Taysir al-Latif al-Mannan fi Khulasat Tafsir al-Quran - Abd al-Rahman al-Sadi’ - (الكتاب/69)

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

“Mahsūran” in the verse means “empty-handed”: nothing of your wealth remains in your possession, nor is any praise or commendation left behind.

This command to give to relatives and to others applies when you have the means. If, however, you lack the means or are unable to spend at the moment, Allah has instructed that they be turned away graciously: “But if you must turn away from them while awaiting mercy from your Lord that you hope for” (17:28)—that is, you refrain from giving them now while hoping that Allah will later make things easy—“then speak to them with gentle words” (17:28), meaning words that are kind and soft, coupled with a promise to do good once the means are available, and an apology for being unable at present. In this way they leave you with hearts at ease, excusing and hopeful, as Allah also says, “A kind word and forgiveness are better than charity followed by injury” (2:263).

This is part of Allah’s tenderness toward His servants: He commands them to await His mercy and provision, for anticipating them is itself an act of worship and a means of attaining them; indeed, Allah treats His servant according to the servant’s expectation of Him.

Likewise, promising to give when one is able is an act of worship in its own right, because the very intention to do good is good. Therefore a servant should do whatever good he can, and resolve to do what he currently cannot should he become able, so that he will be rewarded for that intention—and perhaps Allah will facilitate it for him.

In His words, “while awaiting mercy from your Lord that you hope for” (17:28), there is an exhortation to attach the heart, its hope, and its longing to Allah alone, and to detach it from created beings.

Thus, the person whom Allah grants success is, in times of plenty and wealth, a heart devoted to praising, thanking, and extolling Allah; he neither forgets nor abuses the blessing. In times of hardship and poverty he is patient, content, and hopeful of Allah’s bounty, goodness, and mercy. This is among the noblest acts of the heart that draw one near to the All-Knowing of the unseen.

* ﴿مَحْسُورًا﴾ أي: فارغَ اليدِ، فلا بقيَ ما في يدِكَ من المالِ، ولا خَلَفَهُ مدحٌ وثناءٌ. * وهذا الأمرُ بإيتاءِ ذي القربى وغيرِهم معَ القدرةِ، فأمَّا معَ العدمِ أو تعذرِ النفقةِ الحاضرةِ فأمَرَ تعالى أنْ يُرَدُّوا ردًّا جميلًا، فقالَ: ﴿وَإِمَّا تُعْرِضَنَّ عَنْهُمُ ابْتِغَاءَ رَحْمَةٍ مِنْ رَبِّكَ تَرْجُوهَا﴾ [الإسراء: ٢٨] أي: تعرضَنَّ عن إعطائِهم حاضرًا، ولكنكَ ترجُو فيما بعدَ ذلكَ تيسيرَ الأمرِ من اللهِ، ﴿فَقُلْ لَهُمْ قَوْلًا مَيْسُورًا﴾ [الإسراء: ٢٨] أي: لطيفًا برفقٍ ووعدٍ بالجميلِ عندَ الوجودِ، واعتذارٍ بعدمِ الإمكانِ في الوقتِ الحاضرِ؛ لينقلبُوا عنكَ مطمئنةً قلوبُهم، عاذرينَ راجينَ، كما قالَ تعالى: ﴿قَوْلٌ مَعْرُوفٌ وَمَغْفِرَةٌ خَيْرٌ مِنْ صَدَقَةٍ يَتْبَعُهَا أَذًى﴾ [البقرة: ٢٦٣]. وهذا من لطفِ اللهِ بالعبادِ: أمرَهم بانتظارِ الرحمةِ والرزقِ منهُ؛ لأنَّ انتظارَ ذلكَ عبادةٌ، وسببٌ لحصولهِ؛ فإنَّ اللهَ عندَ ظنِّ عبدهِ بهِ. وكذلكَ وَعْدُهم أنْ يعطُوهم إذا وجدوا عبادةٌ حاضرةٌ لمن وَعَدُوا؛ لأنَّ الهمَّ بفعلِ الخيرِ والحسنةِ خيرٌ؛ ولهذا ينبغِي للعبدِ أنْ يفعلَ ما يقدرُ عليهِ من الخيرِ، وينوِيَ فعلَ ما لم يقدِرْ عليهِ إذا قدرَ؛ ليثابَ على ذلكَ، ولعلَّ اللهَ ييسرهُ لهُ. * وفي قولهِ: ﴿ابْتِغَاءَ رَحْمَةٍ مِنْ رَبِّكَ تَرْجُوهَا﴾ [الإسراء: ٢٨] فيه: الحثُّ على تعليقِ القلبِ والرجاءِ والطمعِ باللهِ، وصرف التعلقِ بالمخلوقينَ. فالموفقُ في حالِ الوجودِ والغنَى: قلبهُ متعلقٌ بحمدِ اللهِ وشكرهِ والثناءِ عليهِ، لا ينسى ولا يبطرُ النعمةَ، وفي حالِ الفقدِ والفقرِ: صابرٌ راضٍ، راجٍ من اللهِ فضلَهُ وخيرَهُ ورحمتَهُ، وهذا من أجلِّ عباداتِ القلوبِ المقرِّبةِ إلى علامِ الغيوبِ.