Al-Siyasa al-Shar'iyya - Ibn Taimiya - (الكتاب/83)

Al-Siyasa al-Shar'iyyaIbn Taimiya

What we have mentioned regarding provision and giving—the latter being generosity and the conferring of benefits—has its counterpart in patience and anger, the latter manifesting as courage and the warding off of harm. People fall into three categories: those who become angry both for themselves and for their Lord; those who become angry neither for themselves nor for their Lord; and the third—the middle course—in which a person becomes angry for his Lord’s sake, but not his own. As reported in the two Sahih collections (1) from Aisha—may Allah be pleased with her—she said: “The Messenger of Allah—may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him—never struck with his hand any servant of his, any woman, any animal, or anything at all, except when fighting in the path of Allah. Nor was he ever wronged and then take revenge for himself, unless Allah’s sacred limits were violated. Whenever Allah’s sacred limits were violated, nothing could withstand his anger until he exacted retribution for Allah’s sake—Glorious and Exalted.”

As for one who becomes angry for his own sake but not for his Lord’s, or who takes for himself but gives nothing to others [أ/ق 25], this fourth category comprises the worst of creation. Neither religion nor worldly life can be set right through such people.

The righteous who embody perfect governance are those who fulfill their obligations and refrain from what is forbidden. They give whatever, through being given, sets religion aright; they take only what has been made lawful for them; they become angry for their Lord when His inviolable limits are violated; and they forgo their personal claims. These were the qualities of the Messenger of Allah—may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him—in conferring benefits and warding off harm. They represent the most perfect course, and the nearer a person comes to them, the better he is.

A Muslim should therefore exert his utmost effort to approximate these qualities, and thereafter seek Allah Most High’s forgiveness for any inadequacy or negligence, having recognized the perfection of the religion with which Allah sent Muhammad—may Allah’s blessings and peace be upon him.

(1) Muslim (2328) records it in this wording. Al-Bukhārī (3560) also records her narration with the wording: “Whenever the Prophet (may Allah bless him and grant him peace) was given a choice between two matters, he chose the easier one, provided it involved no sin. If it was sinful, he kept furthest away from it. By Allah, he never took revenge for any personal wrong done to him; but when Allah’s sanctities were violated, he took revenge for Allah’s sake.”

وهذا الذي ذكرناه في الرزق والعطاء الذي هو السخاء وبذل المنافع= نظيرُه في الصبر والغضب الذي هو الشجاعة ودفع المضارِّ: أن الناس ثلاثة أقسام: قسم يغضبون لنفوسهم ولربهم، وقسم لا يغضبون لنفوسهم ولا لربهم، والثالث ــ وهو الوسط ــ أن يغضب لربه لا لنفسه كما في «الصحيحين» (١) عن عائشة ﵂ قالت: «ما ضرب رسول الله ﷺ بيده خادمًا له، ولا امرأة، ولا دابة، ولا شيئًا قط إلا أن يجاهد في سبيل الله، ولا نِيلَ منه شيء فانتقم لنفسه، إلا أن تُنْتَهَك حُرُمات الله، فإذا انتُهِكَت حُرُمات الله لم يَقُم لغضبه شيء حتى ينتقم لله ﵎». فأما من يغضب لنفسه لا لربه، أو يأخذ لنفسه ولا يعطي غيره [أ/ق ٢٥]، فهذا القسم الرابع شرُّ الخلق لا يصلح بهم دين ولا دنيا. كما أن الصالحين أرباب السياسة الكاملة، هم الذين قاموا بالواجبات وتركوا المحرَّمات، وهم الذين يعطون ما يُصْلِح الدين بعطائه، ولا يأخذون إلا ما أُبيح لهم، ويغضبون لربهم إذا انتُهِكَت محارمُه، ويعفون عن حظوظهم، وهذه أخلاق رسول الله ﷺ في بذله ودفعه، وهي أكمل الأمور، وكلما كان إليها أقرب كان أفضل. فليجتهد المسلم في التقرُّب إليها بجهده، ويستغفر الله تعالى بعد ذلك من قصور أو تقصير، بعد أن يعرف كمالَ ما بَعَث الله به محمدًا ﷺ من الدين.

(١) بهذا اللفظ أخرجه مسلم (٢٣٢٨)، وأخرج البخاري (٣٥٦٠) من حديثها بلفظ: «ما خير النبي ﷺ بين أمرين إلا اختار أيسرهما ما لم يأثم فإذا كان الإثم كان أبعدهما منه، والله ما انتقم لنفسه في شيء يؤتى إليه قط حتى تُنْتَهك حُرُمات الله فينتقم لله».