Al-Uqud al-Durriyya - Ibn Abd al-Hadi - (الكتاب/209)

Al-Uqud al-DurriyyaIbn Abd al-Hadi

from death is like fleeing from the plague, and for that reason (1) the Prophet ﷺ said: “If it strikes a land while you are in it, do not leave, fleeing from it.” (2) And fleeing from being killed is just like fleeing from jihad.

The particle “lan” negates the verb with regard to the future, and the verb here is indefinite; an indefinite term in a context of negation includes every instance of it. This therefore means that flight from death or killing contains absolutely no benefit (3). Such is Allah’s truthful statement, and anyone who thinks there is benefit in it has belied Allah’s report.

Experience corroborates what the Quran affirms. Those who fled this year gained nothing by their flight; rather, they lost both religion and worldly life, and their calamities differed in degree. By contrast, the steadfast sentries on the frontier profited in both religion and worldly life. Indeed, the very death from which the deserters fled became frequent among them and scarce among those who stayed; with their flight, whoever Allah willed died. As for those who pursued the enemy and retaliated against them, not one of them died or was killed. From the moment the deserters left, deaths in the town (4) became exceedingly rare (5). Such has always been—and still is—the established way (sunnah) of Allah.

Then the Most High said: “and even then you would enjoy it only for a little while.” That is, if flight could benefit you at all, it would grant you only a brief life before you died, for death is inescapable.

It is related that one fool remarked, “Then we want that little!”

(1) Mss. F and Q read wa kadhalika ("and likewise"). (2) Reported by al-Bukhari, no. 5729, and Muslim, no. 2219, on the authority of Ibn Abbas. (3) The margin of Ms. K notes the variant yanfa'uhu ("benefits him"). (4) Ms. K reads: bal al-mawtu qalla fi al-balad ("rather, deaths have become few in the town"), whereas Ms. F reads: bal al-mawtu jiddan bi-l-balad ("rather, deaths are very many in the town"). (5) The base manuscript mistakenly reads al-ghazun.

من الموت كالفرار من الطاعون، ولذلك (١) قال النبي ﷺ : «إذا وقع بأرضٍ وأنتم بها فلا تخرجوا فرارًا منه» (٢). والفرارُ من القتل كالفرار من الجهاد. وحرف «لن» ينفي الفعل في الزمن المستقبل، والفعلُ نكرة، والنكرةُ في سياق النفي تعمُّ جميع أفرادها، فاقتضى ذلك: أنّ الفرار من الموت أو القتل ليس فيه منفعة (٣) أبدًا. وهذا خبر الله الصادق، فمن اعتقد أنّ ذلك منفعة فقد كذَّبَ الله في خبره. * والتَّجربة تدلُّ على مثل ما دلّ عليه القرآن، فإنَّ هؤلاء الذين فرُّوا في هذا العام لم ينفعهم فرارُهم، بل خسروا الدِّين والدنيا، وتفاوتوا في المصائب. والمرابطون الثابتون نفعهم ذلك في الدِّين والدنيا، حتَّى الموت الذي فرُّوا منه كَثُرَ فيهم، وقلَّ في المقيمين، فمات مع الهرب مَن شاء الله. والطالبون للعدوِّ والمعاقبون لهم لم يمت منهم أحد ولا قُتِل، قلَّ الموتُ جدًّا في البلد (٤) من حين خرج الفارُّون (٥). وهكذا سُنَّة الله قديمًا وحديثًا. ثم قال تعالى: ﴿وَإِذًا لَا تُمَتَّعُونَ إِلَّا قَلِيلًا﴾، يقول: لو كان الفرار ينفعكم لم ينفعكم إلا حياةً قليلة ثم تموتون، فإنّ الموت لا بُدَّ منه. وقد حُكِيَ عن بعض الحمقى أنَّه قال: فنحن نريد ذلك القليل!

(١) (ف، ق): «وكذلك». (٢) أخرجه البخاري (٥٧٢٩)، ومسلم (٢٢١٩) من حديث ابن عباس ﵄. (٣) في هامش (ك): نسخة «ينفعه». (٤) (ك): «بل الموت قل في البلد»، و (ف): «بل الموت جدًّا بالبلد». (٥) الأصل: «الغازون» خطأ.