Question:

An Omari claimed that At-Tusi wrote in his talkhis aschafi 2/372 that the prophet did not leave a successor behind, is this true?

Answer:
Yes, Talkhis-ush-Shafi is the book of a Shiite author, Muhammad Ibn Hasan At-Tusi († 1067). However, this is not on page 372 but on page 236. It is a Sunni quotation which is refuted.

Muhammad Ibn Hasan At-Tusi writes:

فإن قيل: كيف تستدلون على أنه استخلفه بعد الوفاة بما ذكرتموه وقد روي عن أبي وابل والحكيم عن علي بن أبي طالب أنه قيل له: ألا توصي قال: ما أوصى رسول الله فأوصي ولكن إن أراد الله خيرا فجمعهم على خيرهم بعد نبيهم وروى صعصعة بن صوحان أن ابن ملجم لعنه الله لما ضرب عليا دخلنا إليه فقلنا: يا أمير المؤمنين استخلف علينا قال: لا فإنا دخلنا على رسول الله حين ثقل فقلنا: يا رسول الله استخلف علينا فقال: لا إني أخاف أن تتفرقوا كما تفرقت بنو إسرائيل عن هارون ولكن إن يعلم الله في قلوبكم خيرا اختار لكم. قيل له: أول ما نقول إن هذين الخبرين وما جرى مجراهما أخبار آحاد لا تعارض ما هو مقطوع على صحته ومتفق على نقله وقد دللنا على ثبوت النص على أمير المؤمنين من الكتاب والسنة المتفق على نقلها ولا يجوز أن يعارض ذلك بمثل هذه الأخبار الضعيفة التي يريها قوم ويدفعها الأكثر

“Now when it is said: ‘How do you deduce by what you mentioned that he appointed him as his successor after death, while it was narrated by Abu Wabil and Al-Hakim that they said to Ali Ibn Abi Talib: “Do you not authorize?” Whereupon he said: “The Messenger of God did not authorize, so that I do authorize, but when God wanted good things, He let them agree on the best of them after their Prophet.” And Sa’sa’ah Ibn Suhan narrated that when Ibn Muljam, May God curse him, struck Ali, we went in to him and said: “O commander of the believers, appoint for us a successor.” He said: “No, for we entered to the messenger of God when he was distressed. So we said: O messenger of God, appoint us a successor.” Then he said: “No, I fear that you will be divided, as the children of Israel were divided over Aaron. But if God knows good in your hearts, He has chosen for you.” So he is replied: “First of all, we say that these two reports, and what is reproduced in the same sense as these two, are isolated (Ahad), which can do nothing against what is certain about its authenticity and about what is transmitted, and we have shown that the appointment of the commander of the believers is proven from the scripture (Qur’an) and the customs (Sunnah), which are agreed upon and it is not possible to contradict that with weak reports like these that people narrate while the majority rejects them.“ [Talkhis-ush-Shafi, Volume 2, Page 236 – 237]

على أن في الخبر المروي عن أمير المؤمنين لما قيل له: ألا توصي فقال ما أوصى رسول الله فأوصي ولكن إن اراد الله بالناس خيرا استجمعهم على خيرهم كما جمعهم بعد نبيهم على خيرهم فمتضمن لما يكاد يعلم بطلانه ضرورة لأن فيه التصريح القوي بفضل أبي بكر عليه وأنه خير منه والظاهر من أحوال أمير المؤمنين والمشهور من أقواله وأحواله جملة وتفصيلا يقتضي أنه كان يقدم نفسه على أبي بكر وغيره وقد بيناه في باب كونه أفضل وأنه ما كان يعترف لأحد بالتقدم عليه ومن تصفح الأخبار والسير ولم تمل به العصبية والهوى يعلم هذا من حاله على وجه لا يدخل فيه شك ولا اعتبار بمن دفع ذلك لأنه بين أمرين: إما أن يكون عاميا مقلدا لم يتصفح الأخبار والسير وما روي من أقواله وأحواله ولم يختلط بأهل النقل فلا يعلم ذلك أو يكون متأملا متصفحا إلا أن العصية قد استولت عليه والهوى قد ملكه واسترقه فهو يدفع ذلك عنادا وإلا فالشبهة مع الإنصاف في هذا زائلة

“Whereby for the report, which was narrated by the commander of the believers (a.), that when one said to him: “Do you not authorize”, whereby he said: “The messenger of God did not authorize, so that I do authorize, but if God wanted good things, he let them agree on the best of them, as they agreed on the best of them after their prophets” little is missing in terms of content to necessarily recognize its falseness, for in it the advantage of Abu Bakr over him is very clear, and that he is better than him, and the apparent from the stances of the commander of the believers (a. ) and the widespread spread of his statements and positions shows by large and whole, that he considered himself better than Abu Bakr and others besides him, and we have made it clear in the chapter that he is more excellent and that he conceded to no one, to be better than him, and he who fathomed the reports and histories and who was not overcome by fanaticism and lust,he recognized this by his position and in a manner that leaves no doubt about it, and no attention is to be paid to him who rejects this, for he stands between two things: Either he is an imitating layman who has not fathomed the reports and histories and what has been narrated of his statements and positions and has not had dealings with the traditionalists, so that he does not recognize this, or he is an investigative thinker, but fanaticism has gained the upper hand over him and lust has dominated him and taken possession of him, and if not, the wrong conclusion about it is temporary if one is just.” [Talkhis-ush-Shafi, Volume 2, Page 237]

على أن هذا لا يجوز أن يقول من دل الدليل على أنه أفضل بالأدلة الواضحة وقد آمننا من أخباره على خلاف ما هو به عصمته اللهم إلا أن يكون قال ذلك على وجه التقية والاستصلاح فإن كان كذلك فلا حجة في الخبر على وجه على أن هذا الأخبار معارضة بما رواها الشيعة من جهات مختلفة وطرق متباينة بأنه وصى إلى ابنه الحسن وأشار إليه واستخلفه وأرشد إلى طاعته من بعده وهي أكثر من أن تحصى

“Whereby it is out of the question for the one to whom clear indications have been given that he is more excellent, and he assured us from his reports against what is in conflict with his infallibility.Unless he said this in the form of caution (Taqiyyah) and the circumstance made it necessary. If this is the case, then there is absolutely no argument in the report, although these reports contradict what the Shiites have reported through different directions and different ways, namely that he authorized his son Hasan (a.), named him, appointed him as his successor and drew attention to the obedience to him after him, and they are more than you can count.” [Talkhis-ush-Shafi, Volume 2, Page 237]

منها ما رواه أبو الجارود عن أبي جعفر عليه السلام أن أمير المؤمنين لما أحضره الذي حضره قال لابنه الحسن: ادن مني حتى أسر إليك ما أسر إلي رسول الله وائتمنك على ما ائتمنني عليه وروى حماد بن عيسى عن عمرو بن شمر عن جابر عن أبي جعفر عليه السلام أنه قال: أوصى أمير المؤمنين إلى الحسن وأشهد على وصيته الحسين ومحمدا عليهما السلام وجميع ولده ورؤساء شيعته وأهل بيته ثم دفع إليه الكتب والسلاح في خبر طويل يتضمن الأمر بالوصية في واحد بعد واحد إلى أبي جعفر محمد بن علي بن الحسين عليهم السلام وأخبار وصية أمير المؤمنين إلى الحسن مشهورة معروفة في كتب الشيعة وذلك يدل على بطلان أخبار الآحاد التي عارضونا بها

“One of them is what Abu l-Jarud narrated from Abu Ja’far (Al-Baqir), namely, that when death approached the commanders of the believers (a.), he said to his son Hasan (a.): “Approach me so that I may tell you in confidence what the Messenger of God (s.) has told me in confidence and I will entrust you with what he has entrusted me with.” And Hammad Ibn Isa and Amr Ibn Shimr narrated from Jabir that Abu Ja’far (Al-Baqir) said: “The commander of the believers (a.) authorized Hasan (a.) and he made Husain, Muhammad, all his children, the heads of his followers and people of his house to be witnesses for his authority. Then he handed over the writings and the weapon to him.” In a long report, which contains the order of authority for one by one up to Abu Ja’far, Muhammad Ibn Ali Ibn Husain (Al-Baqir), and the reports of the authorization from the Commander of the Believers (a.) for Hasan (a.) are widely spread and known in the writings of the Shiites and this shows the falseness of the isolated (Ahad) reports with which they objected to us.” [Talkhis-ush-Shafi, Volume 2, Page 238]