Iqtiḍāʾ al-Ṣirāṭ al-Mustaqīm - Ibn Taimiya - (1/123)

Iqtiḍāʾ al-Ṣirāṭ al-MustaqīmIbn Taimiya

God, exalted be He, threatens these pleasure-seekers who plunge into such talk with His words:

“Those are the ones whose deeds have come to nothing in this world and the Hereafter, and they are indeed the losers.”
(al-Tawba 9:69)

This is precisely the point intended by the verse: God has informed us that within this community there are people who enjoy their allotted share just as the earlier nations enjoyed theirs, and who plunge into vain discourse as they did. He censures them for this and warns them of punishment.

He then urges them to take heed from those who came before, saying,
“Has the story not reached them of those before them—the people of Noah, ‘Ād, Thamūd, the people of Abraham, the companions of Midian, and the overturned cities? Their messengers came to them with clear proofs.”
(al-Tawba 9:70)

As we have already noted, God and His Messenger describe the believers by their obedience, in direct contrast to these people who imitate the former nations—a practice He condemns. His command, immediately after this verse, to wage jihad against the disbelievers and the hypocrites is therefore evidence that jihad is likewise required against these self-indulgent, plunging folk.

(1) Copy Aṭ reads: qala: “wa-ulaika ashabu an-nar hum fiha khalidun” (And those are the people of the Fire; they will abide therein), a verse from Surat al-Baqarah 2:217. The verse from Surat al-Tawbah retained in the other copies is clearly what the author meant, since the discussion concerns the hypocrites described in that surah; the presence of the Baqarah verse is therefore a scribal mix-up. (2) Reference: Surat al-Tawbah 9:69. (3) The particle an is omitted in copy J. (4) Copies B and Ṭ read ʿalayhi (upon him) in place of fi (in/at). (5) Copy B and the printed edition stop the citation at the words “wa Thamud.” (6) Reference: Surat al-Tawbah 9:70. (7) The demonstrative haʾulaʾ (“these”) refers to the hypocrites and the unbelievers. (8) The phrase “wa dhamma man yafʿalu dhalik” (and He censured whoever does that) is missing in copy A. (9) Variant readings: copy Ab has “wa amr Allah” (and the command of God), while copy Ṭ has “wa amr bihi bi-jihad” (and He commanded therein to strive).

وقد توعد الله سبحانه هؤلاء المستمتعين الخائضين بقوله (١) {أُولَئِكَ حَبِطَتْ أَعْمَالُهُمْ فِي الدُّنْيَا وَالْآخِرَةِ وَأُولَئِكَ هُمُ الْخَاسِرُونَ} [التوبة: ٦٩] (٢) وهذا هو المقصود هنا من هذه الآية، وهو أن الله قد أخبر أن (٣) في هذه الأمة من استمتع بخلاقه، كما استمتعت الأمم قبلهم، وخاض كالذي خاضوا وذمهم على ذلك، وتوعدهم على ذلك (٤) ثم حضهم على الاعتبار بمن قبلهم فقال: {أَلَمْ يَأْتِهِمْ نَبَأُ الَّذِينَ مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ قَوْمِ نُوحٍ وَعَادٍ وَثَمُودَ (٥) وَقَوْمِ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَأَصْحَابِ مَدْيَنَ وَالْمُؤْتَفِكَاتِ أَتَتْهُمْ رُسُلُهُمْ بِالْبَيِّنَاتِ} [التوبة: ٧٠] (٦) الآية. وقد قدمنا: أن طاعة الله ورسوله في وصف المؤمنين بإزاء ما وصف به هؤلاء (٧) من مشابهة القرون المتقدمة، وذم من يفعل ذلك (٨) وأمره (٩) بجهاد الكفار والمنافقين - بعد هذه الآية - دليل على جهاد هؤلاء المستمتعين الخائضين.

(١) في (أط) : قال: (وَأُولَئِكَ أَصْحَابُ النَّارِ هُمْ فِيهَا خَالِدُونَ) ، وهي من سورة البقرة: الآية ٢١٧، لكن آية التوبة التي أثبتها من بقية النسخ هي التي عناها المؤلف؛ لأن الكلام حول آيات صفات المنافقين في سورة التوبة، فإدخال آية البقرة خلط من الناسخين. (٢) سورة التوبة: الآية ٦٩. (٣) أن: سقطت من (ج) . (٤) في: (ب ط) : عليه. (٥) في (ب) والمطبوعة: وقف عند قوله: وثمود. (٦) سورة التوبة: الآية ٧٠. (٧) الإشارة "هؤلاء" إلى المنافقين والكفار. (٨) قوله: وذم من يفعل ذلك: سقطت من (أ) . (٩) في (أب) : وأمر الله، وفي (ط) : وأمر به بجهاد.