Tawḍīḥ al-Aḥkām - Abd Allah al-Bassam - (7/347)

Tawḍīḥ al-AḥkāmAbd Allah al-Bassam

the sinners, for the public display of their sins is a blemish upon the people of Islam. If such a person were to come repentant and remorseful, admitting that a ḥadd is due without specifying it, he is not asked to explain; rather, he is told to go back and cover his own fault. The Prophet ﷺ said, “Overlook the slips of those who enjoy dignity.” Recorded by Abū Dāwūd (4375) and al-Nasāʾī (4/310) from the ḥadith of ʿĀʾishah.

The second category is the one notorious for sin, who flaunts it openly and cares neither about what he has done nor about what is said to him. This is the openly immoral transgressor; backbiting does not apply to him, as al-Ḥasan al-Baṣrī and others have stated.

It is therefore permissible to look into his conduct so that the prescribed punishments can be enforced. Our scholars state this explicitly, citing the Prophet’s ﷺ words: “Unays, go to this man’s wife; if she confesses, stone her.” Reported by al-Bukhārī (6859) and Muslim (1698).

Such a person is not to be granted intercession once he is apprehended, even before the matter reaches the ruler; he is left until the ḥadd is carried out, his covering removed, and those like him deterred.

Mālik said: “If no harm to people is known from a man and what occurred was merely a lapse, there is no objection to interceding for him so long as the case has not reached the imām. But if he is known for evil or corruption, I do not like anyone to intercede for him; rather, he should be left until the ḥadd is executed.” This was related by Ibn al-Munadhir and others.

“Allah is in the servant’s aid so long as the servant is in his brother’s aid.”

Whoever occupies himself with his brother’s need will find that Allah, Exalted is He, takes charge of his own need through facilitation, ease, and support. This is a true promise from Allah. Al-Ṭabarānī narrates in al-Awsat (5/202), with a chain traced back to ʿUmar, that the Prophet said: “The best of deeds is to bring happiness to a believer: clothe his nakedness, satisfy his hunger, or fulfill his need.”

Mujāhid said, “I accompanied Ibn ʿUmar on a journey intending to serve him, yet he served me.”

العصاة، فإنَّ ظهور معاصيهم عيبٌ في أهل الإسلام، ومثل هذا لو جاء تائبًا نادمًا، وأقر بحد لم يفسره، لم يطلب منه أنْ يفسره، بل يؤمر بأنْ يرجع ويستر نفسه؛ فقد جاء في الحديث عن النَّبي ﷺ: "أقيلوا ذوي الهيئات عثراتهم" [أخرجه أبو داود (٤٣٧٥) والنسائي (٤/ ٣١٠) من حديث عائشة]. الثاني: من كان مشتهرًا بالمعاصي، معلِنًا بها، ولا يبالي بما ارتكب منها، ولا بما قيل له، هذا هو الفاجر المعلن، وليس له غيبة، كما نصَّ على ذلك الحسن البصري، وغيره. ومثل هذا لا بأس بالبحث عن أمره؛ لتقام عليه الحدود، وصرَّح بذلك أصحابنا؛ واستدلوا بقول النَّبيِّ ﷺ: "واغدُ يَا أُنيس إلى امرأة هذا، فإنْ اعترفت فارجمها" [رواه البخاري (٦٨٥٩) ومسلم (١٦٩٨)]. ومثل هذا لا يشفع له إذا أخذ، ولو لم يبلغ السلطان، بل يترك حتَّى يقام عليه الحد، فيكشف ستره، ويرتدع به أمثاله. قال مالك: من لم يعرف منه أذًى للنَّاس، وإنَّما كانت منه زلَّة، فلا بأس أنْ يشفع له ما لم يبلغ الإمام، وأمَّا من عُرِفَ بشرٍّ، أو فسادٍ، فلا أحب أنْ يشفع له أحد، ولكن يترك حتَّى يقام عليه الحد، حكاه ابن المنذر وغيره. الرَّابعة: "والله في عون العبد ما كان العبد في عون أخيه": فمن كان في حاجة أخيه، فالله تعالى في حاجته بالتيسير والتسهيل والإعانة، وهو وعدٌ صادق من الله تعالى؛ فقد أخرج الطبراني في الأوسط (٥/ ٢٠٢) من حديث عمر مرفوعًا: "أفضل الأعمال إدخال السرور على المؤمن، كسوت عورته، أو أشبعت جوعته، أو قضيت حاجته". قال مجاهد: "صحبت ابن عمر في السفر لأخدمه، فكان يخدمني".