Al-Tafsīr al-Qayyim - Ibn al-Qayyim - (98)

Al-Tafsīr al-QayyimIbn al-Qayyim

Allah, glorified be He, reserved unqualified glad tidings for His servants, saying:

“So give glad tidings to My servants who listen to what is said and follow the best of it.” (39:17, 18)

He also granted them complete security, saying:

“O My servants, you will have no fear today, nor will you grieve—those who believed in Our revelations and submitted to Us.” (43:68, 69)

He specifically denied Satan any authority over them, granting him authority only over those who take him as their ally and associate partners with Him. He says:

“Indeed, you have no authority over My servants, except those of the misguided who follow you.” (15:42)

He also says:

“He has no authority over those who believe and put their trust in their Lord. His authority is only over those who take him as their ally and those who associate partners with Him.” (16:99, 100)

The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, made excellence in servitude the highest level of religion: the level of excellence. In the hadith of Gabriel, when asked about excellence, he said:

“To worship Allah as though you see Him; and although you do not see Him, He certainly sees you.” «1»

Section
The obligation of “You alone we worship” upon every servant until death

Allah Most High says to His Messenger:

“And worship your Lord until certainty comes to you.” (15:99)

The people of Hell say:

“And we used to deny the Day of Judgment until certainty came to us.” (74:46, 47)

Here, “certainty” means death, according to the unanimous agreement of the Quran commentators.

In al-Sahīh, in the account of the death of ‘Uthmān ibn Maz‘ūn, may Allah be pleased with him, the Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, said:

“As for ‘Uthmān, certainty has come to him from his Lord.”

This means death and all that it entails. Thus, a servant is never free of servitude so long as he remains in this realm of religious obligation. Indeed, in the intermediate realm after death, he has another duty of servitude when the two angels ask him whom he used to worship and what he says about the Messenger of Allah, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, and require him to answer.

He has yet another duty of servitude on the Day of Resurrection, when Allah calls all creation to prostrate. The believers will prostrate, while the disbelievers and hypocrites remain unable

(1) Reported by al-Tirmidhī, no. 2610.

وجعل سبحانه البشارة المطلقة لعباده، فقال تعالى: ٣٩: ١٧، ١٨ فَبَشِّرْ عِبادِ الَّذِينَ يَسْتَمِعُونَ الْقَوْلَ فَيَتَّبِعُونَ أَحْسَنَهُ وجعل الأمن المطلق لهم، فقال تعالى: ٤٣: ٦٨، ٦٩ يا عِبادِ لا خَوْفٌ عَلَيْكُمُ الْيَوْمَ وَلا أَنْتُمْ تَحْزَنُونَ. الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا بِآياتِنا وَكانُوا مُسْلِمِينَ وعزل الشيطان عن سلطانه عليهم خاصة، وجعل سلطانه على من تولاه وأشرك به. فقال ١٥: ٤٢ إِنَّ عِبادِي لَيْسَ لَكَ عَلَيْهِمْ سُلْطانٌ، إِلَّا مَنِ اتَّبَعَكَ مِنَ الْغاوِينَ وقال ١٦: ٩٩، ١٠٠ إِنَّهُ لَيْسَ لَهُ سُلْطانٌ عَلَى الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا وَعَلى رَبِّهِمْ يَتَوَكَّلُونَ، إِنَّما سُلْطانُهُ عَلَى الَّذِينَ يَتَوَلَّوْنَهُ وَالَّذِينَ هُمْ بِهِ مُشْرِكُونَ. وجعل النبي ﷺ إحسان العبودية على مراتب الدين، وهو الإحسان. فقال في حديث جبريل- وقد سأله عن الإحسان-: «أن تعبد الله كأنك تراه. فإن لم تكن تراه فإنه يراك» «١» . فصل في لزوم «إياك نعبد» لكل عبد إلى الموت قال الله تعالى لرسوله ١٥: ٩٩ وَاعْبُدْ رَبَّكَ حَتَّى يَأْتِيَكَ الْيَقِينُ وقال أهل النار ٧٤: ٤٦، ٤٧ وَكُنَّا نُكَذِّبُ بِيَوْمِ الدِّينِ حَتَّى أَتانَا الْيَقِينُ واليقين هاهنا: هو الموت بإجماع أهل التفسير. وفي الصحيح، في قصة موت عثمان بن مظعون ﵁: أن النبي ﷺ قال «أما عثمان فقد جاءه اليقين من ربه» أي الموت وما فيه. فلا ينفك العبد من العبودية ما دام في دار التكليف، بل عليه في البرزخ عبودية أخرى لما يسأله الملكان «من كان يعبد؟ وما يقول في رسول الله ﷺ؟» ويلتمسان منه الجواب. وعليه عبودية أخرى يوم القيامة، يوم يدعو الله الخلق كلهم إلى السجود، فيسجد المؤمنون، ويبقى الكفار والمنافقون لا يستطيعون

(١) أخرجه الترمذي برقم ٢٦١٠.