Al-Amr bi-l-Maʿrūf wa-n-Nahy ʿan al-Munkar - Ibn Taimiya - (59)

Al-Amr bi-l-Maʿrūf wa-n-Nahy ʿan al-MunkarIbn Taimiya

and His words:

“So set your face toward the religion with pure devotion—the natural disposition of Allah upon which He created mankind.” (Surah al-Rum, 30)

The expression “directing the face” likewise occurs in the words of the Friend, Abraham:

“I have turned my face toward Him who originated the heavens and the earth, turning wholly to Him, and I am not of the idolaters.” (Surah al-Anʿām, 79)

In the same vein, the Prophet—may Allah bless him and grant him peace—used to say in the opening supplication of his prayer:

“I have directed my face toward Him who originated the heavens and the earth, purely devoted to Him, and I am not among the polytheists.”

And in the two Ṣaḥīḥs it is reported from al-Barāʾ ibn ʿĀzib that, when the Prophet—peace and blessings be upon him—lay down to sleep, part of what he would say was:

“O Allah, I have surrendered myself to You and have turned my face toward You.”

The word “face” thus embraces both the one who is turning and the One to whom he turns; it also covers the direction toward which he turns. Hence the common question, “Which face do you intend?” meaning, “Which direction are you heading for?” The two are inseparable: wherever a person turns, his face turns, and his face necessarily follows his inner orientation—both inwardly and outwardly. These are four interrelated matters. The inward orientation is the root; the outward orientation is its perfection and public emblem. When the heart inclines toward something, the outward face follows. If therefore the servant’s aim, desire, and direction are toward Allah, his intention and purpose are sound. Should he also practice excellence (iḥsān), his deed becomes righteous and he assigns no partner to his Lord in worship.

This is echoed in the supplication of ʿUmar, may Allah be pleased with him: “O Allah, make all my deeds righteous, make them purely for Your Face, and do not allow anyone else to share in them.” A righteous deed is iḥsān—it is the performance of good works, that is, whatever Allah has commanded. What Allah has commanded is what He has legislated, and it accords with the Sunnah of Allah and the Sunnah—

الآية ٢٩) . وقوله: {فَأَقِمْ وَجْهَكَ لِلدِّينِ حَنِيفًا فِطْرَتَ اللَّهِ الَّتِي فَطَرَ النَّاسَ عَلَيْهَا} [الروم: ٣٠] (سورة الروم: من الآية ٣٠) . وتوجيه الوجه كقول الخليل: {إِنِّي وَجَّهْتُ وَجْهِيَ لِلَّذِي فَطَرَ السَّمَاوَاتِ وَالْأَرْضَ حَنِيفًا وَمَا أَنَا مِنَ الْمُشْرِكِينَ} [الأنعام: ٧٩] (سورة الأنعام: آية ٧٩) . وكذلك كان النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم، يقول في دعاء الاستفتاح في صلاته: «وجهت وجهي للذي فطر السماوات والأرض حنيفا وما أنا من المشركين» وفي الصحيحين عن البراء بن عازب عن النبي صلى الله عليه وسلم، مما يقول إذا أوى إلى فراشه: «اللهم أسلمت نفسي إليك ووجهت وجهي إليك» فالوجه يتناول المتوجه والمتوجه إليه، ويتناول المتوجه نحوه كما يقال: أي وجه تريد؟ أي أي وجهة وناحية تقصد، وذلك أنهما متلازمان، فحيث توجه الإنسان توجه وجهه، ووجهه مستلزم لتوجهه، وهذا في باطنه وظاهره جميعا، فهذه أربعة أمور، والباطن هو الأصل، والظاهر، هو الكمال والشعار، فإذا توجه قلبه إلى شيء تبعه وجهه الظاهر، فإذا كان العبد قصده ومراده وتوجهه إلى الله فهذا صلاح إرادته وقصده، فإذا كان مع ذلك محسنا فقد اجتمع أن يكون عمله صالحا ولا يشرك بعبادة ربه أحدا، وهو قول عمر رضي الله عنه: اللهم اجعل عملي كله صالحا واجعله لوجهك خالصا، ولا تجعل لأحد فيه شيئا، والعمل الصالح هو الإحسان، وهو فعل الحسنات وهو ما أمر الله به، والذي أمر الله به هو الذي شرعه الله، وهو الموافق لسنة الله وسنة