Fiqh al-Adiyah wa-al-Adhkar - Abd al-Razzaq ibn Abd al-Muhsin al-Badr - (1/257)

Fiqh al-Adiyah wa-al-AdhkarAbd al-Razzaq ibn Abd al-Muhsin al-Badr

This provides the clearest indication that praising Allah for a blessing is better than the blessing itself. Some scholars found this problematic, saying, “The servant’s deed cannot be better than the act of the Lord, Mighty and Majestic.” Ibn Rajab raised this objection in his book Compendium of Knowledge and Wisdom and gave a thorough and sound response. He said—may Allah have mercy on him:

“What is meant by blessings here is worldly blessings, such as well-being, provision, health, protection from harm, and the like, whereas praise is a religious blessing. Both are blessings from Allah, but Allah’s blessing upon His servant by guiding him to give thanks for His blessings through praising Him is better than the worldly blessings He bestows upon him. Indeed, when worldly blessings are not accompanied by gratitude, they become an affliction. As Abū Hāzim said, ‘Every blessing that does not bring one nearer to Allah is an affliction.’ Thus, when Allah enables His servant to show gratitude for His worldly blessings—whether by praising Him or through some other form of gratitude—this blessing is better than those worldly blessings and dearer to Allah, Mighty and Majestic. Allah loves to be praised and is pleased with His servant when he eats a meal and praises Him for it, or drinks a drink and praises Him for it. To people of munificence and generosity, being praised for their gifts and receiving gratitude for them is dearer than their wealth, so they give it away in pursuit of praise. Allah, Mighty and Majestic, is the most generous of the generous and the most munificent of the munificent. He bestows His blessings upon His servants and calls upon them to praise Him for them, mention them, and give thanks for them. He is pleased to accept this from them as gratitude for those blessings, even though all of it comes from His bounty toward them and He has no need of their gratitude. Yet He loves this from His servants because therein lie the servant’s righteousness, success, and perfection. It is also from His bounty that He credits them with praise and gratitude, even though these are among His greatest blessings upon them. This is just as He gave them whatever wealth He gave them, then asked them to lend Him a portion of it and praised them for giving it, although all of it belongs to Him and comes from

فهذا فيه أوضحُ دلالةٍ على أنَّ حمدَ الله على النِّعمة أفضلُ منَ النِّعمة نفسها، وقد استشكل هذا بعضُ أهل العلم وقال: لا يكون فعلُ العبد أفضلَ من فعل الربِّ ﷿، أورد هذا الاستشكال ابنُ رجب في كتابه "جامع العلوم والحكم" وأجاب عنه جواباً وافياً مسدَّداً فقال ﵀: "المرادُ بالنِّعمِ النِّعمُ الدنيويةُ، كالعافية والرزق والصحة ودفع المكروه ونحوِ ذلك، والحمدُ هو من النعم الدينية، وكلاهما نعمةٌ من الله، لكن نعمة الله على عبده بهدايته لشكر نعمه بالحمد عليها أفضل من نعمه الدنيوية على عبده، فإنَّ النِّعم الدنيوية إن لم يقترن بها الشكرُ كانت بليَّة، كما قال أبو حازم: كلُّ نعمة لا تقرِّب من الله فهي بلية. فإذا وفَّق الله عبده للشكر على نعمه الدنيوية بالحمد أو غيره من أنواع الشكر كانت هذه النعمة خيراً من تلك النعم وأحبَّ إلى الله ﷿ منها، فإنَّ الله يحب المحامد، ويرضى عن عبده أن يأكل الأكلة فيحمده عليها ويشرب الشربة فيحمده عليها، والثناء بالنعم والحمد عليها وشكرها عند أهل الجود والكرم أحبُّ إليهم من أموالهم، فهم يبذلونها طلباً للثناء، والله ﷿ أكرمُ الأكرمين وأجودُ الأجودين، فهو يبذل نعمه لعباده، ويطلب منهم الثناء بها وذكرها والحمد عليها، ويرضى منهم بذلك شكراً عليها، وإن كان ذلك كلُّه من فضله عليهم، وهو غيرُ محتاجٍ إلى شكرهم، لكنَّه يُحبُّ ذلك من عباده، حيث كان صلاحُ العبد وفلاحُه وكمالُه فيه، ومن فضله أنَّه نسب الحمدَ والشكرَ إليهم، وإن كان من أعظم نعمه عليهم، وهذا كما أنَّه أعطاهم ما أعطاهم من الأموال ثمَّ استقرض منهم بعضَه ومَدَحَهم بإعطائه، والكلُّ ملكه، ومن