Al-Jawāb as-Sahīh li-man baddala dīn al-Masīh - Ibn Taimiya - (3/67)

Al-Jawāb as-Sahīh li-man baddala dīn al-MasīhIbn Taimiya

Say, “O you who disbelieve” ⦗Al-Kafirun 1⦘ (1)

“I do not worship what you worship” ⦗Al-Kafirun 2⦘ (2)

“Nor are you worshippers of what I worship” ⦗Al-Kafirun 3⦘ (3)

Others among the unbelievers are likewise covered by these verses—indeed, the Jews are even more worthy of inclusion than anyone else. The expression “what you worship” embraces the attributes of the one being worshipped, and the God whom the believers adore is the very One who revealed the Torah, the Gospel, and the Quran, and who sent Moses, Jesus, and Muhammad—peace and blessings be upon them all.

The God endowed with these attributes is not worshipped by either the Jews or the Christians. This is just like His words: “They said, ‘We worship your God and the God of your fathers—Abraham, Ishmael, and Isaac—one God, and to Him we submit.’” ⦗Al-Baqarah 133⦘.

Such is the God whom Muhammad and his community worship; He is not the deity venerated by the polytheists. Although He alone deserves their worship, they associate others with Him and ascribe to Him what is utterly remote from Him, so they fail to devote the religion exclusively to Him. They worship other gods alongside Him—unless they are too arrogant even to worship Him at all.

The god a person actually serves in practice does not stand to him as does the One who truly deserves his worship but whom he spurns, either by setting up partners beside Him or by proudly refusing to worship Him. Concerning such people He said, “I do not worship what you worship” ⦗Al-Kafirun 2⦘.

Polytheism predominates among the Christians, whereas arrogance predominates among the Jews.

{قُلْ يَاأَيُّهَا الْكَافِرُونَ} [الكافرون: ١] (١) {لَا أَعْبُدُ مَا تَعْبُدُونَ} [الكافرون: ٢] (٢) {وَلَا أَنْتُمْ عَابِدُونَ مَا أَعْبُدُ} [الكافرون: ٣] . كَمَا دَخَلَ فِي ذَلِكَ غَيْرُهُمْ مِنَ الْكُفَّارِ، لَا سِيَّمَا وَقَدْ دَخَلَ فِي ذَلِكَ الْيَهُودُ، وَهُمْ أَوْلَى بِالدُّخُولِ مِنْ غَيْرِهِمْ، فَإِنَّ قَوْلَهُ: (مَا تَعْبُدُونَ) يَتَنَاوَلُ صِفَاتِ الْمَعْبُودِ، وَالْإِلَهُ الَّذِي يَعْبُدُهُ الْمُؤْمِنُونَ هُوَ الْإِلَهُ الَّذِي أَنْزَلَ التَّوْرَاةَ وَالْإِنْجِيلَ وَالْقُرْآنَ، وَأَرْسَلَ مُوسَى وَعِيسَى وَمُحَمَّدًا - صَلَوَاتُ اللَّهِ عَلَيْهِمْ وَسَلَامُهُ -. وَالْإِلَهُ الْمُتَّصِفُ بِهَذِهِ الصِّفَاتِ لَا يَعْبُدُهُ الْيَهُودُ وَالنَّصَارَى، وَهَذَا كَقَوْلِهِ: {قَالُوا نَعْبُدُ إِلَهَكَ وَإِلَهَ آبَائِكَ إِبْرَاهِيمَ وَإِسْمَاعِيلَ وَإِسْحَاقَ إِلَهًا وَاحِدًا وَنَحْنُ لَهُ مُسْلِمُونَ} [البقرة: ١٣٣] . فَهَذَا الْإِلَهُ الَّذِي يَعْبُدُهُ مُحَمَّدٌ وَأُمَّتُهُ، وَلَيْسَ هُوَ إِلَهَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ الَّذِي يَعْبُدُونَهُ، وَإِنْ كَانَ هُوَ الْمُسْتَحِقَّ لِأَنْ يَعْبُدُوهُ فَإِنَّهُمْ يُشْرِكُونَ بِعِبَادَتِهِ وَيَصِفُونَهُ بِمَا هُوَ بَرِيءٌ مِنْهُ فَلَا يُخْلِصُونَ لَهُ الدِّينَ، فَيَعْبُدُوا مَعَهُ آلِهَةً أُخْرَى إِنْ لَمْ يَسْتَكْبِرُوا عَنْ عِبَادَتِهِ، وَإِلَهُ الْعَبْدِ الَّذِي يَعْبُدُهُ بِالْفِعْلِ لَيْسَ حَالُهُ مَعَهُ كَحَالِهِ مَعَ الَّذِي يَسْتَحِقُّ أَنْ يَعْبُدَهُ، وَهُوَ لَا يَعْبُدُهُ، بَلْ يُشْرِكُ بِهِ أَوْ يَسْتَكْبِرُ عَنْ عِبَادَتِهِ، فَهَذَا هُوَ الَّذِي قَالَ فِيهِ: {لَا أَعْبُدُ مَا تَعْبُدُونَ} [الكافرون: ٢] . وَالشِّرْكُ غَالِبٌ عَلَى النَّصَارَى، وَالْكِبْرُ غَالِبٌ عَلَى الْيَهُودِ.