُشَبِّهَةِ بِهِ ؟ ومَن صَرَّحَ بِالجَبْرِ وعُرِفَ ذَلِكَ مِنهُ، لا يُعْتَدُّ بِهِ في الإجْماعِ. وكَذَلِكَ مَن ظَهَرَ فِسْقُهُ لا يُعْتَدُّ بِهِ في الإجْماعِ، مِن نَحْوِ الخَوارِجِ والرَّوافِضِ.
Do you not see His statement: {And among the people of Moses is a community (ummah) which guides by truth} [Al-A’raf: 159]? And all of the people of Moses are an ummah for him, yet He called some of them individually an ummah due to the description with which He described them. So it is established by this that the people of every era may be called an ummah, even if the name may apply to the first of the Ummah and its last. And in the verse is an indication that whoever’s disbelief has become apparent, such as the anthropomorphists, and whoever openly professes fatalism (jabr) and is known for that, is not counted in the consensus. And likewise, whoever’s immorality (fisq) has become apparent is not counted in the consensus, such as the Khawarij and the Rawafid.
وسَواءٌ مَن فَسَقَ مِن طَرِيقِ الفِعْلِ أوْ مِن طَرِيقِ الِاعْتِقادِ؛ لِأنَّ اللَّهَ تَعالى إنَّما جَعَلَ الشُّهَداءَ مَن وصَفَهم بِالعَدالَةِ والخَيْرِ، وهَذِهِ الصِّفَةُ لا تَلْحَقُ الكُفّارَ ولا الفُسّاقَ. ولا يَخْتَلِفُ في ذَلِكَ حُكْمُ مَن فَسَقَ أوْ كَفَرَ بِالتَّأْوِيلِ أوْ بِرَدِّ النَّصِّ؛ إذِ الجَمِيعُ شَمِلَهم صِفَةُ الذَّمِّ ولا يَلْحَقُهم صِفَةُ العَدالَةِ بِحالٍ واللَّهُ أعْلَمُ.
And it is the same whether one became immoral by way of action or by way of belief, because Allah the Exalted only made those whom He described with justice and goodness to be the witnesses, and this quality does not apply to the disbelievers or the immoral. And the ruling does not differ in that regard for one who became immoral or disbelieved through interpretation or by rejecting a text, since the attribute of blame encompasses all of them, and the attribute of justice does not apply to them in any state. And Allah knows best.
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