Zād al-Maʿād - Ibn al-Qayyim - (1/369)

Zād al-MaʿādIbn al-Qayyim

been established that Ibn ‘Umar was asked about the Sunnah prayer before the noon prayer while travelling, and replied: “If I were to offer voluntary prayers, I would pray the full number of rak‘ahs” (1). This reflects his understanding of the religion, may Allah be pleased with him. Allah, glorified be He, has lightened the traveller’s burden (2) by reducing the four-rak‘ah prayer (3) by half. If two rak‘ahs before it and two after it were prescribed for him, it would be more appropriate for him to perform the obligatory prayer in full.

The jurists have differed over which of the two prayers is more strongly emphasized—the Sunnah prayer before dawn or Witr—with two views on the matter. Neither can be given precedence on the basis of disagreement over whether Witr is obligatory, since they have also disagreed over whether the Sunnah prayer before dawn is obligatory. I heard Shaykh al-Islām Ibn Taymiyyah say: “The Sunnah prayer before dawn serves as the beginning of one’s deeds, and Witr as their conclusion. Hence, the Prophet would recite the two surahs of sincerity (4) in the Sunnah prayer before dawn and in Witr. Together, they encompass affirming Allah’s oneness in knowledge and action, in understanding and will, and in belief and intention.” End of quotation.

The surah beginning “Say: He is Allah, the One” encompasses affirming Allah’s oneness in belief and understanding, and what must be affirmed of the Lord Most High: His absolute oneness, which excludes any sharing whatsoever (5) in any respect; His quality of being al-Samad, which affirms for Him all attributes of perfection, untouched by any deficiency whatsoever; His having neither offspring nor parent, which necessarily follows from His being al-Samad (6), His self-sufficiency, and His oneness; and His having no equal, which excludes any resemblance, likeness, or counterpart. Thus, the surah affirms every perfection for Him, denies every deficiency in Him, and rules out attributing any likeness or equal to Him in

(1) Reported by Muslim (689); it forms part of the preceding hadith. (2) Manuscripts sād and qāf read: “on the traveller”; kāf and ‘ayn read: “on travellers.” (3) Manuscript ‘ayn reads: “the four-unit prayers.” (4) See a similar passage, without mention of Shaykh al-Islām, in Badā’i‘ al-fawā’id (1/244). (5) Manuscript mīm-bā reads: “sharing.” (6) Manuscripts sād and jīm read: “… parent, [a negation] affirming the perfection of His samadiyyah (His possession of all attributes of perfection).”

ثبت عن ابن عمر أنه سئل عن سنَّة الظهر في السفر فقال: لو كنت مسبِّحًا لأتممتُ (١). وهذا من فقهه ﵁، فإن الله سبحانه خفَّف عن المسافر (٢) من الرباعية (٣) شطرها، فلو شُرع له الركعتان قبلها وبعدها كان الإتمام أولى له. وقد اختلف الفقهاء: أيُّ الصلاتين آكد: سنَّة الفجر أو الوتر؟ على قولين: ولا يمكن الترجيح باختلاف الناس في وجوب الوتر، فقد اختلفوا أيضًا في وجوب سنَّة الفجر. وسمعت شيخ الإسلام ابن تيمية يقول: سنَّة الفجر تجري مجرى بداية العمل، والوتر خاتمته. ولذلك كان يصلِّي سنَّة الفجر والوتر بسورتي الإخلاص (٤)، وهما الجامعتان لتوحيد العلم والعمل، وتوحيد المعرفة والإرادة، وتوحيد الاعتقاد والقصد. انتهى. فسورة (قل هو الله أحدٌ) متضمنةٌ لتوحيد الاعتقاد والمعرفة، وما يجب إثباته للرَّبِّ تعالى من الأحديَّة المنافية لمطلق الشَّرِكة (٥) بوجه من الوجوه، والصَّمديَّة المثبِتة له جميعَ صفات الكمال الذي لا يلحقه نقصٌ بوجه من الوجوه، ونفي الولد والوالد الذي هو من لوازم صمديَّته (٦) وغناه وأحديَّته، ونفي الكُفْء المتضمِّن لنفي التشبيه والتمثيل والنظير. فتضمَّنت السورةُّ إثباتَ كلِّ كمال له، ونفيَ كلِّ نقص عنه، ونفيَ إثبات شبيه له أو مثل في

(١) أخرجه مسلم (٦٨٩) وهو جزء الحديث السابق. (٢) ص، ق: «على المسافر»، وفي ك، ع: «على المسافرين». (٣) ع: «الرباعيات». (٤) انظر نحوه دون ذكر شيخ الإسلام في «بدائع الفوائد» (١/ ٢٤٤). (٥) مب: «المشاركة». (٦) ص، ج: « ... الوالد المقرِّر لكمال صمديَّته».