Al-Bidayah wa an-Nihayah - Ibn Kathir - (14/384)

Al-Bidayah wa an-NihayahIbn Kathir

Let no one take another to court but his own deeds (1); let him blame none but himself, and place his hope in none but his Lord (2). We must not wait for the armies to swell, nor for the auxiliaries to arrive (3), nor for wealth to be amassed. Let no one be deceived by the sheer number of troops and helpers, nor by So-and-so who relies on fighting, nor by So-and-so who is waiting to set out. All of these are distractions from Allah; victory is not achieved through them (4), and we cannot be sure that Allah will not leave us to depend on them. Victory is with Him, kindness is from Him, and beautiful favor is His habit (5). We seek Allah’s forgiveness for our sins; were it not that they block the path of our supplication, the answer to our prayer would already have descended, and the flood of the humble’s tears would have washed it clean. Yet an obstacle still lies in the way. May Allah choose the best for our master in all that has been decreed and all that is yet to be.

In (6) another letter he laments the weakness that has afflicted the Sultan’s body owing to the burdens his heart bears amid these hardships—may Allah reward him. He says in it (7): “There is nothing blameworthy in this servant’s soul save the remnant of that weakness which is in our master’s body, for he dwells within our hearts, and we would ransom him with our hearing and our sight.” He then added (8):

[Verse, ṭawīl metre]
It is we, O company of servants, who bear whatever harms you …
And if they fear what I say, the blame is on me alone.

Shaykh Shihab al-Din records in (9) al-Rawḍatayn (10) at this point several of al-Fāḍil’s letters to the Sultan, letters of such eloquence, admonition, and encouragement to jihad (11) that even Sahban himself could not rival them; they deserve to be written in gold upon necklaces of precious pearls. May Allah have mercy on such a man—how eloquent he was, how sincere he was as a vizier, how sound he was in judgment.

Section (12)

Al-Qāḍī al-Fāḍil composed an eloquent letter, in the Sultan’s name (13), to the King of the Maghrib (14), Commander of the Muslims,

(1) Manuscript T: fā lā yakhtaṣim (so there is no dispute). The report appears in ar-Rawḍatayn, vol. 2, p. 167. (2) Manuscript T: wa-lā yaghtr bi-kathrat al-ʿasākir wa-al-aʿwān (nor be deceived by the multitude of troops and auxiliaries). (3) Found only in manuscript B. (4) In manuscript T, after it: wa-innamā al-naṣr min ʿinda Allāh (and victory is only from God). (5) Manuscript A: wa-al-ʿibāda (and worship). (6) Manuscript T: wa-min (and from). (7) Manuscript T: bi-qawlihi (by his saying). (8) The verse appears in ar-Rawḍatayn, vol. 2, p. 167. (9) Manuscript T: ṣāḥib (owner/companion). (10) ar-Rawḍatayn, vol. 2, pp. 165–170. (11) Not found in manuscript T. (12) Not found in manuscript B. (13) Manuscript A: ʿan al-sulṭān (from the sultan). (14) Manuscript T: malik al-gharb (king of the West).

يستخصم (١) أحد إِلا عمله، ولا يلم إِلا نفسه، ولا يرجُ إِلا ربَّه (٢) ولا ننتظر العساكر أن تكثر، ولا الأعوان أن تحضر (٣) ، ولا الأموال أن تحصر، ولا يغتر بكثرة العساكر والأعوان، ولا فلان الذي يعتمد أن يقاتل، ولا فلان الذي ينتظر أن يسير، فكل هذه مشاغل عن الله ليس النصر بها (٤) ، ولا نأمن أن يكلنا الله إِليها، والنصر به واللطف منه، والعادة (٥) الجميلة له، ونستغفر الله تعالى من ذنوبنا، فلولا أنها تسدُّ طريق دعائنا، لكان جواب دعائنا قد نزل، وفيض دموع الخاشعين قد غسل، ولكن في طريق عائق، خار الله لمولانا في القضاء السابق واللاحق. وفي (٦) كتاب آخر يتألم فيه لما عند السلطان من الضعف في جسمه بسبب ما حمل على قلبه مما هو فيه من الشدائد، أثابه الله تعالى يقول في (٧) : وما في نفس المملوك شائنة إِلا بقية هذا الضعف الذي في جسم مولانا، فإِنه بقلوبنا، ونفديه بأسماعنا وأبصارنا، ثم قال (٨) : [من الطويل] بِنَا مَعْشَرَ الخُدّامِ ما بِكَ مِنْ أذىً … وَإِنْ أَشْفَقُوا مِمَّا أَقُولُ فَبِي وَحْدِي وقد أورد الشيخ شهاب الدين في (٩) "الروضتين" (١٠) في هذا المكان كتبًا عدَّة من الفاضل إِلى السلطان، فيها فصاحة وموعظة وتحضيض على الجهاد، [يعجز عن مثلها سحبان، وهي جديرة أن تكتب بماء الذهب على قلائد العقيان] (١١) ، فرحمه الله من إِنسان ما أفصحه، ومن وزير ما كان أنصحه، ومن عقل ما كان أرجحه. فصل (١٢) وكتب القاضي الفاضل كتابًا بليغًا على لسان (١٣) السلطان إِلى ملك المغرب (١٤) أمير المسلمين،

(١) ط: فلا يختصم. والخبر في الروضتين (٢/ ١٦٧). (٢) ط: ولا يغتر بكثرة العساكر والأعوان. (٣) عن ب وحدها. (٤) بعده في ط: وإنما النصر من عند الله. (٥) أ: والعبادة. (٦) ط: ومن. (٧) ط: بقوله. (٨) البيت في الروضتين (٢/ ١٦٧). (٩) ط: صاحب. (١٠) الروضتين (٢/ ١٦٥ - ١٧٠). (١١) ليس في ط. (١٢) ليس في ب. (١٣) أ: عن السلطان. (١٤) ط: ملك الغرب.