Al-Siyasa al-Shar'iyya - Ibn Taimiya - (الكتاب/242)

Al-Siyasa al-Shar'iyyaIbn Taimiya

al-Tirmidhī: “This is a good and authentic hadith.”

Thus, he stated that a person’s eagerness for wealth and leadership corrupts his religion as much as—or more than—two hungry wolves wreak havoc in a sheepfold.

Allah Most High has told us that the one given his record in his left hand will say:

“If only I had not been given my record! (25) Nor known what my reckoning was! (26) If only death had been the end! (27) My wealth has not availed me. (28) My authority has vanished from me!” (1) [al-Hāqqah: 25–29].

Allah Most High also says:

“Have they not traveled through the land and observed the fate of those who came before them? They were greater than them in strength and in the marks they left upon the land. Yet Allah seized them for their sins, and they had no protector against Allah.” [Ghāfir: 21]

And He says:

“The home of the Hereafter We reserve for those who do not [أ/ق 76] seek exaltation in the land or corruption, and the final outcome belongs to the righteous. (83)” [al-Qasas: 83].

People therefore fall into four categories:

Those who seek superiority over others and corruption in the land—which is disobedience to Allah Most High. They are the corrupt kings and leaders, such as Pharaoh and his faction (2), and these people

(1) After this, the remaining manuscripts read: “The ultimate ambition of one who seeks leadership is to become like Pharaoh, and that of one who amasses wealth is to become like Qārūn. Allah Most High has explained in His Book the condition of Pharaoh and Qārūn.” He then cited only the final two verses. (2) This is absent from manuscript (Bā).

الترمذي: حديث حسن صحيح. فأخبر أنَّ حرص المرء على المال والرئاسة يُفسد دينه، مثل أو أكثر من إفساد الذئبين الجائعين لزريبة الغنم. وقد أخبر الله تعالى عن الذي يؤتَى كتابه بشماله أنه يقول: ﴿يَالَيْتَنِي لَمْ أُوتَ كِتَابِيَهْ (٢٥) وَلَمْ أَدْرِ مَا حِسَابِيَهْ (٢٦) يَالَيْتَهَا كَانَتِ الْقَاضِيَةَ (٢٧) مَا أَغْنَى عَنِّي مَالِيَهْ (٢٨) هَلَكَ عَنِّي سُلْطَانِيَهْ﴾ (١) [الحاقة: ٢٥ - ٢٩]. وقال الله تعالى: ﴿أَوَلَمْ يَسِيرُوا فِي الْأَرْضِ فَيَنْظُرُوا كَيْفَ كَانَ عَاقِبَةُ الَّذِينَ كَانُوا مِنْ قَبْلِهِمْ كَانُوا هُمْ أَشَدَّ مِنْهُمْ قُوَّةً وَآثَارًا فِي الْأَرْضِ فَأَخَذَهُمُ اللَّهُ بِذُنُوبِهِمْ وَمَا كَانَ لَهُمْ مِنَ اللَّهِ مِنْ وَاقٍ﴾ [غافر: ٢١]، وقال تعالى: ﴿الدَّارُ الْآخِرَةُ نَجْعَلُهَا لِلَّذِينَ لَا [أ/ق ٧٦] يُرِيدُونَ عُلُوًّا فِي الْأَرْضِ وَلَا فَسَادًا وَالْعَاقِبَةُ لِلْمُتَّقِينَ (٨٣)﴾ [القصص: ٨٣]. فالناس أربعة أقسام: قومٌ يريدون العلو على الناس والفساد في الأرض، وهو معصية الله تعالى، وهؤلاء الملوك والرؤساء المفسدون، كفرعون وحزبه (٢)، وهؤلاء

(١) بعده في بقية الأصول: «وغاية مريد الرياسة أن يكون كفرعون، وجامع المال أن يكون كقارون، وقد بيَّن الله تعالى في كتابه حال فرعون وقارون»، ثم ذكر الآيتين الأخيرتين فقط. (٢) ليست في (ب).