Al-Siyasa al-Shar'iyya - Ibn Taimiya - (الكتاب/246)

[from religion] (1), or religion from authority, people’s financial affairs become corrupt.

Those who obey Allah are distinguished from those who disobey Him only by their intentions and righteous deeds. It is reported in the Sahih (2) that the Prophet (peace and blessings be upon him) said: “Allah does not look at your outward forms or your wealth; rather, He looks at your hearts and your deeds.” (3)

When the pursuit of wealth and prestige came to predominate among many rulers, and they became far removed from the reality of faith [in the exercise of their authority, many people came to believe that positions of authority (4) were incompatible with faith (5)] (6) and with religious perfection.

Some of them then gave precedence to religion and turned away from those things without which religion cannot be complete. Others recognized their need for such things and took them up while turning away from religion, believing them to be incompatible (7) with it. Religion thus became, in their eyes (8), an object of pity and humiliation rather than of ascendancy and honor.

Likewise, when many religious authorities (9) were largely unable to bring to completion

(1) The bracketed words are absent from the original manuscript. (2) Recorded by Muslim (2564), from the hadith of Abū Hurayra (may Allah be pleased with him). (3) The original manuscript reads: “and your wealth”! (4) Manuscript Zā reads: “authority.” (5) Manuscript Yā reads: “the reality of faith.” (6) The bracketed passage is absent from the original manuscript and manuscripts Fā and Zā. (7) The original manuscript reads: “sāq”!! (8) This wording is found in the remaining manuscripts. (9) Manuscripts Yā and Zā read: “al-dayyāniyyīn,” while Tā reads: “al-dīn” (“religion”). The term al-dayyān means a ruler or religious leader. Tāj al-Arūs, vol. 18, p. 217.

[عن الدين] (١) أو الدين عن السلطان فسدت أحوال الناس في الأموال. وإنما يتميَّز أهلُ طاعة الله عن أهل معصية الله بالنية والعمل الصالح، كما جاء في «الصحيح» (٢) عن النبي ﷺ أنه قال: «إنَّ الله لا ينظرُ إلى صوركم وأموالكم، وإنما ينظر إلى قلوبكم وأعمالكم» (٣). ولما غلب على كثير من ولاة الأمور إرادة المال والشرف، وصاروا بمعزلٍ عن حقيقة الإيمان [في ولايتهم= رأى كثيرٌ من الناس أنَّ الإمارات (٤) تنافي الإيمان (٥)] (٦) وكمال الدين. ثم منهم من غلَّب الدينَ وأعرضَ عما لا يتمُّ الدينُ إلا به من ذلك، ومنهم من رأى حاجته إلى ذلك فأخذه معرِضًا عن الدين؛ لاعتقاده أنه مناف (٧) لذلك، وصار الدينُ عنده (٨) في محلِّ الرحمة والذل، لا في محلِّ العلوِّ والعزِّ. وكذلك لما غلبَ على كثير من أهل الديّانين (٩) العجزُ عن تكميل

(١) ما بينهما سقط من الأصل. (٢) أخرجه مسلم (٢٥٦٤) من حديث أبي هريرة ﵁. (٣) الأصل: «وأموالكم»! (٤) (ظ): «الإمارة». (٥) (ي): «حقيقة الإيمان». (٦) ما بين المعكوفين ليس في الأصل و (ف، ز). (٧) الأصل: «صاق»!! (٨) من بقية النسخ. (٩) (ي، ز): «الديانيين»، (ط): «الدين». والديَّان هو الحاكم أو الرئيس الديني. «تاج العروس»: (١٨/ ٢١٧).