Risālat Ibn al-Qayyim ilā Ikhwānih - Ibn al-Qayyim - (الكتاب/3)

Risālat Ibn al-Qayyim ilā IkhwānihIbn al-Qayyim

In the Name of Allah, the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful.

We ask Allah—whose response is hoped for—to show kindness to our brother ʿAlāʾ al-Dīn (1) in this world and the Hereafter, to make others benefit (2) through him, and to render him blessed wherever he may be. A man’s blessing, after all, is found in his teaching of good wherever he settles and in his sincere counsel to everyone he meets. Allah, Exalted is He, says of the Messiah, peace be upon him: “And He has made me blessed wherever I may be” (Mary 31)—that is, a teacher of good, a caller to Allah, one who reminds people of Him and encourages obedience to Him. Such is the hallmark of a blessed person. Whoever lacks this is stripped of blessing; the blessing of meeting or sitting with him is erased—indeed, even the blessing of those who meet and sit with him is expunged—for he wastes time in frivolous chatter (3) and corrupts the heart.

Every affliction (4) that befalls a servant stems from squandered time (5) and a corrupted heart, and ultimately results in the loss of his share (6) with Allah and a diminution of his rank and standing before Him; and for this reason,

(1) The base manuscript reads “alihan”; manuscript B reads “a'lam al-din” (the leading figures of religion); the adopted reading follows manuscripts C and D. For a discussion of these titles, see the Study section, p. 21. (2) Manuscript C reads: “and that it may benefit.” (3) Al-majariyat is a newly coined term meaning events and affairs that have occurred or are occurring. It is derived from the expression “jara ma jara” (“what happened happened”). One may say: “There were debates and occurrences between them whose explanation would be lengthy.” See Hasan Sa'id al-Karmi, Al-Hadi ila Lughat al-Arab, 1:323. (4) Manuscript B reads “wa-kilafah” in place of “wa-kullu afah” (“and every affliction”). (5) The base manuscript reads “the heart,” which is an error; the adopted reading follows manuscripts B and C. (6) The base manuscript reads “his right,” which is a grave scribal error, for rights in the sight of Allah are never lost; the adopted reading follows manuscripts B and C.

﷽ الله المسؤولُ المرجو الإجابة أن يُحسِنَ إلى الأخ [علاء الدِّين] (١) في الدُّنيا والآخرة، وينفع (٢) به، ويجعله مباركًا أينما كان. فإن بركة الرجل تعليمه للخير حيث حل، ونصحُه لكلِّ من اجتمع به، قال الله -تعالى- إخبارًا عن المسيح [عليه السلام]: ﴿وَجَعَلَنِي مُبَارَكًا أَيْنَ مَا كُنْتُ﴾ [مريم: ٣١] أي معلمًا للخير، داعيًا إلى ألله، مذكرًا به، مرغبًا في طاعته، فهذا من بركة الرجل، ومن خلا من هذا فقد خلا من البركة، ومحِقت بركة لقائه والاجتماع به، بل تُمْحق بركة من لقيه واجتمع به، فإنه يضيع الوقت في المَاجَرَيَاتِ (٣)، ويفسد القلب. وكل آفة (٤) تدخل على العبد، فسببها ضياعُ [الوقت] (٥) وفساد القلب، وتعود بضياع [حظه] (٦) من الله، ونقصان درجته ومنزلته عنده؛ ولهذا

(١) في الأصل (علاهن)، وفي ب (علام الدين)، والمثبت من ج، و د، وانظر الكلام عن هذه الألقاب في قسم الدراسة، ص ٢١. (٢) في ج (وأن ينفع). (٣) (الماجرَيات): كلمة مُحدثة، وهي الحوادث والأمور التي جرت أو تجري، مأخوذة من قولهم: جرى ما جرى، ويقال: كانت بينهم مناظرات وماجريات يطول شرحها. (انظر: الهادي إلى لغة العرب، حسن سعيد الكرمي ١/ ٣٢٣). (٤) في ب (وكلافة) بدل (وكل آفة). (٥) في الأصل (القلب) وهو خطأ، والمثبت من ب، و ج. (٦) في الأصل (حقه) وهو خطأ فادح من الناسخ؛ فإن الحقوق عند الله لا تضيع، والمثبت من ب، و ج.