Taysir al-Latif al-Mannan fi Khulasat Tafsir al-Quran - Abd al-Rahman al-Sadi’ - (الكتاب/112)

Taysir al-Latif al-Mannan fi Khulasat Tafsir al-QuranAbd al-Rahman al-Sadi’

– It has also been said that His words, “And for those who can only do so with great difficulty” [Qur’an 2:184] refer to people who force themselves to fast though it places on them an unbearable strain—such as the very old or the patient whose recovery is unlikely. For each day they are unable to fast they must pay the ransom of feeding one poor person.

– His words, “The month of Ramadan in which the Qur’an was sent down” [Qur’an 2:185], mean that the fast enjoined upon you is the fast of Ramadan, that majestic month in which Allah has granted you an immense favour: the revelation of the Qur’an, a guide that secures all your religious and worldly interests. In it the truth is clarified and illuminated; it is the criterion that separates truth from falsehood, guidance from error, and the people of felicity from the people of misery. A month endowed with such virtue, and marked by so great a kindness from Allah, deserves to be held in reverence and honour, to be a season of worship in which fasting is obligatory.

– Once He had affirmed its obligatory nature and explained the wisdom behind both the command and its specific timing, He said: “Whoever of you witnesses the month must fast it” [Qur’an 2:185]—that is, whoever is present for the month and is able must, without fail, observe the fast.

– “But whoever is ill or on a journey, then the same number of days must be made up at another time” [Qur’an 2:185]. He repeated this ruling to reinforce it and so that no one would imagine it had been abrogated along with the earlier option granted to those who were able.

– “Allah intends ease for you” [Qur’an 2:185]—that is, Allah wishes to make easy and smooth for you the paths that lead to His good pleasure, to the greatest possible degree, so that walking them becomes effortless and He assists you by every means, encouraging His servants to pursue them eagerly. This is a great foundational principle of the Sharia; indeed, the whole Sharia revolves around it. Every command is free of undue hardship, and whenever hardship or incapacity does occur, the Lawgiver provides a concession

* وقيلَ: إنَّ قولَهُ: ﴿وَعَلَى الَّذِينَ يُطِيقُونَهُ﴾ أي: يتكلفونَ الصيامَ ويشقُّ عليهم مشقةً لا تُحتملُ، كالكبيرِ والمريضِ الميئوسِ من بُرئهِ، ﴿فِدْيَةٌ طَعَامُ مِسْكِينٍ﴾ عن كلِّ يومٍ يفطرهُ. * وقولهُ: ﴿شَهْرُ رَمَضَانَ الَّذِي أُنْزِلَ فِيهِ الْقُرْآنُ﴾ [البقرة: ١٨٥] أي: الصومُ المفروضُ عليكم هوَ شهرُ رمضانَ، الشهرُ العظيمُ الذي قدْ حصلَ لكم من اللهِ فيه الفضلُ العظيمُ، وهوَ إنزالُ القرآنِ الذي فيه هدايتُكم لجميعِ مصالحِكم الدينيةِ والدنيويةِ، وفيهِ بيانُ الحقِّ وتوضيحهُ، والفرقانُ بينَ الحقِّ والباطلِ، والهدَى والضلالِ، وأهلِ السعادةِ من أهلِ الشقاوةِ. فحقيقٌ بشهرٍ هذا فضلُهُ، وهذا إحسانُ اللهِ العظيمِ فيه عليكم؛ أنْ يكونَ معظمًا محترمًا، موسمًا للعبادِ، مفروضًا فيه الصيامُ. * فلما قررَ فرضيتَهُ، وبيَّنَ حكمتَهُ في ذلكَ، وفي تخصيصهِ؛ قالَ: ﴿فَمَنْ شَهِدَ مِنْكُمُ الشَّهْرَ فَلْيَصُمْهُ﴾ أي: مَنْ حضرَ الشهرَ وهوَ قادرٌ تحتَّمَ عليهِ صيامهُ. * ﴿وَمَنْ كَانَ مَرِيضًا أَوْ عَلَى سَفَرٍ فَعِدَّةٌ مِنْ أَيَّامٍ أُخَرَ﴾ أعادَ ذلكَ تأكيدًا لهُ، ولئلَّا يُظنَّ أنهُ أيضًا منسوخٌ معَ ما نُسِخَ من التخييرِ للقادرِ. * ﴿يُرِيدُ اللَّهُ بِكُمُ الْيُسْرَ﴾ أي: يريدُ اللهُ أنْ ييسرَ ويسهلَ عليكم الطرقَ الموصلةَ إلى رضوانهِ أعظمَ تيسيرٍ؛ ليسهلَ سلوكُها، ويعينَ عليها بكلِّ وسيلةٍ؛ ليرغبَ فيها العبادُ. وهذا أصلٌ عظيمٌ من أصولِ الشريعةِ، بلْ الشريعةُ كلُّها تدورُ على هذا الأصلِ: فإنَّ جميعَ الأوامرِ لا تشقُّ على المكلفينَ، وإذا حصلَ بعضُ المشاقِّ والعجزِ خففَ