Ali Ibn Abi Talib - Volume 1 of 2

'AZi ibn Abi TiiZib 207
the R%fi(lis that the Messenger of Allah (g) did not write that
document before he died, so we know that it was not part of the
religion that he was commanded to convey, because of the evidence
in the Qur'an which indicates that Allah (,) had completed the
religion for him and his Ummah. Before that, during the farewell
pilgrimage, the words, 4This day, I have perfected your religion for
you, completed My favour upon you, and have chosen for yon Islam
as your religion,) (Qur'an 5: 3) had been revealed.
Ihn Taymiyah said: "Writing the document was not something that
Allah (s) had enjoined upon him to write or convey at that time,
because if that were the case, he (g) would not have ignored what
AUah had commanded him to do. Rather that was something that he
saw fit to do, so as to ward off dispute concerning the caliphate of
Abn Bakr, as he thought that disputes would inevitably arise."537
Elsewhere, he said: "As for the story of the document that the
Messenger of Allah (g) wanted to write, that was explained as is
narrated in Bukhari and Muslim from 'A'ishah (I&,), who said: The
Messenger of Allah (g) said when he was sick: "d&l your father and
your brother for me, so that I may write a document, for I fear that
someone might wish (for succession) and say 'I am more entitled to
it,' when AUah and the believers will not accept anyhody hut Ahu
B*,m538
Then after quoting the reports of the hadith, Ibn Taymiyah
said: "The Prophet (g) had decided to write the document that he
mentioned to 'kishah (I&,), hut when he saw that confusion had
arisen, he realised that whting the document would not dispel the
confusion, so there was no benefit in writing it. He also realised that
Allah (B) would unite them on what he intended, as he said: "AUah
and the believers will not accept anyhody but Abu ~ a k r . " ~ ~ ~
As for the words in the hadith, "you will never go astray after I
am gone," ad-Dahlawi said in his interpretation of the hadith: "If it is
said: if what he intended to write was not about religious affairs, why