Al-Sharḥ al-Mumtiʿ - Ibn al-'Uthaymin - (3/147)

Al-Sharḥ al-MumtiʿIbn al-'Uthaymin

and exclusive right. Thus, none is entitled to all greetings without qualification except Allah, mighty and majestic is He.

No one besides Allah is to be greeted in an unrestricted sense. However, there is nothing wrong if one person greets another in a particular, limited sense.

For example, if you say, “You have my greetings,” “You have our greetings,” or “With greetings,” there is nothing wrong with this. Allah, Exalted is He, says: “When you are greeted with a greeting, return it with one better than it, or return it in like manner.” [al-Nisāʾ 4:86] But greetings in their general and complete sense belong to Allah alone, mighty and majestic is He.

If someone were to ask: “Does Allah need you to offer Him greetings?”

The answer is: No. Rather, He is worthy of veneration, so I venerate Him because I need to do so, not because He needs it. The benefit belongs to the servant. Allah, Exalted is He, says: “If you disbelieve, then indeed Allah is free of need of you. Yet He does not approve disbelief for His servants; and if you are grateful, He approves it for you.” [al-Zumar 39:7]

His statement, “and the prayers,” means: they are for Allah. This includes everything that is termed prayer, whether in the Sacred Law or in the linguistic sense. All prayers belong to Allah by right and by His sole entitlement; no one else deserves them, and they are not the right of anyone besides Allah, mighty and majestic is He. Likewise, supplication belongs by right and entitlement to Allah, mighty and majestic is He, as He says: “Your Lord has said, ‘Call upon Me; I will answer you. Indeed, those who are too proud to worship Me will enter Hell humbled.’” [Ghāfir 40:60] Thus, all prayers—the obligatory and the voluntary—are for Allah, and all supplications are for Allah.

His statement, “and all pure things.” Pure things have two meanings:

The first meaning is that which pertains to Allah.

The second meaning is that which pertains to the actions of His servants.

والاختصاص؛ فلا يستحقُّ التَّحيَّات على الإطلاق إلا الله ﷿. ولا أحد يُحَيَّا على الإطلاق إلا الله، وأمَّا إذا حَيَّا إنسانٌ إنساناً على سبيل الخصوص فلا بأس به. لو قلت مثلاً: لك تحيَّاتي، أو لك تحيَّاتُنَا، أو مع التحيَّة، فلا بأس بذلك، قال الله تعالى: ﴿وَإِذَا حُيِّيتُمْ بِتَحِيَّةٍ فَحَيُّوا بِأَحْسَنَ مِنْهَا أَوْ رُدُّوهَا﴾ الآية [النساء: ٨٦] لكن التَّحيَّات على سبيل العموم والكمال لا تكون إلا لله ﷿. فإذا قال قائل: هل اللَّهُ بحاجة إلى أن تحييه؟ فالجواب: كلاَّ؛ لكنه أهْلٌ للتعظيم، فأعظِّمه لحاجتي لذلك لا لحاجته لذلك، والمصلحة للعبد قال تعالى: ﴿إِنْ تَكْفُرُوا فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَنِيٌّ عَنْكُمْ وَلَا يَرْضَى لِعِبَادِهِ الْكُفْرَ وَإِنْ تَشْكُرُوا يَرْضَهُ لَكُمْ﴾ [الزمر: ٧]. قوله: «والصلوات» أي: لله، وهو شاملٌ لكلِّ ما يُطلق عليه صلاة شرعاً أو لُغةً، فالصَّلوات كلُّها لله حقًّا واستحقاقاً، لا أحد يستحقُّها؛ وليست حقًّا لأحد سوى الله ﷿، والدُّعاءُ أيضاً حقٌّ واستحقاق لله ﷿ كما قال تعالى: ﴿وَقَالَ رَبُّكُمُ ادْعُونِي أَسْتَجِبْ لَكُمْ إِنَّ الَّذِينَ يَسْتَكْبِرُونَ عَنْ عِبَادَتِي سَيَدْخُلُونَ جَهَنَّمَ دَاخِرِينَ *﴾ [غافر] فكلُّ الصلوات فرضُها ونفلُها لله، وكُلُّ الأدعية لله. قوله: «والطيبات». الطيبات لها معنيان: المعنى الأول: ما يتعلَّق بالله. المعنى الثاني: ما يتعلَّق بأفعال العباد.