Qāʿidah fī al-Tawḥīd wa-al-Ikhlāṣ - Ibn Taimiya - (89)

Qāʿidah fī al-Tawḥīd wa-al-IkhlāṣIbn Taimiya

and by virtue of that fact it belongs entirely to its Creator and Originator, for it cannot exist without Him. People differ only in the extent to which they perceive this poverty and helplessness, or in how far that perception is absent from their hearts, prompting them to surrender and submit to the One to whom they stand in need—your Lord and God.

Allah the Exalted says: “Do they seek a religion other than Allah’s, while to Him has submitted everyone in the heavens and on earth, willingly or unwillingly, and to Him they will all return?” (Āl ʿImrān 3:83).

The great majority of the early scholars understood this “submission” to mean their yielding to Him in humility and lowliness, not merely that He controls their affairs, as in His statement: “To Allah prostrates all who are in the heavens and on the earth, willingly or unwillingly” (Ar-Raʿd 13:15).

Such humility and abasement are likewise indispensable for every servant; even though at times he may turn away from his Lord in arrogance, in the end he must inevitably humble himself before Him.

Both the knowledge of this truth and acting upon it are innate and necessary. Souls recognize their poverty before their Creator and humble themselves to the One on whom they depend, whereas His wealth consists in the exclusive ṣamadīyyah (absolute self-sufficiency) that is His alone: “All who are in the heavens and on the earth ask of Him” (Ar-Raḥmān 55:29). This constitutes bearing witness to His Lordship through seeking His help, relying on Him, supplicating, and entreating Him. Yet the soul is not satisfied until it also learns what will set it right in both knowledge and action, and that is His worship and turning back to Him, for the servant was created only to worship his Lord. His welfare, perfection, delight, joy, and happiness lie in worshipping his Lord and returning to Him. This is a degree above mere petition and acknowledgment of need, for every created being comes into existence by His will, stands by His power and command, needs Him, and is utterly dependent upon Him.

وبذلك هي أنها لخالقها وفاطرها؛ إذ لا قيام لها بدونه، وإنما يفترق الناس فى شهود هذا الفقر والاضطرار وعزوبه عن قلوبهم للاستسلام والانقياد لمن أنت إليه فقير وهو ربك وإلهك. قال تعالى: ﴿أَفَغَيْرَ دِينِ اللهِ يَبْغُونَ وَلَهُ أَسْلَمَ مَن فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ طَوْعًا وَكَرْهًا وَإِلَيْهِ يُرْجَعُونَ﴾ [آل عمران: ٨٣] ، وعامة السلف على أن المراد بالاستسلام: استسلامهم له بالخضوع والذل، لا مجرد تصريف الرب لهم، كما فى قوله: ﴿وَلِلّهِ يَسْجُدُ مَن فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ طَوْعًا وَكَرْهًا﴾ [الرعد: ١٥] ، وهذا الخضوع والذل هو أيضاً لازم لكل عبد لابد له من ذلك، وإن كان قد يعرض له أحياناً الإعراض عن ربه والاستكبار، فلابد له عند التحقيق من الخضوع والذل له وهذا العلم والعمل أمر فطري ضروري؛ فإن النفوس تعلم فقرها إلى خالقها، وتذل لمن افتقرت إليه، وغناه من الصمدية التى انفرد بها، فإنه ﴿يَسْأَلُهُ مَن فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالأَرْضِ﴾ [الرحمن: ٢٩] ، وهو شهود الربوبية بالاستعانة والتوكل والدعاء والسؤال، ثم هذا لا يكفيها حتى تعلم ما يصلحها من العلم والعمل، وذلك هو عبادته والإنابة إليه؛ فإن العبد إنما خلق لعبادة ربه، فصلاحه وكماله ولذته وفرحه وسروره فى أن يعبد ربه وينيب إليه، وذلك قدر زائد على مسألته والافتقار إليه؛ فإن جميع الكائنات حادثة بمشيئته، قائمة بقدرته وكلمته، محتاجة إليه، فقيرة إليه،