Bayān Talbīs al-Jahmiyya - Ibn Taimiya - (4/538)

Bayān Talbīs al-JahmiyyaIbn Taimiya

and His words:

“So worship Him and put your trust in Him.” [Hūd 123]

And His words:

“In Him I have put my trust, and to Him is my return.” {30} [Thunder 30]

These are the two kinds of invocation, as explained earlier. Both belong exclusively to Allah and are His rights; neither may be directed to anyone else. Indeed, invoking anyone other than Him in either of these two ways is polytheism. As the Exalted says:

“The mosques belong to Allah, so do not invoke anyone alongside Allah. {18} When Allah’s servant stood up invoking Him, they almost crowded around him. {19} Say, ‘I invoke only my Lord and associate no one with Him.’” {20} [The Jinn 18-20]

The Exalted also says:

“So do not invoke another god alongside Allah, lest you become one of those who are punished.” {213} [The Poets 213]

The Exalted says:

“Say, ‘My Lord would not care for you were it not for your invocation.’” [The Criterion 77]

And He says:

“We did not wrong them, but they wronged themselves. The gods they invoked besides Allah availed them nothing when your Lord’s command came; they only increased their ruin.” {101} [Hūd 101]

Thus, none besides Allah may be sought for help or relied upon, because none can act independently in any way. No cause independently brings its effect into existence; rather, other factors contribute to it. There is no complete cause except Allah’s will: whatever Allah wills happens, and whatever He does not will does not happen. Likewise, none besides Him may be worshipped or sought for its own sake, for none other is worthy of that. This is why polytheism is so prevalent among the children of Adam, as the Exalted says:

“Most of them do not believe in Allah without associating others with Him.” {106} [Joseph 106]

Thus, a person becomes a slave to something other than Allah, treating it as a god—loving it, revering it, honouring it, fearing it, and placing his hopes in it. The Prophet, may Allah bless him and grant him peace, even said in an authentic hadith:

“May the slave of the dirham perish! May the slave of the dinar perish! May the slave of the patterned cloak perish! If he is given, he is pleased; but if

وقوله فَاعْبُدْهُ وَتَوَكَّلْ عَلَيْهِ [هود ١٢٣] وقوله عَلَيْهِ تَوَكَّلْتُ وَإِلَيْهِ مَتَابِ {٣٠} [الرعد ٣٠] وهذان هما نوعا الدعاء كما تقدم وهما جميعاً مختصان بالله حقان له لا يصلحان لغيره بل دعاء غير أحد بالنوعين شرك كما قال تعالى وَأَنَّ الْمَسَاجِدَ لِلَّهِ فَلَا تَدْعُوا مَعَ اللَّهِ أَحَداً {١٨} وَأَنَّهُ لَمَّا قَامَ عَبْدُ اللَّهِ يَدْعُوهُ كَادُوا يَكُونُونَ عَلَيْهِ لِبَداً {١٩} قُلْ إِنَّمَا أَدْعُو رَبِّي وَلَا أُشْرِكُ بِهِ أَحَداً {٢٠} [الجن ١٨-٢٠] وقال تعالى فَلَا تَدْعُ مَعَ اللَّهِ إِلَهاً آخَرَ فَتَكُونَ مِنَ الْمُعَذَّبِينَ {٢١٣} [الشعراء ٢١٣] وقال تعالى قُلْ مَا يَعْبَأُ بِكُمْ رَبِّي لَوْلَا دُعَاؤُكُمْ [الفرقان ٧٧] وقال وَمَا ظَلَمْنَاهُمْ وَلَكِن ظَلَمُواْ أَنفُسَهُمْ فَمَا أَغْنَتْ عَنْهُمْ آلِهَتُهُمُ الَّتِي يَدْعُونَ مِن دُونِ اللهِ مِن شَيْءٍ لِّمَّا جَاء أَمْرُ رَبِّكَ وَمَا زَادُوهُمْ غَيْرَ تَتْبِيبٍ {١٠١} [هود ١٠١] فغير الله لا يجوز أن يكون مستعاناً به متوكلاً عليه لأنه لا يستقل بفعل شيء أصلاً فليس من الأسباب ما هو مستقل بوجود المسبب لكن له شريك فيه وما ثم علة تامة إلا مشيئة الله فما شاء الله كان وما لم يشأ لم يكن وكذلك لا يجوز أن يكون غيره معبوداً مقصوداً لذاته أصلاً فإن ذلك لا يصلح له ولهذا كان الشرك غالباً على بني آدم كما قال تعالى وَمَا يُؤْمِنُ أَكْثَرُهُمْ بِاللهِ إِلاَّ وَهُم مُّشْرِكُونَ {١٠٦} [يوسف ١٠٦] فيكون أحدهم عبداً لغيرالله متألهاً له مما يحبه ويجله ويكرمه ويخافه ويرجوه حتى قال النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم في الحديث الصحيح تعس عبد الدرهم تعس عبد الدينار تعس عبد الخميصة إن أعطي رضي وإن