Al-Fawāʾid - Ibn al-Qayyim - (الكتاب/190)

Al-FawāʾidIbn al-Qayyim

Similarly, He says, “And Allah increases those who are guided in guidance.” ⦗Maryam: 76⦘

He also says, “O you who believe! If you fear Allah, He will grant you a furqān (criterion of discernment).” ⦗al-Anfāl: 29⦘. That furqān comprises, first, the light by which they distinguish truth from falsehood, and, second, the victory and honor that enable them to establish the truth and break the power of falsehood; both senses have been given in the exegesis.

The Most High says as well, “Indeed, in that is a sign for every servant who turns back.” (9) ⦗Sabaʾ: 9⦘.

And He says, “Indeed, in that are signs for every steadfast, grateful one.” (31) — a verse that appears in Sūrat Luqmān ⦗31⦘, Sūrat Ibrāhīm ⦗5⦘, Sabaʾ ⦗19⦘, and ash-Shūrā ⦗33⦘. Thus He informs us that His visible, experiential signs are of benefit only to those marked by patience and gratitude, just as He informs us that His revealed, Qurʾānic signs profit only those possessed of taqwā, reverent fear, penitence, and the sincere desire to seek His good pleasure. Only those who fear Him take admonition from them, as He says:

“Ṭā-Hā (1). We did not send down the Qur’an to you to make you suffer (2); it is but a reminder for whoever fears (Allah).” (3) ⦗Ṭā Hā: 1–3⦘

Concerning the Hour He says, “You are only a warner to those who fear it.” (45) ⦗an-Nāziʿāt: 45⦘. But whoever does not believe in it, does not hope for it, and does not fear it will benefit from neither the tangible signs nor the Qur’anic ones.

For this reason, after the Almighty recounted in Sūrah Hūd the punishments that befell the nations who rejected the messengers and the disgrace that struck them in this world, He said: “Indeed, in that is a sign for whoever fears the punishment of the Hereafter.” ⦗Hūd: 103⦘. He thus made clear that His retribution against the deniers is a lesson for those who dread the torment of the Hereafter. As for the one who neither believes in it nor fears its punishment, it is neither a lesson nor a sign for him. When such a person hears of it he merely says, “Good and evil, comfort and hardship, happiness and misery have ever coexisted in the course of time!” and he might attribute that to

ونظيرُ هذا قولُه: ﴿وَيَزِيدُ اللَّهُ الَّذِينَ اهْتَدَوْا هُدًى﴾ [مريم: ٧٦]. وقوله تعالى: ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنْ تَتَّقُوا اللَّهَ يَجْعَلْ لَكُمْ فُرْقَانًا﴾ [الأنفال: ٢٩]، ومن الفُرقان: ما يُعطيهم من النُّور الذي يُفرِّقون به بين الحقِّ والباطل، والنصر والعزِّ الذي يتمكنون به من إقامة الحقِّ وكسر الباطل؛ فُسِّرَ الفرقان بهذا وهذا. وقال تعالى: ﴿إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لآيَةً لِكُلِّ عَبْدٍ مُنِيبٍ (٩)﴾ [سبأ: ٩]. وقال: ﴿إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لآيَاتٍ لِكُلِّ صَبَّارٍ شَكُورٍ (٣١)﴾ في: سورة لقمان [٣١]، وسورة إبراهيم [٥]، وسبأ [١٩]، والشورى [٣٣]؛ فأخبر عن آياته المشهودة العيانية أنها إنما ينتفع بها أهلُ الصبر والشُّكر؛ كما أخبر عن آياته الإيمانية القرآنية أنها إنما ينتفع بها أهل التقوى والخشية والإنابة ومن كان قصده اتباع رضوانه، وأنها إنما يتذكرُ بها من يخشاهُ سبحانه؛ كما قال: ﴿طه (١) مَا أَنْزَلْنَا عَلَيكَ الْقُرْآنَ لِتَشْقَى (٢) إلا تَذْكِرَةً لِمَنْ يَخْشَى (٣)﴾ [طه: ١ - ٣]. وقال في الساعة: ﴿إِنَّمَا أَنْتَ مُنْذِرُ مَنْ يَخْشَاهَا (٤٥)﴾ [النازعات: ٤٥]، وأما من لا يؤمن بها ولا يرجوها ولا يخشاها؛ فلا تنفعه الآياتُ العيانيَّةُ ولا القرآنيةُ. ولهذا لما ذكر سبحانه في سورة هود عقوبات الأمم المكذِّبين للرسل وما حلَّ بهم في الدُّنيا من الخزي؛ قال بعد ذلك: ﴿إِنَّ فِي ذَلِكَ لآيَةً لِمَنْ خَافَ عَذَابَ الْآخِرَةِ﴾ [هود: ١٠٣]، فأخبر أن في عقوباته للمكذبين عبرة لمن خاف عذاب الآخرة، وأما من لا يؤمن بها ولا يخاف عذابها؛ فلا يكون ذلك عبرة وآية في حقه، وإذا سمع ذلك قال: لم يزل في الدهر الخير والشر والنعيم والبؤس والسعادة والشقاوةُ!! وربما أحال ذلك على