Tawḍīḥ al-Aḥkām - Abd Allah al-Bassam - (7/563)

Tawḍīḥ al-AḥkāmAbd Allah al-Bassam

the meanings of repentance and humble submission that are seldom combined in any other narration about repentance and seeking forgiveness.

2 – Al-Ṭībī said: Because this supplication gathers the full import of repentance, the title sayyid (leader/master) was metaphorically applied to it; originally a sayyid is the chief to whom people turn for their needs and upon whom they rely in their affairs.

3 – Ibn Abī Jamrah observed: This ḥadith unites exquisite meanings with beautiful wording, and thus truly merits being called “the master of seeking forgiveness.”

4 – This noble, exalted narration contains acknowledgements that relate to Allah Most High—what He deserves of majesty and veneration—and acknowledgements that relate to the servant—what he owes of humility, submission, and contrition.

5 – It affirms Allah’s lordship: He alone is the Creator, the Provider, the Bestower, the Withholder, the Constrictor, the Expander, the Giver of life, the Bringer of death, and the One who administers every affair.

6 – It affirms His right to be worshipped, His divinity, and His oneness—that He is the sole Deity who deserves to be worshipped and sought.

7 – It contains the servant’s confession before his Lord and God that he is a servant—obedient, submissive, and humble before his Lord, Creator, Provider, and God.

8 – It includes the servant’s admission that he is bound to uphold the covenant his Lord took from him, as in the verse: “And [mention] when your Lord took from the children of Adam—from their loins—their descendants and made them testify concerning themselves, ‘Am I not your Lord?’ They said, ‘Yes, we testify,’ lest you should say on the Day of Resurrection, ‘Indeed, we were unaware of this.’” (Al-Aʿrāf 7:172).

9 – His words, “as far as I am able,” constitute a pledge to fulfill Allah’s covenant to the limit of one’s capacity. This accords with: “So fear Allah as much as you are able” (Al-Taghābun 64:16), and with the Prophet’s saying, “When I command you to do something, do of it as much as you can” [reported by al-Bukhārī and Muslim]; for Allah does not burden any soul beyond its capacity. These words are also a confession by the servant of his own weakness and shortcoming—that he cannot worship Allah as He truly deserves.

معاني التوبة والتذلل، مما ليس في غيره من أحاديث التوبة والاستغفار. ٢ - قال الطيبي: لما كان هذا الدعاء جامعًا لمعاني التوبة، استعير له اسم السيد الذي هو في الأصل الرئيس الذي يُقصد إليه في الحوائج، ويُرجع إليه في الأمور. ٣ - وقال ابن أبي جمرة: جمع هذا الحديث من بديع المعاني، وحسن الألفاظ ما يحق له أن يسمى بسيِّد الاستغفار. ٤ - اشتمل هذا الحديث السيد الشريف على اعترافات ترجع إلى الله تعالى بما يستحقه من العظمة والإجلال، وترجع إلى العبد بما يجب عليه من الذل، والخضوع، والانكسار. ٥ - فيه الإقرار لله تعالى بالربوبية، وذلك أنه تعالى هو الخالق، الرازق، المعطي، المانع، القابض، الباسط، المحيي، المميت، المدبِّر لجميع الأمور. ٦ - وفيه الإقرار له بالعبودية، والإلهية، والوحدانية، وأنَّه المألوه المعبود المقصود. ٧ - وفيه الإقرار والاعتراف من العبد لربه ومعبوده، بأنَّه العبد، المطيع، الخاضع، الذليل أمام ربه، وخالقه، ورازقه، ومعبوده. ٨ - وفيه إقرار العبد بأنَّه ملتزم بالوفاء بالعهد الذي أخذه ربه عليه بقوله: ﴿وَإِذْ أَخَذَ رَبُّكَ مِنْ بَنِي آدَمَ مِنْ ظُهُورِهِمْ ذُرِّيَّتَهُمْ وَأَشْهَدَهُمْ عَلَى أَنْفُسِهِمْ أَلَسْتُ بِرَبِّكُمْ قَالُوا بَلَى شَهِدْنَا أَنْ تَقُولُوا يَوْمَ الْقِيَامَةِ إِنَّا كُنَّا عَنْ هَذَا غَافِلِينَ (١٧٢)﴾ [الأعراف]. ٩ - قوله: "ما استطعت" وعد بالقيام بعهد الله تعالى بقدر الاستطاعة والطاقة، وهذا موافق لقوله تعالى: ﴿فَاتَّقُوا اللَّهَ مَا اسْتَطَعْتُمْ﴾ [التغابن: ١٦]، وقوله ﷺ: "إذا أمرتكم بأمر، فأتوا منه ما استطعتم" [رواه البخاري ومسلم]؛ فلا يكلف الله نفسًا إلاَّ وسعها. وهو أيضًا: إقرار واعتراف من العبد لربه بالعجز والتقصير، بأن يعبده حق عبادته.