Al-Tafsīr al-Qayyim - Ibn al-Qayyim - (234)

Al-Tafsīr al-QayyimIbn al-Qayyim

[Surah al-Mā’idah (5): verse 3]

“Forbidden to you are carrion, blood, pork, and animals dedicated to other than Allah; animals strangled, beaten to death, killed by a fall, gored to death, or savaged by wild beasts—except those you slaughter before they die—and animals sacrificed on stone altars. You are also forbidden to seek decisions through divining arrows. All this is disobedience. Today the disbelievers have lost hope of undermining your religion, so do not fear them; fear Me. Today I have perfected your religion for you, completed My favour upon you, and approved Islam for you as your religion. But whoever is compelled by severe hunger, without inclining towards sin—Allah is indeed All-Forgiving, Most Merciful.” (3)

Consider how He describes the religion He chose for them as perfect, and the favour He bestowed upon them as complete. This signifies that the religion contains no deficiency, fault, or flaw, nor anything contrary to wisdom in any respect. Rather, it is perfect in its beauty and majesty. He describes the favour as complete to signify its permanence and continuity: He will not withdraw it from them after granting it, but will complete it for them by making it endure in this abode and the everlasting abode.

Consider, too, how aptly completion is associated with favour, and perfection with religion. He attributes the religion to them because they uphold and establish it. He attributes the favour to Himself because He is its source, its giver, and the One who bestows it upon them. It is truly a favour, and they are its recipients.

With perfection, He uses the preposition lām (“for”), indicating that this is something granted exclusively to them rather than to other nations.

With the completion of His favour, He uses ‘alā (“upon”), indicating elevation, comprehensiveness, and all-encompassing scope. Thus, “I have completed” corresponds to “I have perfected,” “upon you” to “for you,” and “My favour” to “your religion.” He further emphasizes and affirms this, perfecting and completing His favour, by saying: “And approved Islam for you as your religion” (5:3).

As for His not willing or intending something, He, the Exalted, says:

“Those are the ones whose hearts Allah does not intend to purify” (5:41).

He also says:

“Had We willed, We would have given every soul its guidance.”

“Had your Lord willed, everyone on earth would have believed, all together.”

His not willing something necessarily entails its nonexistence, just as His willing it necessarily entails its existence. Whatever Allah wills must exist, and whatever He does not will cannot exist. He, glorified be He, has told us that His servants do not will anything until He has willed it, and do nothing until He has willed it. He says:

“You do not will unless Allah wills.”

He also says:

“They do not take heed unless Allah wills.”

If it is asked: “Is an act within a servant’s power when Allah does not will that he perform it?”

[سورة المائدة (٥) : آية ٣] حُرِّمَتْ عَلَيْكُمُ الْمَيْتَةُ وَالدَّمُ وَلَحْمُ الْخِنْزِيرِ وَما أُهِلَّ لِغَيْرِ اللَّهِ بِهِ وَالْمُنْخَنِقَةُ وَالْمَوْقُوذَةُ وَالْمُتَرَدِّيَةُ وَالنَّطِيحَةُ وَما أَكَلَ السَّبُعُ إِلاَّ ما ذَكَّيْتُمْ وَما ذُبِحَ عَلَى النُّصُبِ وَأَنْ تَسْتَقْسِمُوا بِالْأَزْلامِ ذلِكُمْ فِسْقٌ الْيَوْمَ يَئِسَ الَّذِينَ كَفَرُوا مِنْ دِينِكُمْ فَلا تَخْشَوْهُمْ وَاخْشَوْنِ الْيَوْمَ أَكْمَلْتُ لَكُمْ دِينَكُمْ وَأَتْمَمْتُ عَلَيْكُمْ نِعْمَتِي وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الْإِسْلامَ دِيناً فَمَنِ اضْطُرَّ فِي مَخْمَصَةٍ غَيْرَ مُتَجانِفٍ لِإِثْمٍ فَإِنَّ اللَّهَ غَفُورٌ رَحِيمٌ (٣) تأمل كيف وصف الدين الذي اختاره لهم بالكمال، والنعمة التي أسبغها عليهم بالتمام إيذانا في الدين بأنه لا نقص فيه ولا عيب ولا خلل، ولا شيء خارجا عن الحكمة بوجه، بل هو الكامل في حسنه وجلالته ووصف النعمة بالتمام إيذانا بدوامها واتصالها، وأنه لا يسلبهم إياها بعد إذ أعطاهموها بل يتمها لهم بالدوام في هذا الدار وفي دار القرار. وتأمل حسن اقتران التمام بالنعمة وحسن اقتران الكمال بالدين، وإضافة الدين إليهم، إذ هم القائمون به المقيمون له. وأضاف النعمة إليه إذ هو وليها ومسديها والمنعم بها عليهم، فهي نعمة حقا، وهم قابلوها. وأتى في الكمال باللام المؤذنة بالاختصاص، وأنه شيء خصوا به دون الأمم. وفي إتمام النعمة بعلى المؤذنة بالاستعلاء والاشتمال والإحاطة فجاء «أتممت» في مقابلة أَكْمَلْتُ و «عليكم» في مقابلة لَكُمْ و «نعمتي» في مقابلة دِينِكُمْ وأكد ذلك وزاده تقريرا وكمالا وإتماما للنعمة بقوله ٥: ٣ وَرَضِيتُ لَكُمُ الْإِسْلامَ دِيناً. وأما عدم مشيئته سبحانه وإرادته، فكما قال تعالى: ٥: ٤١ أُولئِكَ الَّذِينَ لَمْ يُرِدِ اللَّهُ أَنْ يُطَهِّرَ قُلُوبَهُمْ وقال وَلَوْ شِئْنا لَآتَيْنا كُلَّ نَفْسٍ هُداها وَلَوْ شاءَ رَبُّكَ لَآمَنَ مَنْ فِي الْأَرْضِ كُلُّهُمْ جَمِيعاً وعدم مشيئته للشيء مستلزم لعدم وجوده، كما أن مشيئته تستلزم وجوده. فما شاء الله وجب وجوده، وما لم يشأ امتنع وجوده وقد أخبر سبحانه أن العباد لا يشاءون إلا بعد مشيئته، ولا يفعلون شيئا إلا بعد مشيئته فقال وَما تَشاؤُنَ إِلَّا أَنْ يَشاءَ اللَّهُ وقال وَما يَذْكُرُونَ إِلَّا أَنْ يَشاءَ اللَّهُ. فإن قيل: فهل يكون الفعل مقدورا للعبد في حال عدم مشيئة الله له أن يفعله؟.