Tafsir Asma Allah al-Husna li-al-Sadi - Abd al-Rahman al-Sadi’ - (193)

Tafsir Asma Allah al-Husna li-al-SadiAbd al-Rahman al-Sadi’

His servant when he stretches out his hand to Him, feeling shy to turn it away empty.’ 1.

Such are His mercy, generosity, perfection, and forbearance: a servant openly commits sins despite his desperate need of Him; indeed, he cannot even sin without drawing strength from his Lord’s blessings. Yet the Lord, though utterly free of need of all creation, is too generous to expose him, disgrace him, or inflict punishment upon him. Instead, He conceals his faults through the abundant means of concealment He provides, pardons him, and forgives him. He endears Himself to His servants through blessings, while they make themselves hateful to Him through sins. His goodness reaches them at every moment, while their evil rises to Him.

The noble angel continually ascends to Him bearing their sins and every vile deed. He, Most High, feels shy to punish someone who has grown old in Islam, or to turn away empty the hands of someone who stretches them out to Him. He invites His servants to supplicate to Him and promises to answer them.

He is the Modest, the Concealer: He loves those who are modest and conceal faults. Whoever conceals a Muslim’s faults, Allah will conceal his faults in this world and the Hereafter. Thus, He dislikes His servant publicizing a sin he has committed. Rather, the servant should repent to Him privately and not disclose it to people. Among those most hateful to Him is someone who spends the night sinning while Allah conceals him, then reveals in the morning what Allah had concealed2.

Allah Most High says:

‘Indeed, those who love to see immorality spread among the believers will have a painful punishment in

(1) Reported by Abū Dāwūd (2:165), Book of Prayer, chapter on supplication; al-Tirmidhī (5:557), Book of Supplications; and Ibn Mājah (2:1271), Book of Supplication, chapter on raising the hands in supplication, from Salmān al-Fārisī. Al-Albānī graded it authentic. See Sahīh al-Tirmidhī (3:179, hadith 3809). (2) This conveys the meaning of what Muslim reported in his Sahīh (4:2291), Book of Asceticism, chapter on the prohibition of exposing one’s own faults. Its wording, narrated from Abū Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him), is: “I heard the Messenger of Allah (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) say: ‘All of my community will be pardoned except those who publicize their sins. One form of publicizing sins is for a servant to commit a deed at night, then, when morning comes—although his Lord has concealed it—to say: “So-and-so, I did such-and-such last night.” His Lord had concealed him through the night; he spends the night with his Lord concealing him, yet in the morning he reveals what Allah has concealed about him.’”

عبده إذا مد يده إليه أن يردها صفراً" ١. وهذا من رحمته، وكرمه، وكماله، وحلمه أن العبد يجاهر بالمعاصي مع فقره الشديد إليه، حتى أنه لا يمكنه أن يعصى إلا أن يتقوى عليها بنعم ربه، والرب مع كمال غناه عن الخلق كلهم من كرمه يستحي من هتكه، وفضيحته، وإحلال العقوبة به، فيستره بما يفيض له من أسباب الستر، ويعفو عنه، ويغفر له، فهو يتحبب إلى عباده بالنعم وهم يتبغضون إليه بالمعاصي، خيره إليهم بعدد اللحظات، وشرهم إليه صاعد. ولا يزال الملك الكريم يصعد إليه منهم بالمعاصي، وكل قبيح، ويستحي تعالى ممن شاب في الإسلام أن يعذبه، وممن يمد يديه إليه أن يردهما صفراً، ويدعو عباده إلى دعائه، ويعدهم بالإجابة. وهو الحيي الستير: يحب أهل الحياء، والستر، ومن ستر مسلما ستر الله عليه في الدنيا، والآخرة، ولهذا يكره من عبده إذا فعل معصية أن يذيعها، بل يتوب إليه فيما بينه وبينه ولا يظهرها للناس، وإن من أمقت الناس إليه من بات عاصياً، والله يستره فيصبح يكشف ستر الله عليه٢. وقال تعالى: ﴿إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يُحِبُّونَ أَنْ تَشِيعَ الْفَاحِشَةُ فِي الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا لَهُمْ عَذَابٌ أَلِيمٌ فِي

١ أخرجه أبو داود (٢/ ١٦٥) كتاب الصلاة باب الدعاء، والترمذي (٥/ ٥٥٧) كتاب الدعوات، وابن ماجه (٢/ ١٢٧١) كتاب الدعاء باب رفع اليدين في الدعاء من حديث سلمان الفارسي، وصححه الألباني. انظر: صحيح الترمذي (٣/ ١٧٩ ح ٣٨٠٩). ٢ هذا بمعنى ما أخرجه مسلم في صحيحه (٤/ ٢٢٩١) كتاب الزهد باب النهي عن هتك الإنسان ستر نفسه، ولفظه عن أبي هريرة ﵁ قال: سمعت رسول الله ﷺ يقول: "كل أمتي معافاة إلا المجاهرين، وإن من الإجهار أن يعمل العبد بالليل عملاً ثم يصبح قد ستره ربه، فيقول يا فلان قد عملت البارحة كذا وكذا، وقد بات يستره ربه، فيبيت يستره ربه، ويصبح يكشف ستر الله عنه".