Al-Fawāʾid - Ibn al-Qayyim - (الكتاب/38)

Al-FawāʾidIbn al-Qayyim

grief; if it concerns something yet to come, it stirs anxiety, and if it relates to something presently occurring, it begets distress. Allah knows best.

A Point of Benefit

The most exalted, the purest, the brightest, the noblest, the loftiest in essence and rank, and the most expansive of all created things is the Throne of the All-Merciful, and for that reason it was suitable for His establishing Himself above it.

Whatever lies closer to the Throne is therefore more luminous, purer, and nobler than what is farther from it. This is why the Garden of Firdaws is the highest, most honored, most radiant, and most glorious of all the gardens: its nearness to the Throne—indeed, the Throne is its ceiling ⦗1⦘.

Conversely, the farther a place is from the Throne, the darker and more constricted it becomes; hence the lowest depths are the worst, the narrowest, and the farthest removed from every good.

Allah created the hearts and made them the locus of knowing Him, loving Him, and seeking Him. They are therefore the throne of the Supreme Example—that is, the knowledge, love, and will directed toward Him. The Exalted says,

“For those who do not believe in the Hereafter is the vile description, whereas to Allah belongs the Highest Attribute, and He is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise” (16:60);

and He says,

“It is He who originates creation and then brings it back again, and that is even easier for Him. To Him belongs the Highest Attribute in the heavens and on the earth, and He is the All-Mighty, the All-Wise” (30:27);

and He says,

“There is nothing like unto Him” (42:11).

This belongs to the Highest Attribute, and it is established upon the believer’s heart, which is thus its throne. Were the heart not among the purest, most undefiled, sweetest, and most distant from every stain and blemish, it would not be fit for the Highest Attribute to be established upon it as knowledge, love, and will; and so it is established.

(1) As reported in the hadith collected by al-Bukhari (no. 7423) from Abu Hurayra: “When you ask Allah, ask Him for al-Firdaws, for it is the middle and the highest level of Paradise; above it is the Throne of the Most-Merciful, and from it the rivers of Paradise spring forth.”

الحزن، وإن كان من مستقبل؛ أحدث الهمَّ، وإن كان من أمرٍ حاضرٍ؛ أحدث الغَمَّ. والله أعلم. فائدة أنزَهُ الموجودات وأطهَرُها وأنوَرُها وأشرفُها وأعلاها ذاتًا وقَدْرًا وأوسعُها عرشُ الرحمن ﷻ، ولذلك صلح لاستوائه عليه. وكلُّ ما كان أقربَ إلى العرش؛ كان أنور وأنْزَه وأشرف مما بعدَ عنه. ولهذا كانت جنةُ الفردوسِ أعلى الجِنانِ وأشرفها وأنورها وأجلَّها؛ لقُربِها من العرش؛ إذ هو سَقْفُها (١). وكلُّ ما بعدَ عنه كان أظلم وأضيق. ولهذا كان أسفل سافلينَ شرَّ الأمكنة وأضيقها وأبعدها من كلِّ خيرٍ. وخَلَق الله القلوب وجعلها محلًّا لمعرفتِهِ ومحبَّتِهِ وإرادتِهِ؛ فهي عرشُ المثل الأعلى الذي هو معرفتُه ومحبتُه وإرادتُه. قال تعالى: ﴿لِلَّذِينَ لَا يُؤْمِنُونَ بِالْآخِرَةِ مَثَلُ السَّوْءِ وَلِلَّهِ الْمَثَلُ الْأَعْلَى وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ (٦٠)﴾ [النحل: ٦٠]، وقال تعالى: ﴿وَهُوَ الَّذِي يَبْدَأُ الْخَلْقَ ثُمَّ يُعِيدُهُ وَهُوَ أَهْوَنُ عَلَيهِ وَلَهُ الْمَثَلُ الْأَعْلَى فِي السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضِ وَهُوَ الْعَزِيزُ الْحَكِيمُ (٢٧)﴾ [الروم: ٢٧]، وقال تعالى: ﴿لَيسَ كَمِثْلِهِ شَيءٌ﴾ [الشورى: ١١]؛ فهذا من المثل الأعلى، وهو مستوٍ على قلب المؤمن؛ فهو عرشُه. وإن لم يكن أطهرَ الأشياء وأنزهَها وأطيَبها وأبعدَها من كل دنس وخبث؛ لم يصلُحْ لاستواء، المثل الأعلى عليه معرفةً ومحبةً وإرادةً، فاستوى

(١) كما في الحديث الذي أخرجه البخاري (٧٤٢٣) عن أبي هريرة مرفوعًا، وفيه: "فإذا سألتم الله فسلوه الفردوس، فإنه أوسط الجنة وأعلى الجنة، وفوقه عرش الرحمن، ومنه تفجر أنهار الجنة".