Riyad al-Salihin - Al-Nawawi - (1/605)

Riyad al-SalihinAl-Nawawi

possesses mature faith and certitude, has disciplined his soul, and enjoys complete understanding—so that he is neither tempted nor deluded by the praise and his ego does not play with him—then praising him in his presence is neither unlawful nor disliked. If, however, there is any fear that the praise might affect him in those ways, praising him to his face is strongly discouraged. It is according to this distinction that the seemingly divergent hadiths are to be reconciled.

Among the texts that permit praise is the Prophet’s ﷺ statement to Abū Bakr (may Allah be pleased with him): “I hope you will be among them,” meaning among those who will be summoned through every gate of Paradise to enter it.

In another report he ﷺ said, “You are not one of them,” meaning: you are not among those who let their garments trail below the ankles out of arrogance.

He ﷺ also said to ʿUmar (may Allah be pleased with him): “Whenever Satan sees you walking along a path, he takes a path other than yours.”

There are many hadiths that allow praise; I have quoted a number of them in my book Al-Adhkar.

361 – Chapter: The disapproval of leaving a town in which affliction has broken out in order to flee from it, and the disapproval of entering such a town.

Allah the Exalted says: “Wherever you may be, death will overtake you, even if you are in lofty fortresses” (4:78). And He says: “Do not, with your own hands, cast yourselves into ruin” (2:195).

1800 – Ibn ʿAbbās (may Allah be pleased with them) reported that ʿUmar ibn al-Khaṭṭāb (may Allah be pleased with him) set out for Syria. When he reached Sargh (1), the commanders of the armies (2) met him—Abū ʿUbaydah ibn

(1) Pronounced with a short “a” on the first consonant and with the r silent; it names a staging point on the Syrian pilgrims’ route, thirteen stages from Medina. (2) Here al-ajnad means the main districts of greater Syria: Palestine, the Jordan, Damascus, Hims, and Qinnasrin.

عِنْدَهُ كَمَالُ إِيمَانٍ وَيَقِينٍ ، وَرِيَاضَةُ نَفْسٍ ، وَمَعْرِفَةُ تَامَّةٍ بِحَيْثُ لَا يُفْتَتَنُ ، وَلَا يَغْتَرُّ بِذَلِكَ ، وَلَا تَلْعَبُ بِهِ نَفْسُهُ ، فَلَيْسَ بِحَرَامٍ وَلَا مَكْرُوهٍ ، وَإِنْ خِيفَ عَلَيْهِ شَيْءٌ مِنْ هَذِهِ الْأُمُورِ ، كَرِهَ مَدْحَهُ فِي وَجْهِهِ كَرَاهَةً شَدِيدَةً ، وَعَلَى هَذَا التَّفْصِيلِ تَنَزَّلُ الْأَحَادِيثُ الْمُخْتَلِفَةُ فِي ذَلِكَ . وَمِمَّا جَاءَ فِي الْإِبَاحَةِ قَوْلُهُ ﷺ ، لِأَبِي بَكْرٍ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ : « أَرْجُو أَنْ تَكُونَ مِنْهُمْ » أَيْ مِنَ الَّذِينَ يُدْعَوْنَ مِنْ جَمِيعِ أَبْوَابِ الْجَنَّةِ لِدُخُولِهَا . وَفِي الْحَدِيثِ الْآخَرِ : « لَسْتَ مِنْهُمْ » : أَيْ لَسْتَ مِنَ الَّذِينَ يُسْبِلُونَ أَزْرَهُمْ خُيَلَاءَ . وَقَالَ ﷺ لِعُمَرَ رَضِيَ اللَّهُ عَنْهُ : « مَا رَآكَ الشَّيْطَانُ سَالِكًا فَجًّا إِلَّا سَلَكَ فَجًّا غَيْرَ فَجِّكَ » . وَالْأَحَادِيثُ فِي الْإِبَاحَةِ كَثِيرَةٌ ، وَقَدْ ذَكَرْتُ جُمْلَةً مِنْ أَطْرَافِهَا فِي كِتَابِ « الْأَذْكَارِ » . ٣٦١ - باب كراهة الخروج من بلد وقع فيها البلاء فرارًا منه وكراهة القدوم عليه قال الله تعالى : ﴿أَيْنَمَا تَكُونُوا يُدْرِكْكُمُ الْمَوْتُ وَلَوْ كُنْتُمْ فِي بُرُوجٍ مُشَيَّدَةٍ﴾ [سورة النساء الآية : ٧٨] . وَقَالَ تَعَالَى : ﴿وَلَا تُلْقُوا بِأَيْدِيكُمْ إِلَى التَّهْلُكَةِ﴾ [سورة البقرة الآية : ١٩٥] . ١٨٠٠ - وعن ابن عباس رضي الله عنهما ، أن عمر بن الخطاب رضي الله عنه ، خرج إلى الشام حتى إذا كان بِسَرْغَ (١) لَقِيَهُ أُمَرَاءُ الْأَجْنَادِ (٢) - أَبُو عُبَيْدَةَ بْنُ

(١) بفتح المهملة وسكون الراء : منزل من منازل حاج الشام على ثلاث عشرة مرحلة من المدينة . (٢) المراد بالأجناد مدن أهل الشام : فلسطين ، والأردن ، ودمشق ، وحمص ، وقنسرين .