Al-Sharḥ al-Mumtiʿ - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (7/316)

Al-Sharḥ al-MumtiʿIbn al-'Uthaymin

his heart will not be tender and humble; rather, it will be hard despite his witnessing the آثار (traces) of punishment. Then he may be afflicted with what afflicted them: denying the truth and turning away. This is the meaning of the hadith. It does not mean that you will necessarily be struck by tangible torment or punishment; rather, what may be meant is spiritual torment and punishment: that a person’s heart becomes hardened, so that he denies the report and turns away from the command.

Those who go there for recreation or sightseeing are evidently closer to laughter than to weeping. We ask Allah to grant both us and them admonition and guidance.

Explaining the Prophet’s haste through the Valley of Muhassir on this basis is open to question, because the Companions of the Elephant were not destroyed here. Rather, they were destroyed at a place called al-Mughammis, around al-Abtah. The pre-Islamic poet said:

The elephant was held at al-Mughammis until
It remained crawling, as though broken.

Some scholars said that the Prophet, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, hastened because, in the Age of Ignorance, people would stand in this valley and recount the glories of their forefathers.

The Prophet, may Allah’s peace and blessings be upon him, therefore wished to differ from them, just as he differed from them in departing from Arafat and in departing from Muzdalifah. Perhaps this is the closest of the explanations. This is why Allah, Exalted is He, says:

“When you depart from Arafat, remember Allah at the Sacred Monument; and remember Him as He has guided you, for before that you were surely among those astray.” [al-Baqarah 2:198]

Then He says:

“When you have completed your rites, remember Allah as you remember your forefathers, or with even greater remembrance.”

His statement, “he hastened for the distance of a stone’s throw”: how is a stone’s throw to be measured? A stone may be large, so that when it is thrown it will not go far; and the thrower may be weak, so that when he throws a small stone it will not go far. But

فقلبه يكون غير لين خاشع، فيكون قاسياً مع مشاهدته آثار العذاب، وحينئذٍ يصيبه ما أصابهم من التكذيب والتولي، هذا معنى الحديث، وليس المراد أن يصيبكم العذاب الرجز الحسي، فقد يراد به العذاب والرجز المعنوي، وهو أن يقسو قلب الإنسان، فيكذب بالخبر، ويتولى عن الأمر. والذين يذهبون إلى النزهة أو للتفرج، الظاهر أنهم للضحك أقرب منهم للبكاء، فنسأل الله لنا ولهم العبرة والهداية. وتعليل إسراع النبي ﷺ في وادي محسر بذلك؛ فيه نظر لأن أصحاب الفيل لم يهلكوا هنا، بل في مكان يقال له المُغَمَّسُ حول الأبطح، وفي هذا يقول الشاعر الجاهلي: حبس الفيل بالمُغَمَّسِ حتى ظل يحبو كأنه مكسور وقال بعض العلماء: إن النبي ﷺ أسرع؛ لأنهم كانوا في الجاهلية يقفون في هذا الوادي، ويذكرون أمجاد آبائهم. فأراد النبي ﷺ أن يخالفهم، كما خالفهم في الخروج من عرفة وفي الخروج من مزدلفة، ولعل هذا أقرب التعاليل، ولهذا قال الله تعالى: ﴿فَإِذَا أَفَضْتُمْ مِنْ عَرَفَاتٍ فَاذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ عِنْدَ الْمَشْعَرِ الْحَرَامِ وَاذْكُرُوهُ كَمَا هَدَاكُمْ وَإِنْ كُنْتُمْ مِنْ قَبْلِهِ لَمِنَ الضَّآلِّينَ﴾ [البقرة: ١٩٨]، ثم قال: ﴿فَإِذَا قَضَيْتُمْ مَنَاسِكَكُمْ فَاذْكُرُوا اللَّهَ كَذِكْرِكُمْ آبَاءَكُمْ أَوْ أَشَدَّ ذِكْرًا﴾. وقوله: «أسرع رمية حجر»، رمية حجر كيف قياسها؟ لأن الحجر قد يكون كبيراً، فإذا رميت به لم يذهب بعيداً، وقد يكون الرامي ضعيفاً، فإذا رمى بالحجر الصغير لم يذهب بعيداً؛ ولكن