Tafsir al-Sadi - Abd al-Rahman al-Sadi’ - (87)

Tafsir al-SadiAbd al-Rahman al-Sadi’

186 “When My servants ask you about Me, surely I am near. I answer the supplication of the supplicant when he calls upon Me. So let them respond to Me and believe in Me, so that they may be rightly guided.”

This is an answer to a question. Some of the Prophet’s Companions asked him—peace and blessings be upon him—“O Messenger of Allah, is our Lord near, so that we may converse with Him quietly, or is He far away, so that we must call out to Him?” Thereupon the words were revealed: “When My servants ask you about Me, surely I am near.” For He Most High is the Ever-Watchful Witness, fully aware of what is secret and what is yet more hidden. He knows the furtive glances of the eyes and what the breasts conceal. He is also near to those who call upon Him, answering them. Hence He said: “I answer the supplication of the supplicant when he calls upon Me.” Supplication is of two kinds: the supplication of worship and the supplication of request.

Nearness is likewise of two kinds: His nearness to all His creation through His knowledge, and His nearness to those who worship and call upon Him through His response, assistance, and granting of success.

Thus, if a person calls upon his Lord with an attentive heart and a lawful supplication, and no impediment prevents his supplication from being answered—such as consuming what is unlawful and the like—Allah has promised to answer him. This is especially so when he fulfills the means by which supplications are answered: responding to Allah Most High by submitting to His commands and prohibitions in word and deed, and believing in Him—a faith that necessarily entails such submission. Hence He said: “So let them respond to Me and believe in Me, so that they may be rightly guided.” That is, so that they may attain right guidance, which consists of being guided to faith and righteous deeds, and so that waywardness, which is contrary to faith and righteous deeds, may be removed from them. Faith in Allah and obedience to His command are also a means of acquiring knowledge, as the Most High said: “O you who believe, if you remain mindful of Allah, He will grant you a criterion by which to distinguish truth from falsehood.”

﴿١٨٦﴾ ﴿وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا لِي وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا بِي لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ﴾ . هذا جواب سؤال، سأل النبي ﷺ بعض أصحابه فقالوا: يا رسول الله، أقريب ربنا فنناجيه، أم بعيد فنناديه؟ فنزل: ﴿وَإِذَا سَأَلَكَ عِبَادِي عَنِّي فَإِنِّي قَرِيبٌ﴾ لأنه تعالى، الرقيب الشهيد، المطلع على السر وأخفى، يعلم خائنة الأعين وما تخفي الصدور، فهو قريب أيضا من داعيه، بالإجابة، ولهذا قال: ﴿أُجِيبُ دَعْوَةَ الدَّاعِ إِذَا دَعَانِ﴾ والدعاء نوعان: دعاء عبادة، ودعاء مسألة. والقرب نوعان: قرب بعلمه من كل خلقه، وقرب من عابديه وداعيه بالإجابة والمعونة والتوفيق. فمن دعا ربه بقلب حاضر، ودعاء مشروع، ولم يمنع مانع من إجابة الدعاء، كأكل الحرام ونحوه، فإن الله قد وعده بالإجابة، وخصوصا إذا أتى بأسباب إجابة الدعاء، وهي الاستجابة لله تعالى بالانقياد لأوامره ونواهيه القولية والفعلية، والإيمان به، الموجب للاستجابة، فلهذا قال: ﴿فَلْيَسْتَجِيبُوا لِي وَلْيُؤْمِنُوا بِي لَعَلَّهُمْ يَرْشُدُونَ﴾ أي: يحصل لهم الرشد الذي هو الهداية للإيمان والأعمال الصالحة، ويزول عنهم الغي المنافي للإيمان والأعمال الصالحة. ولأن الإيمان بالله والاستجابة لأمره، سبب لحصول العلم كما قال تعالى: ﴿يَا أَيُّهَا الَّذِينَ آمَنُوا إِنْ تَتَّقُوا اللَّهَ يَجْعَلْ لَكُمْ فُرْقَانًا﴾ .