Zād al-Maʿād - Ibn al-Qayyim - (1/10)

Zād al-MaʿādIbn al-Qayyim

as the Most High says:

“Those to whom people said, ‘The people have gathered against you, so fear them,’ but this increased them in faith, and they said, ‘Allah is sufficient for us, and He is the best Disposer of affairs.’” [Āl ʿImrān: 173]

They did not say, “Allah and His Messenger are sufficient for us.” If this is what they said, and their Lord Most High praised them for it, how could He say to His Messenger, “Allah and your followers are sufficient for you”? His followers affirmed that their Lord Most High alone was sufficient for them, without associating His Messenger with Him in this. How, then, could He associate them with Himself as sufficient for His Messenger?! This is utterly impossible and utterly false.

A similar example is His saying, glorified be He:

“If only they had been satisfied with what Allah and His Messenger gave them and said, ‘Allah is sufficient for us. Allah will give us of His bounty, and so will His Messenger. Indeed, to Allah we turn with longing.’” [Al-Tawbah: 59]

Consider how He attributes giving to both Allah and His Messenger, as the Most High says:

“Whatever the Messenger gives you, take it.” [Al-Hashr: 7]

Yet He reserves sufficiency for Himself alone. He did not say, “And they said, ‘Allah and His Messenger are sufficient for us.’” Rather, He made it His exclusive right, just as He said, “Indeed, to Allah we turn with longing.” He did not say, “And to His Messenger,” but directed longing to Himself alone, as the Most High says:

“(6) So when you have finished, strive diligently (7) and to your Lord” [Al-Sharh: 7–8].

Thus, longing, reliance, turning in devotion, and taking Him as sufficient are for Allah alone, just as worship, piety, prostration (1), vows, and oaths must be for Him alone (2), glorified and exalted be He.

A similar example is the saying of the Most High:

“(35) Is Allah not sufficient for His servant?” [Al-Zumar: 36]

To be sufficient is to meet one’s needs. He, glorified be He, thus declares that He alone suffices His servant. How, then, could He place the Messenger’s followers alongside Allah in providing this sufficiency? And the evidence demonstrating the invalidity of this corrupt interpretation

(1) Manuscript nūn adds after this: “li-llāh wahdahu” (for Allah alone). (2) Manuscripts ayn and kāf read: “li-llāh” (for Allah).

فقال تعالى: ﴿الَّذِينَ قَالَ لَهُمُ النَّاسُ إِنَّ النَّاسَ قَدْ جَمَعُوا لَكُمْ فَاخْشَوْهُمْ فَزَادَهُمْ إِيمَانًا وَقَالُوا حَسْبُنَا اللَّهُ وَنِعْمَ الْوَكِيلُ﴾ [آل عمران: ١٧٣]، ولم يقولوا: حسبنا الله ورسوله. فإذا كان هذا قولهم، ومدحُ الربِّ تعالى لهم بذلك، فكيف يقول لرسوله: اللهُ وأتباعُك حسبُك؟ وأتباعُه قد أفردوا الربَّ تعالى بالحسب، ولم يُشركوا بينه وبين رسوله فيه، فكيف يُشرك بينهم وبينه في حسب رسوله؟! هذا من أمحل المحال وأبطل الباطل. ونظير هذا قوله سبحانه: ﴿وَلَوْ أَنَّهُمْ رَضُوا مَا آتَاهُمُ اللَّهُ وَرَسُولُهُ وَقَالُوا حَسْبُنَا اللَّهُ سَيُؤْتِينَا اللَّهُ مِنْ فَضْلِهِ وَرَسُولُهُ إِنَّا إِلَى اللَّهِ رَاغِبُونَ﴾ [التوبة: ٥٩]. فتأمَّلْ كيف جعل الإيتاء لله ولرسوله، كما قال تعالى: ﴿وَمَا آتَاكُمُ الرَّسُولُ فَخُذُوهُ﴾ [الحشر: ٧]، وجعل الحسب له وحده، فلم يقل: وقالوا: حسبنا الله ورسوله، بل جعله خالصَ حقِّه؛ كما قال: ﴿إِنَّا إِلَى اللَّهِ رَاغِبُونَ﴾. ولم يقل: وإلى رسوله، بل جعل الرغبة إليه وحده، كما قال تعالى: ﴿(٦) فَإِذَا فَرَغْتَ فَانْصَبْ (٧) وَإِلَى رَبِّكَ﴾ [الشرح: ٧ - ٨]. فالرغبة والتوكل والإنابة والتحسُّب لله وحده، كما أن العبادة والتقوى والسجود (١) والنذر والحلف لا يكون إلا له (٢) ﷾. ونظير هذا قوله تعالى: ﴿(٣٥) أَلَيْسَ اللَّهُ بِكَافٍ عَبْدَهُ﴾ [الزمر: ٣٦]. والحسب: هو الكافي، فأخبر سبحانه أنه وحده كافٍ عبدَه، فكيف يجعل أتباعه مع الله في هذه الكفاية؟ والأدلة الدالة على بطلان هذا التأويل الفاسد

(١) بعده في ن زيادة: «لله وحده». (٢) ع، ك: «لله».