Al-Tafsīr al-Qayyim - Ibn al-Qayyim - (174)

Al-Tafsīr al-QayyimIbn al-Qayyim

He thus describes them as having six qualities:

The first is poverty.

The second is their devotion to His cause, Most High, fighting His enemies and supporting His religion. The basic meaning of confinement is restraint: they restrain themselves from pursuing worldly occupations and devote themselves entirely to Allah and His cause.

The third is their inability to travel to earn a living. “Going through the land” means travelling. Allah, Most High, says:

“He knows that some of you will be ill, and others travelling through the land seeking Allah’s bounty.” [73:20]

And He, Most High, says:

“When you travel through the land, there is no blame upon you for shortening the prayer.” [4:101]

The fourth is their exceptional restraint in asking, reflected in their patient endurance and their appearance of being well provided for. Those unaware of their circumstances think them wealthy because they refrain from asking, do not seek others’ help, and conceal their need.

The fifth is that they can be recognized by their appearance: the signs indicating the condition in which Allah has described them. This does not contradict the uninformed person’s supposing them wealthy, for he sees only outward appearances. The knowledgeable person, however, is perceptive and discerning, recognizing people by their signs. Those endowed with such discernment are the elect among the believers, as Allah, Most High, says:

“Indeed, in that are signs for those who discern.” [15:75]

The sixth is their refraining from asking people: they do not ask them persistently. Persistence here means importunity, and the negation applies to both asking and persistence: they neither ask nor persist. Thus, they do not make a request that leads them to press for more. This resembles the poetic expression:

“Along a well-trodden road whose waymarks give no guidance,”

meaning that it has no waymarks by which one might be guided. This also suggests that what is blameworthy in asking is persistent begging. As for asking only as much as necessity requires, without persistence, it is better to refrain, but it is not forbidden.

فوصفهم بست صفات: إحداها: الفقر. الثانية: حبسهم أنفسهم في سبيله تعالى وجهاد أعدائه، ونصر دينه، وأصل الحصر: المنع، فمنعوا أنفسهم من تصرفها في أشغال الدنيا، وقصروها على بذلها لله وفي سبيله. الثالثة: عجزهم عن الأسفار للتكسب، والضرب في الأرض: هو السفر. قال تعالى: ٧٣: ٢٠ عَلِمَ أَنْ سَيَكُونُ مِنْكُمْ مَرْضى وَآخَرُونَ يَضْرِبُونَ فِي الْأَرْضِ يَبْتَغُونَ مِنْ فَضْلِ اللَّهِ وقال تعالى: ٤: ١٠١ وَإِذا ضَرَبْتُمْ فِي الْأَرْضِ فَلَيْسَ عَلَيْكُمْ جُناحٌ أَنْ تَقْصُرُوا مِنَ الصَّلاةِ. الرابعة: شدة تعففهم. وهو حسن صبرهم، وإظهارهم الغنى. يحسبهم الجاهل أغنياء من تعففهم، وعدم تعرضهم وكتمانهم حاجتهم. الخامسة: أنهم يعرفون بسيماهم. وهي العلامة الدالة على حالتهم التي وصفهم الله بها. وهذا لا ينافي حسبان الجاهل أنهم أغنياء، لأن الجاهل له ظاهر الأمر، والعارف: هو المتوسم المتفرس الذي يعرف الناس بسيماهم. فالمتوسمون خواص المؤمنين، كما قال تعالى ١٥: ٧٥ إِنَّ فِي ذلِكَ لَآياتٍ لِلْمُتَوَسِّمِينَ. السادسة: تركهم مسألة الناس، فلا يسألونهم إلحافا والإلحاف: هو الإلحاح والنفي متسلط عليهما معا، أي لا يسألون ولا يلحفون. فليس يقع منهم سؤال يكون بسببه إلحاف. وهذا كقوله على لا حب لا يهتدي لمناره أي ليس فيه منار فيهتدي به. وفيه كالتنبيه على أن المذموم من السؤال: هو سؤال الإلحاف. فأما السؤال بقدر الضرورة من غير إلحاف فالأفضل تركه ولا يحرم.