Zād al-Maʿād - Ibn al-Qayyim - (1/16)

Zād al-MaʿādIbn al-Qayyim

verse makes clear that He alone creates and chooses, and that He, glorified be He, knows best where His choice belongs, as the Most High says:

“When a sign comes to them, they say, ‘We will never believe until we are given the like of what Allah’s messengers were given.’ Allah knows best where to place His messages.” (1) [al-An‘ām: 124]

That is, Allah knows best who, rather than anyone else, is suited to be chosen and honoured by Him and singled out for messengership and prophethood.

Fourth: He, glorified be He, declares Himself free of what their association of partners with Him entailed: their presumptuous demands and their claim to choose. He says:

“The choice is not theirs. Glory be to Allah, and exalted is He above what they associate with Him.” [al-Qasas: 68]

Their association of partners with Him did not entail affirming a creator besides Him, such that He would declare (2) Himself free of that. Reflect on this, for it is an exceedingly subtle point.

Fifth: This is analogous to His statement in Sūrat al-Hajj:

“Indeed, those you invoke besides Allah will never create a fly, even if they all come together for that purpose. And if a fly takes something from them, they cannot recover it from it. Weak are both the pursuer and the pursued. (73) They have not esteemed Allah as He deserves. Indeed, Allah is Powerful, Almighty.”

Then He says:

“Allah chooses messengers from among the angels and from among mankind. Indeed, Allah is All-Hearing, All-Seeing. (75) He knows what is before them and what is behind them, and to Allah all matters are returned.” [verses: 73–76]

This is analogous to His statement in Sūrat al-Qasas:

“And your Lord knows what their hearts conceal and what they reveal.” [verse: 69]

And to His statement in Sūrat al-An‘ām:

“Allah knows best where to place His messages.” [verse: 124]

In all these passages, He speaks of His knowledge, which entails His singling out those He chooses for the particular distinctions He grants them, because He knows that they, unlike others, are suited to those distinctions. Reflect on the context of these verses: you will find it coherent with this meaning and centred upon it. And Allah knows best.

(1) This is the wording in the manuscripts: “risālātihi” (His messages), according to the reading of Abū ‘Amr and others. (2) ق, ن read: “nazzaha” (He declared [Himself] free).

الآية بيَّن فيها انفراده بالخلق والاختيار، وأنه سبحانه أعلم بمواقع اختياره، كما قال تعالى: ﴿وَإِذَا جَاءَتْهُمْ آيَةٌ قَالُوا لَنْ نُؤْمِنَ حَتَّى نُؤْتَى مِثْلَ مَا أُوتِيَ رُسُلُ اللَّهِ اللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ حَيْثُ يَجْعَلُ رِسَالَاتِهِ﴾ (١) [الأنعام: ١٢٤]، أي: الله أعلم بالمحلِّ الذي يصلح لاصطفائه وكرامته وتخصيصه بالرسالة والنبوة دون غيره. الرابع: أنه نزه نفسه سبحانه عما اقتضاه شركهم من اقتراحهم واختيارهم فقال: ﴿مَا كَانَ لَهُمُ الْخِيَرَةُ سُبْحَانَ اللَّهِ وَتَعَالَى عَمَّا يُشْرِكُونَ﴾ [القصص: ٦٨] ولم يكن شركهم مقتضيًا لإثبات خالق سواه حتى ينزِّهَ (٢) نفسه عنه، فتأمله فإنه في غاية اللطف. الخامس: أن هذا نظير قوله في الحج: ﴿إِنَّ الَّذِينَ تَدْعُونَ مِنْ دُونِ اللَّهِ لَنْ يَخْلُقُوا ذُبَابًا وَلَوِ اجْتَمَعُوا لَهُ وَإِنْ يَسْلُبْهُمُ الذُّبَابُ شَيْئًا لَا يَسْتَنْقِذُوهُ مِنْهُ ضَعُفَ الطَّالِبُ وَالْمَطْلُوبُ (٧٣) مَا قَدَرُوا اللَّهَ حَقَّ قَدْرِهِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ لَقَوِيٌّ عَزِيزٌ﴾، ثم قال: ﴿اللَّهُ يَصْطَفِي مِنَ الْمَلَائِكَةِ رُسُلًا وَمِنَ النَّاسِ إِنَّ اللَّهَ سَمِيعٌ بَصِيرٌ (٧٥) يَعْلَمُ مَا بَيْنَ أَيْدِيهِمْ وَمَا خَلْفَهُمْ وَإِلَى اللَّهِ تُرْجَعُ الْأُمُورُ﴾ [الآيات: ٧٣ - ٧٦]. وهذا نظير قوله في القصص: ﴿وَرَبُّكَ يَعْلَمُ مَا تُكِنُّ صُدُورُهُمْ وَمَا يُعْلِنُونَ﴾ [الآية: ٦٩]، ونظير قوله في الأنعام: ﴿اللَّهُ أَعْلَمُ حَيْثُ يَجْعَلُ رِسَالَاتِهِ﴾ [آية: ١٢٤] فأخبر في ذلك كلِّه عن علمه المتضمن لتخصيصه محالَّ اختياره بما خصصها به، لعلمه بأنها تصلح له دون غيرها. فتدبَّر السياق في هذه الآيات تجده منتظِمًا لهذا المعنى، دائرًا عليه، والله أعلم.

(١) كذا في النسخ الخطية: ﴿رِسَالَاتِهِ﴾ على قراءة أبي عمرو وغيره. (٢) ق، ن: «نزه».