Al-Uqud al-Durriyya - Ibn Abd al-Hadi - (الكتاب/314)

Should you ever be tried by the ignoble of mankind—an age that has betrayed the people of virtue exalting them over you (1)—
I swear, and Islam is my creed, for I am indeed among the people of true faith:
never before have I met a man whose very presence delighted me; may you never cease, in the eye of glory, to be the consummate man.

There are many other verses besides these in which he praises the Shaykh and censures his opponents.
***
On Friday the Shaykh prayed in the Ḥākim Mosque. After the prayer he sat, and a great multitude gathered around him. Some of them asked him to say something they could hear directly from him, but he did not comply; instead, he smiled and looked to his right and left.

One man said to him, “Allah says in His Noble Book: ‘And when Allah took the covenant of those who had been given the Scripture: You must make it clear to the people and not conceal it’ (Āl ʿImrān 3:187).” At this the Shaykh rose to his feet (2), began with the “Sermon of Need” taught by Ibn Masʿūd, sought refuge with Allah from Satan the accursed, and recited: “In the name of Allah, the Most Merciful, the Most Compassionate. Praise belongs to Allah, Lord of all worlds…” (al-Fātiḥah 1–2) (3) to the end of the surah.

He then commented on the verse, “You alone we worship and You alone we ask for help” (al-Fātiḥah 5), explaining the meaning of worship and of seeking assistance, until the muʾadhdhin gave the call for the ʿAṣr prayer.

(1) MSS K and H read: “dahra ʿalayk.” (2) MSS F and K read: “fa nahaḍa al-shaykh” (then the shaykh rose). (3) MS K adds the words “al-Rahman al-Rahim” (the Most Merciful, the Compassionate), while MS T continues the surah to its end.

إن تُبْتلى بلئام الناس يرفَعُهم ... عليك دهر (١) لأهل الفضلِ قد خانا إني لأقسم والإسلامُ مُعْتقدي ... وإنني من ذوي الإيمان أيمانا: لم ألقَ قبلك إنسانًا أُسرُّ به ... فلا بَرِحْتَ لعين المجد إنسانا في أبيات كثيرة غير هذه يمدح فيها الشيخ ويذمُّ أعداءه. *** وفي يوم الجمعة صلّى الشيخ في جامع الحاكم، وجلس فاجتمع إليه خلقٌ عظيم. وسأله بعضُهم أن يتكلَّمَ بشيء يسمعونه منه، فلم يجبهم إلى ذلك، بل كان يتبسَّم وينظر يَمْنهً ويَسْرةً. فقال له رجل: قال الله في كتابه الكريم: ﴿وَإِذْ أَخَذَ اللَّهُ مِيثَاقَ الَّذِينَ أُوتُوا الْكِتَابَ لَتُبَيِّنُنَّهُ لِلنَّاسِ وَلَا تَكْتُمُونَهُ﴾ [آل عمران: ١٨٧]، فنهضَ (٢) قائمًا، وابتدأ بخطبة الحاجة ــ خطبة ابن مسعود ــ ثم استعاذ بالله من الشيطان الرجيم، وقرأ: ﴿بِسْمِ اللَّهِ الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ (١) الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ ... ﴾ [الفاتحة: ١ - ٢] (٣) إلى آخرها. وتكلَّم على تفسير قوله: ﴿إِيَّاكَ نَعْبُدُ وَإِيَّاكَ نَسْتَعِينُ﴾ [الفاتحة: ٥] وفي معنى العبادة والاستعانة، إلى أن أذَّنَ مؤذِّن العصر.

(١) (ك، ح): «دهر عليك». (٢) (ف، ك): «فنهض الشيخ». (٣) (ك) زيادة: ﴿الرَّحْمَنِ الرَّحِيمِ﴾، و (ط) أكمل السورة إلى آخرها.