1 . أَخْبَرَنَا أَحْمَدُ بْنُ عَبْدِ الرَّحْمَنِ الطَّالَقَانِيُّ، قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ الْمَنْصُورَ الْهَاشِمِيَّ الْخُرَاسَانِيَّ عَنِ الْوِلَايَةِ فَقَالَ: هِيَ الْأَمْرُ وَالنَّهْيُ، لَا يَكُونَانِ إِلَّا لِلَّهِ، فَمَنْ يَأْمُرْ مِنْ دُونِهِ وَيَنْهَ فَلَيْسَ لَهُ طَاعَةٌ، وَمَنْ يُطِعْهُ فَإِنَّمَا عَبَدَ الطَّاغُوتَ، أُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْكَافِرُونَ! ثُمَّ قَرَأَ: ﴿اللَّهُ وَلِيُّ الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا يُخْرِجُهُمْ مِنَ الظُّلُمَاتِ إِلَى النُّورِ ۖ وَالَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا أَوْلِيَاؤُهُمُ الطَّاغُوتُ يُخْرِجُونَهُمْ مِنَ النُّورِ إِلَى الظُّلُمَاتِ ۗ أُولَئِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ ۖ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ﴾![1] ثُمَّ قَالَ: مَنِ اتَّخَذَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ وَلِيًّا فَهُوَ كَافِرٌ، وَإِنْ زَعَمَ أَنَّهُ مُسْلِمٌ!
Translation of the saying:
Ahmad ibn Abd al-Rahman al-Talaqani informed us, he said: I asked Mansoor Hashemi Khorasani about guardianship, so he said: “It is command and prohibition that belong to none but Allah. So whoever commands and prohibits besides Him, there is no obedience for him, and whoever obeys him has worshiped taghut, and they are indeed disbelievers!” Then he recited this verse: “Allah is the Guardian of those who have believed; He brings them out of darkness into light, and those who have disbelieved, their guardians are taghut; they bring them out of light into darkness; they are the companions of the fire, and there they will remain forever!” Then he said: “Whoever takes a guardian besides Allah is a disbeliever, even if he claims to be a Muslim!”
2 . أَخْبَرَنَا عَبْدُ اللَّهِ بْنُ حَبِيبٍ الطَّبَرِيُّ، قَالَ: سَأَلْتُ الْعَالِمَ عَنْ قَوْلِ اللَّهِ تَعَالَى: ﴿وَقُلْنَا يَا آدَمُ اسْكُنْ أَنْتَ وَزَوْجُكَ الْجَنَّةَ وَكُلَا مِنْهَا رَغَدًا حَيْثُ شِئْتُمَا وَلَا تَقْرَبَا هَذِهِ الشَّجَرَةَ فَتَكُونَا مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ﴾[2] مَا كَانَتِ الشَّجَرَةُ؟ قَالَ: كَانَتِ الْأَمَانَةَ، فَرَءآنِي أَنْظُرُ إِلَيْهِ، فَقَالَ: أَمَا سَمِعْتَ قَوْلَهُ تَعَالَى: ﴿إِنَّا عَرَضْنَا الْأَمَانَةَ عَلَى السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَالْجِبَالِ فَأَبَيْنَ أَنْ يَحْمِلْنَهَا وَأَشْفَقْنَ مِنْهَا وَحَمَلَهَا الْإِنْسَانُ ۖ إِنَّهُ كَانَ ظَلُومًا جَهُولًا﴾[3]؟! قُلْتُ: إِنَّهُمْ يَقُولُونَ إِنَّهَا كَانَتِ التُّفَّاحَ! قَالَ: يَا عَبْدَ اللَّهِ! إِنَّ ثِمَارَ الْجَنَّةِ لَيْسَتْ كَثِمَارِ الدُّنْيَا، إِنَّهَا الْعِلْمُ، وَإِنْ كَانَتِ التُّفَّاحَ! قُلْتُ: وَمَا الْأَمَانَةُ؟! قَالَ: الْوِلَايَةُ، فَلَا تَقْرَبُوا الْوِلَايَةَ فَتَكُونُوا مِنَ الظَّالِمِينَ!
Translation of the saying:
Abdullah ibn Habib al-Tabari informed us, he said: I asked the scholar (i.e., Mansoor) about the words of Allah Almighty: “And We said: ‘O Adam! Dwell, you and your wife, in Heaven and eat freely from it wherever you want, but do not approach this tree or you will be among the wrongdoers,’” what was that tree? He said: “It was the trust!” Then he saw me looking at him (in astonishment), so he said: “Have you not heard His words: ‘Indeed, We offered the trust to the heavens, the earth, and the mountains, but they refused to bear it and feared it, and the human being bore it! Indeed, he is so unjust and ignorant’?!” I said: “They say it was an apple tree!” He said: “O Abdullah! The fruits of Heaven are not like the fruits of this world. It is knowledge, even if it is an apple!” I said: “Then what is the trust?” He said: “Guardianship! So do not approach guardianship or you will be among the wrongdoers!”
Explanation of the saying:
His Eminence’s intended meaning of “the guardianship belongs to Allah alone,” as explained in the topic “Sovereignty of other than Allah” from the book Return to Islam, is that the right to command and prohibit belongs to Allah alone, and no one has the right to command and prohibit unless Allah has given it to him. Therefore, the command and prohibition of one to whom Allah has given the right to command and prohibit is the guardianship of Allah, and accepting it is considered as faith, and the command and prohibition of one to whom Allah has not given the right to command and prohibit is the guardianship of other than Allah, and accepting it is considered as polytheism and an example of worshipping taghut, and all corruption stems from it; to the extent that it has been stated in another word of wisdom from His Eminence:
3 . أَخْبَرَنَا ذَاكِرُ بْنُ مَعْرُوفٍ الْخُرَاسَانِيُّ، قَالَ: سَمِعْتُ الْمَنْصُورَ يَقُولُ: لَوْ خَرَّتِ السَّمَاءُ عَلَى الْأَرْضِ خَيْرٌ مِنْ أَنْ يَلِيَ النَّاسَ مَنْ لَمْ يُوَلِّهِ اللَّهُ!
Translation of the saying:
Zakir ibn Ma‘roof al-Khorasani informed us, he said: I heard Mansoor say: “If the sky collapses upon the earth, it is better than a man assuming guardianship over people that Allah has not given guardianship to him!”