Zād al-Maʿād - Ibn al-Qayyim - (2/423)

Zād al-MaʿādIbn al-Qayyim

ignorant people openly curse and vilify it.

The third is that their abuse is directed at the One who performs these acts—acts in which, had the truth followed their desires, the heavens and the earth would have fallen into ruin. Yet when these acts accord with their desires (1), they praise Time and extol it. In reality (2), it is the Lord of Time, Most High, who gives and withholds, lowers (3) and raises, grants honour and brings humiliation. Time has no part whatsoever in governing affairs. Their reviling Time is therefore reviling Allah, Almighty and Majestic. This is why it offends the Lord, Most High, as reported in the two authentic hadith collections, in a hadith narrated by Abū Hurayrah from the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace:

“Allah Most High said: ‘The son of Adam offends Me by reviling Time, and I am Time.’”

Thus, whoever reviles Time inevitably does one of two things: either he reviles Allah or he associates partners with Him. If he believes that Time acts alongside Allah, he is associating partners with Him. If he believes that Allah alone has done these things, yet reviles the One who did them, then he has reviled Allah.

Another example is his saying, may Allah bless him and grant him peace:

“Let none of you say, ‘May Satan perish!’ For he swells with pride until he becomes as large as a house and says, ‘By my own power I brought him down (4)!’ Rather, let him say, ‘In the name of Allah,’ for then he shrinks until he becomes as small as a fly” (5).

(1) The printed edition reads: “waqa‘at ahwā’uhum (their desires came to pass),” contrary to the manuscripts. (2) “Wa-fī haqīqat al-amr (in reality)” is absent from Kāf. (3) Sād reads: “al-khāfiz,” a corrupt reading. (4) “Sara‘tuhu (I brought him down)” is absent from Sād and Jīm. (5) Narrated by Ahmad (20592) and Abū Dāwūd (4982), from an unnamed Companion of the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace. Al-Hākim identifies him as Usāmah ibn ‘Umayr and grades the hadith as authentic (4/292). Al-Būsīrī deems its chain of transmission good in Ithāf al-Khiyara (6/432), and al-Albānī grades it as authentic in Takhrīj al-Kalim al-Tayyib (p. 175).

من الجهَّال يُصرِّح بلعنته وتقبيحه. الثَّالثة: أنَّ السَّبَّ منهم إنَّما يقع على من فعلَ هذه الأفعال الَّتي لو اتَّبع الحقُّ فيها أهواءهم لفسدت السَّماوات والأرض، وإذا وافقتْ أهواءَهم (١) حَمِدوا الدَّهر وأثنوا عليه. وفي حقيقة الأمر (٢) فربُّ الدَّهرِ تعالى هو المعطي المانع، الخافض (٣) الرَّافع، المُعِزُّ المُذِلُّ، والدَّهر ليس له من الأمر شيءٌ، فمسبَّتهم للدَّهر مسبَّةٌ لله ﷿، ولهذا كانت مؤذيةً للرَّبِّ تعالى، كما في «الصَّحيحين» من حديث أبي هريرة عن النبيِّ ﷺ: «قال الله تعالى: يُؤذِيني ابنُ آدم يَسُبُّ الدَّهرَ، وأنا الدَّهر»، فسابُّ الدَّهرِ دائرٌ بين أمرين لا بدَّ له من أحدهما: إمَّا مسبَّةُ اللَّه، أو الشِّركُ به، فإنَّه إن اعتقد أنَّ الدَّهر فاعلٌ مع الله فهو مشركٌ، وإن اعتقد أنَّ الله وحده هو الذي فعلَ ذلك وهو يسبُّ مَن فعلَه فقد سبَّ اللَّه. ومن هذا قوله ﷺ: «لا يقولنَّ أحدكم: تَعِسَ الشَّيطانُ، فإنَّه يتعاظم حتَّى يكون مثل البيت، ويقول: بقوَّتي صَرَعتُه (٤)، ولكن ليقلْ: بسم اللَّه، فإنَّه يتصاغر حتَّى يكون مثل الذُّباب» (٥).

(١) في المطبوع: «وقعت أهواؤهم» خلاف النسخ. (٢) «وفي حقيقة الأمر» ليست في ك. (٣) ص: «الخافظ»، تحريف. (٤) «صرعته» ليست في ص، ج. (٥) رواه أحمد (٢٠٥٩٢) وأبو داود (٤٩٨٢) من حديث رجل من أصحاب النبي ﷺ، وجاء مسمى أسامة بن عمير عند الحاكم وصححه (٤/ ٢٩٢)، وجوَّده البوصيري في «إتحاف الخيرة» (٦/ ٤٣٢)، وصححه الألباني في «تخريج الكلم الطيب» (ص ١٧٥).