Fiqh al-Adiyah wa-al-Adhkar - Abd al-Razzaq ibn Abd al-Muhsin al-Badr - (1/37)

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

is undoubtedly true. Ibn al-Qayyim—may Allah have mercy on him—said: “The best among those who perform any deed are those who remember Allah, Glorious and Exalted, most while engaged in it. Thus, the best of those who fast are those who remember Allah most during their fasts; the best of those who give charity are those who remember Allah most; and the best pilgrims are those who remember Allah most. The same applies to all other deeds.”1 He then cited the aforementioned hadith, followed by a report from ʿUbayd ibn ʿUmayr—may Allah have mercy on him—who said: “If this night proves too arduous for you to struggle through, if you are too miserly to spend your wealth, and if you hold back from fighting the enemy, then remember Allah, Glorious and Exalted, abundantly.”

The remembrance of Allah, Exalted is He, is therefore the best of deeds and greater than all else. Allah, Most Glorious and Exalted, says: “Recite what has been revealed to you of the Book and establish prayer. Indeed, prayer restrains from indecency and wrongdoing, and the remembrance of Allah is greater.”2 That is, Allah’s remembrance of you is greater than your remembrance of Him in your worship and prayers, for He remembers whoever remembers Him. This interpretation was expressed by Ibn Masʿūd, Ibn ʿAbbās, Abū al-Dardāʾ, Abū Qurra, Salmān, and al-Hasan, and it was preferred by Ibn Jarīr al-Tabarī.

It has also been said that your remembrance of Allah in your prayers and while reciting the Quran is better than everything else. Ibn Zayd and Qatāda said: “The remembrance of Allah is greater than everything”—that is, it is better than all other acts of worship. Another interpretation is that, when practiced consistently, the remembrance of Allah is more effective than prayer in restraining indecency and wrongdoing.

Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyya—may Allah have mercy on him—said: “The correct interpretation of the verse is that prayer has two great purposes, one of which is greater than the other. It restrains indecency and wrongdoing, and it contains the remembrance of Allah; and what

1. *al-Wābil al-Sayyib*, p. 152. 2. Surah al-ʿAnkabūt, verse 45.

عليه حقٌ لا ريب في صحّته. يقول ابن القيِّم ﵀: "إنّ أفضل أهل كلِّ عمل أكثرهم فيه ذكرًا لله ﷿، فأفضلُ الصُّوَّام أكثرهم ذكرًا لله ﷿ في صومهم، وأفضل المتصدّقين أكثرهم ذكرًا لله ﷿، وأفضلُ الحجّاج أكثرهم ذكرًا لله ﷿، وهكذا سائر الأعمال"١، ثمّ أورد الحديث المتقدّم، وأورد عقبه عن عبيد بن عُمير ﵀ أنّه قال: "إنْ أَعْظَمَكم هذا اللّيلُ أن تُكابدوه، وبَخِلتم بالمال أن تنفقوه، وجنبتم عن العدوِّ أن تقاتلوه، فأكثروا من ذكر الله ﷿ ". فذِكرُ الله تعالى هو أفضل الأعمال، وهو أكبر من كلِّ شيء، يقول الله جلّ وعلا: ﴿اتْلُ مَا أُوحِيَ إِلَيْكَ مِنَ الكِتَابِ وَأَقِمِ الصَّلاَةَ إِنَّ الصَّلاَةَ تَنْهَى عَنِ الفَحْشَاءِ وَالمُنكَرِ وَلَذِكْرُ اللهِ أَكْبَرُ﴾ ٢، أي: ذكرُ الله لكم أكبرُ من ذكركم له في عبادتكم وصلواتكم، وهو ذاكرٌ مَن ذَكَرَه، قال معناه ابنُ مسعود وابن عبّاس وأبو الدرداء وأبو قرَّة وسلمانُ والحسنُ، واختاره ابن جرير الطبري. وقيل: ذِكْرُكُم الله في صلاتكم وفي قراءة القرآن أفضلُ من كلِّ شيء. قال ابن زيد وقتادة: ولَذِكرُ الله أكبرُ من كلِّ شيء، أي أفضل من العبادات كلُّها بغير ذكر. وقيل المعنى: إنّ ذكر الله أكبر مع المداومة من الصلاة في النهي عن الفحشاء والمنكر. قال شيخ الإسلام ابن تيمية ﵀: "الصّحيح أنّ معنى الآية أنّ الصّلاة فيها مقصودان عظيمان، وأحدهما أعظم من الآخر، فإنّها تنهى عن الفحشاء والمنكر، وهي مشتملة على ذكر الله تعالى، ولِمَا

١ الوابل الصيب (ص:١٥٢) . ٢ سورة العنكبوت، الآية: (٤٥) .