Zād al-Maʿād - Ibn al-Qayyim - (2/411)

Zād al-MaʿādIbn al-Qayyim

For if you exaggerate, expectations of him
Will soar to the furthest extreme.
He is diminished by the very praise that exalted him,
For what was imagined surpasses (1) what is seen.

There is another consideration as well (2): the person bearing such a name may suppose and believe that he truly possesses the quality it describes. He then falls into declaring himself righteous, magnifying himself, and exalting himself above others. This is why the Prophet, peace and blessings be upon him, forbade giving the name Barrah (righteous), saying:

“Do not declare yourselves righteous; Allah knows best who among you is righteous.” (3)

Accordingly, it is disliked to give such names as al-Taqī (the pious), al-Muttaqī (the God-fearing), al-Mutī‘ (the obedient), al-Tā’i‘ (the dutiful), al-Rādī (the contented), al-Muhsin (the doer of good), al-Mukhlis (the sincere), al-Munīb (the one who turns to Allah), al-Rashīd (the rightly guided), and al-Sadīd (the upright). As for giving these names to disbelievers, it is not permissible to allow this, to address them by any of these names, or to refer to them by them. Allah, Mighty and Majestic, is angered by their being given such names.

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As for a kunya (honorific name), it is a form (4) of honouring its bearer and acknowledging his standing, as the poet said (5):

I call him by his kunya to honour him,
And give him no nickname—nicknames are a disgrace. (6)

(1) The printed edition reads “‘an (from),” contrary to the manuscripts and the transmitted text. (2) “Aydan (also)” is absent from ق, ب, and مب. (3) The hadith’s sources have already been cited. (4) ك reads “anwā‘ (types).” (5) The printed edition adds “al-shā‘ir (the poet)” here; this is absent from the manuscripts. The verse is by one of the Fazārī poets; see Dīwān al-Hamāsah (Anthology of Heroic Verse), 1/574. (6) The printed edition reads “wa-l-saw’atu al-laqabu (and nicknames are a disgrace),” with nominative endings. The transmitted reading has accusative endings, as do all the manuscripts. This verse is a well-known grammatical example. For the grammatical explanation of the accusative, see al-‘Aynī’s al-Maqāsid al-Nahwiyyah (Grammatical Objectives), 3/89; Sharh al-Ashmūnī (Al-Ashmūnī’s Commentary), 1/224; and Khizānat al-Adab (Treasury of Literature), 4/6.

فإنَّك إن تَغْلُ تَغْلُ الظُّنو ... نُ فيه إلى الأمدِ الأبعدِ فينقُصُ من حيثُ عظَّمتَه ... لفضل المَغِيبِ على (١) المَشْهد وأمرٌ آخر أيضًا (٢)، وهو ظنُّ المسمَّى واعتقاده في نفسه أنَّه كذلك، فيقع في تزكية نفسه وتعظيمها وترفُّعِها على غيره، وهذا هو المعنى الذي نهى النبيُّ ﷺ لأجله أن تُسمَّى برَّةً، وقال: «لا تُزكُّوا أنفسَكم، الله أعلمُ بأهل البِرِّ منكم» (٣). وعلى هذا فتُكْره التَّسمية بـ: التَّقيِّ، والمتَّقي، والمطيع، والطَّائع، والرَّاضي، والمحسن، والمخلص، والمنيب، والرَّشيد، والسَّديد. وأمَّا تسمية الكفَّار بذلك فلا يجوز التَّمكين منه، ولا دعاؤهم بشيءٍ من هذه الأسماء، ولا الإخبار عنهم بها، والله ﷿ يغضب من تسميتهم بذلك. فصل وأمَّا الكنية فهي نوعُ (٤) تكريمٍ للمَكْنيِّ وتنويهٍ به، كما قال (٥): أَكْنِيهِ حينَ أُناديهِ لأُكرِمَهُ ... ولا أُلقِّبه والسَّوءَةَ اللَّقَبا (٦)

(١) في المطبوع: «عن» خلاف النسخ والرواية. (٢) «أيضًا» ليست في ق، ب، مب. (٣) تقدم تخريجه. (٤) ك: «أنواع». (٥) بعدها في المطبوع: «الشاعر»، وليس في النسخ. والبيت لبعض الفزاريين في «ديوان الحماسة» (١/ ٥٧٤). (٦) في المطبوع: «والسوءةُ اللقبُ». والرواية بالنصب، وكذا في جميع النسخ، وهو من شواهد النحو المشهورة. وانظر توجيه النصب في «المقاصد النحوية» للعيني (٣/ ٨٩) و «شرح الأشموني» (١/ ٢٢٤) و «خزانة الأدب» (٤/ ٦).