Iqtiḍāʾ al-Ṣirāṭ al-Mustaqīm - Ibn Taimiya - (2/311)

Iqtiḍāʾ al-Ṣirāṭ al-MustaqīmIbn Taimiya

For Allah is the One who confers every blessing upon His servants: He is their Creator, the One who sent the messengers to them, and the One who makes faith and righteous deeds attainable for them. Whoever among the Qadarites, the Muʿtazilites, and others like them (1) imagines that they possess a claim over Him resembling the wage a laborer has over his employer is ignorant in this regard.

Since that is the case, no approach to Him is possible except through what He has graciously bestowed from His bounty and kindness. Any “right” the servants possess stems from His bounty and kindness; it is neither a matter of barter nor something another has imposed upon Him (2)—exalted is He far above such a notion (3).

When He is asked by means of something He Himself has designated as a cause for the desired objective—righteous deeds whose doers He has promised to honor, to grant relief, and to provide for from unforeseen sources, or the supplications of His righteous servants, or the intercession of those held in esteem with Him—this constitutes petitioning and seeking recourse through what He has made a cause (4).

If, however, He is asked by something that is not a cause for the request, then either an oath is being sworn upon Him by that thing—yet no oath may be sworn upon Allah by a created being (5)—or a request is being made by means that do not bring about the desired result, rendering it futile. The prophets and the believers do have a right upon Allah—by virtue of His truthful promise to them, His perfect words, and His mercy toward them (6)—that He protect them and not punish them. They hold a position of honor with Him; He accepts from their intercession and supplications what He does not accept from the supplication of others. Thus, when a supplicant says, “I ask You by the right of so-and-so,” while that person has not prayed for him and the supplicant is not asking on the basis of following, loving, and obeying that person,

(1) The phrase “and those like them” is omitted in MSS J, D, and T. (2) MS B reads: “and not from what He has enjoined.” (3) MSS B, J, and D read: “Exalted is He,” with the additional pronoun “He.” (4) The printed edition has: “of piety and righteous deeds.” (5) MS T adds: “nor.” (6) The printed edition further inserts: “that He support them and never forsake them.”

فإن الله هو المنعم على العباد بكل خير فهو الخالق لهم وهو المرسل إليهم الرسل، وهو الميسر لهم الإيمان، والعمل الصالح. ومن توهم من القدرية والمعتزلة ونحوهم (١) أنهم يستحقون عليه من جنس ما يستحقه الأجير على من استأجره؛ فهو جاهل في ذلك. وإذا كان كذلك: لم تكن الوسيلة إليه إلا بما من به من فضله وإحسانه، والحق الذي لعباده هو من فضله وإحسانه، ليس من باب المعاوضة، ولا من باب (٢) ما أوجبه غيره عليه فإنه سبحانه (٣) يتعالى عن ذلك. وإذا سئل بما جعله سببا للمطلوب من (٤) الأعمال الصالحة التي وعد أصحابها بكرامته، وأنه يجعل لهم مخرجا، ويرزقهم من حيث لا يحتسبون، فيستجيب دعاءهم، ومن أدعية عباده الصالحين، وشفاعة ذوي الوجاهة عنده، فهذا سؤال وتسبب بما جعله هو سببا. وأما إذا سئل بشيء ليس سببا للمطلوب: فإما أن يكون إقساما عليه به (٥) فلا يقسم على الله بمخلوق، وإما أن يكون سؤالا بما لا يقتضي المطلوب فيكون عديم الفائدة، فالأنبياء والمؤمنون لهم حق على الله بوعده الصادق لهم، وبكلماته التامة، ورحمته لهم (٦) أن يمنعهم، ولا يعذبهم، وهم وجهاء عنده، يقبل من شفاعتهم ودعائهم، ما لا يقبله من دعاء غيرهم. فإذا قال الداعي أسألك بحق فلان، وفلان لم يدع له، وهو لم يسأله باتباعه لذلك الشخص ومحبته وطاعته،

(١) ونحوهم: ساقطة من (ج د ط) . (٢) في (ب) : ولا مما أوجبه. (٣) في _ب ج د) : سبحانه هو. بزيادة: هو. (٤) في المطبوعة: من التقوى والأعمال الصالحة. (٥) في (ط) : ولا. (٦) في المطبوعة زاد: أن ينصرهم ولا يخذلهم.