Taysir al-Latif al-Mannan fi Khulasat Tafsir al-Quran - Abd al-Rahman al-Sadi’ - (الكتاب/8)

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

And know that one of the principles unanimously upheld by the early generations of this ummah and its leading imams is what the Qur’an and the Sunnah clearly require: believing in all of Allah’s names, all of His attributes, and the implications of those attributes. Thus they believe, for example, that He is ar-Rahman, ar-Rahim (the Most Compassionate, the Most Merciful)—possessor of the tremendous mercy He has described Himself with, a mercy that reaches those upon whom it is bestowed; every blessing is but a trace of that mercy.

The same applies to the rest of the Most Beautiful Names, so it is said:
• ‘Alim (All-Knowing): possessor of a vast knowledge by which He knows everything.
• Qadir (All-Powerful): possessor of absolute power, able to do all things.

Allah has affirmed for Himself the Most Beautiful Names, the loftiest attributes, and the rulings entailed by those attributes. Whoever affirms some of them while denying others—besides opposing revelation and sound reason—falls into self-contradiction and falsehood.

“All praise is for Allah”: praise is to extol Allah for His attributes of perfection and for His acts, which revolve between pure grace and perfect justice and are permeated with complete wisdom. For the praiser’s praise to be complete, it must be joined to the praiser’s love for his Lord and his submission to Him; mere verbal commendation devoid of love and humility is not full praise.

“Lord of all worlds”: ar-Rabb (the Lord) is the One who nurtures every realm of existence through every kind of nurturing:
• He created them, provides for them, and showers them with outward and inward favors. This is a general nurturing that encompasses every creature—the righteous and the wicked, those who are morally accountable and those who are not.
• As for the special nurturing granted to His prophets and His allies, He cultivates their faith, perfecting it for them; He averts from them the influences and obstacles that stand between them and their rectitude and eternal happiness; He eases their way to what is best; and He protects them from every harm.

واعلَمْ أنَّ من القواعدِ المتفقِ عليها بينَ سلفِ الأمةِ وأئمتِها ما دلَّ عليهِ الكتابُ والسنةُ من الإيمانِ بأسماءِ اللهِ كلِّها، وصفاتهِ جميعِها، وبأحكامِ تلكَ الصفاتِ، فيؤمنونَ -مثلًا- بأنهُ رحمنٌ رحيمٌ: ذو الرحمةِ العظيمةِ التي اتصفَ بها، المتعلقةِ بالمرحومِ، فالنعمُ كلُّها من آثارِ رحمتهِ. وهكذا يُقالُ في سائرِ الأسماءِ الحسنى، فيقالُ: * عليمٌ: ذو علمٍ عظيمٍ، يعلَمُ بهِ كلَّ شيءٍ. * قديرٌ: ذو قدرةٍ، يقدرُ على كلِّ شيءٍ. فإنَ اللهَ قدْ أثبتَ لنفسهِ الأسماءَ الحسنى والصفاتِ العليا، وأحكامَ تلكَ الصفاتِ، فمَن أثبتَ شيئًا منها ونفى الآخرَ كانَ -معَ مخالفتهِ للنقلِ والعقلِ- متناقضًا مُبطلًا. * ﴿الْحَمْدُ لِلَّهِ﴾: الحمدُ: هوَ الثناءُ على اللهِ بصفاتِ الكمالِ، وبأفعالهِ الدائرةِ بينَ الفضلِ والعدلِ، المشتملةِ على الحكمةِ التامةِ. ولابدَّ في تمامِ حمدِ الحامدِ من اقترانِ محبةِ الحامدِ لربهِ وخضوعهِ لهُ؛ فالثناءُ المجردُ من محبةٍ وخضوعٍ ليسَ حمدًا كاملًا. * ﴿رَبِّ الْعَالَمِينَ﴾: الربُّ: هوَ المربِّي جميعَ العالمينَ بكلِّ أنواعِ التربيةِ: * فهوَ الذي خلقَهم ورزقَهم وأنعمَ عليهم بالنعمِ الظاهرةِ والباطنةِ، وهذهِ التربيةُ العامةُ لجميعِ الخلقِ: بَرِّهم وفاجرِهم، بل المكلَّفونَ منهم وغيرُهم. * وأمَّا التربيةُ الخاصةُ لأنبيائهِ وأوليائهِ فإنهُ -معَ ذلكَ- يربِّي إيمانَهم؛ فيكمِّلُهُ لهم، ويدفعُ عنهم الصوارفَ والعوائقَ التي تحولُ بينَهم وبينَ صلاحِهم وسعادتِهم الأبديةِ، وتيسيرهم لليسرَى، وحفظهم من جميعِ المكارهِ.