Al-Sharḥ al-Mumtiʿ - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (5/248)

Al-Sharḥ al-MumtiʿIbn al-'Uthaymin

which is why the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, made it, together with testimony to Allah’s sole divinity, a single pillar. Thus, he should not be prompted again. The apparent meaning of the evidence is that it is not sufficient for the dying person to say, “I bear witness that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah”; rather, he must say, “There is no god but Allah.”

“He should not prompt him more than three times, unless he speaks afterward, in which case he prompts him again gently; and Surah Ya-Sin should be recited in his presence . . .”

His words, “He should not prompt him more than three times,” mean that he should not prompt him more than three times, for if he does so, the person may become irritated. He will say, “There is no god but Allah, there is no god but Allah, there is no god but Allah,” and then fall silent. If he repeats it further, the patient may become annoyed, because he is in a difficult state whose reality is known only to one who is in it. Moreover, it was generally the Prophet’s custom, peace and blessings be upon him, that when he spoke, he spoke three times; when he greeted someone, he greeted them three times; and when he sought permission, he sought it three times. Thus, three is a significant number in many matters.

His words, “unless he speaks afterward, in which case he prompts him again gently.”

The subject of “unless he speaks” is the dying patient. If he speaks after having said, “There is no god but Allah,” he should be prompted again, but gently, as before.

His words, “in which case he prompts him again,” are in the indicative, functioning as a new clause, because they cannot properly be coordinated with the preceding verb. Beginning a new clause with fa is common; an example is Allah’s saying:

“Whether you reveal what is within yourselves or conceal it, Allah will bring you to account for it, then forgive whom He wills.” [al-Baqarah 2:284]

The meaning would be unsound if we were to read “in which case he prompts him again” in the subjunctive, coordinated with “he speaks,” because the meaning would then be: “unless he speaks, then he prompts him again.” This is not what is intended. Rather, what is meant is: unless he speaks; then, if he speaks, he prompts him again gently.

His words, “and Surah Ya-Sin is recited in his presence,” mean that the reciter recites it in the presence of the dying person.

ولهذا جعلها النبي ﷺ مع الشهادة لله بالألوهية ركناً واحداً، فلا يعاد تلقينه، وظاهر الأدلة أنه لا يكفي قول المحتضَر: أشهد أن محمداً رسول الله، بل لا بد أن يقول: لا إله إلا الله. وَلَمْ يَزِدْ عَلَى ثَلَاثٍ إِلاَّ أَنْ يَتَكَلَّمَ بَعْدَهُ، فَيُعِيدُ تَلْقِينَهُ بِرِفْقٍ، وَيَقْرَأُ عِنْدَهُ «يَس» ...... قوله: «ولم يزد على ثلاث» أي: لم يلقنه أكثر من ثلاث؛ لأنه لو زاد على ذلك ضجر؛ لأنه سيقول: لا إله إلا الله، لا إله إلا الله، لا إله إلا الله، ثم يسكت، فلو كرر ربما يتضجر المريض؛ لأنه بحال صعبة لا يدركها إلا من كان على هذه الحال، ولأن من عادة النبي ﷺ غالباً أنه إذا تكلم تكلم ثلاثاً، وإذا سلم سلم ثلاثاً، وإذا استأذن استأذن ثلاثاً، فالثلاث عدد معتبر في كثير من الأشياء. قوله: «إلا أن يتكلم بعده فيعيد تلقينه برفق». «إلا أن يتكلم» الفاعل المريض المحتضَر، فإذا تكلم بعد أن قال: لا إله إلا الله فإنه يعيد تلقينه، لكن برفق كالأول. قوله: «فيعيدُ» بالرفع على الاستئناف؛ لأنها لا تصلح للعطف، والاستئناف بالفاء كثير، ومنه قوله ﵎: ﴿وَإِنْ تُبْدُوا مَا فِي أَنْفُسِكُمْ أَوْ تُخْفُوهُ يُحَاسِبْكُمْ بِهِ اللَّهُ فَيَغْفِرُ لِمَنْ يَشَاءُ﴾ [البقرة: ٢٨٤]. والمعنى يفسد فيما لو قلنا: «فيعيدَ» بالنصب عطفاً على «يتكلم»؛ لأن المعنى يكون إلا أن يتكلم فإنه يعيد، وهذا ليس هو المقصود؛ لأن المقصود إلا أن يتكلم فإذا تكلم أعاد تلقينه برفق. قوله: «ويقرأ عنده ﴿يس *﴾»، أي: يقرأ القارئ عند المحتضَر